Youth hazardous drinking research receives HRC funding

Media Release

Youth hazardous drinking and non-suicidal self-injury research receives HRC funding

The Health Research Council of New Zealand (HRC) has today announced a $74.56 million funding investment into health research, including two projects which have a focus on youth alcohol and self-harm issues. The importance of generating an evidence base to improve the outcomes for young New Zealanders in their transition from childhood to adulthood was highlighted in a recent report by the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor, Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, titled Improving the Transition: Reducing Social and Psychological Morbidity during Adolescence.

In New Zealand and internationally, missed opportunities in the healthcare system to identify and reduce hazardous drinking among high-risk patients are very common. Dr Shanthi Ameratunga from The University of Auckland has been awarded $1.18M over three years for a project which will conduct a randomised controlled trial to investigate the effectiveness of an innovative mobile phone intervention.

“This patient-centred intervention has the potential to be cost-effective, highly scalable and accessible to harder-to-reach communities, including youth and economically disadvantaged groups,” says HRC Chief Executive, Dr Robin Olds.

The trial will involve real-time motivational messages delivered periodically over weeks, weeks using state-of-the-art technology and health psychology, social learning and communication theory. Dr Ameratunga’s primary outcome of interest is reduction in alcohol misuse at three months. The effects will be reviewed at six, nine and 12 months.

Through record linkage to hospital discharge, mortality and national accident insurance claims, the research team will also investigate the impact on further injuries and other harms.

Dr Marc Wilson from Victoria University of Wellington has been awarded $1.12M for a study of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI), which includes behaviours such as cutting and burning oneself.

Some adolescents who self-injure experience suicidal thoughts and NSSI has been identified as a potential suicide risk factor. The research project aims to investigate factors placing adolescents at risk of engaging in NSSI, and why some experiment briefly with self-injury, while others become reliant on these behaviours.

The research team will survey, interview, and conduct focus-groups with Wellington-area adolescents over time to investigate how intrapersonal factors (e.g. mental health, emotional regulation), interpersonal factors (e.g. victimisation, connectedness to peers and whanau), and the socio-cultural environment (e.g. peers, school, kura, and social norms) influence development, maintenance, and cessation of NSSI.

Through interviewing adolescents, caregivers, and school counsellors, the researchers will examine barriers to help-seeking experienced by adolescents. Throughout the research they will develop resources for each of these groups to facilitate help-seeking, including graphic novels targeting adolescents, professional development for counsellors, and information for caregivers.

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