Neurocognitive skills include things like memory, attention, processing speed, planning, and learning. These skills are important for school success, emotional wellbeing, and everyday functioning. Neurocognitive difficulties are also known to be higher amongst adults experiencing mental health difficulties.
Despite the importance of these neurocognitive skills, young people accessing mental health services rarely receive any screening for these skills.
This study aims to help fill this gap by exploring neurocognitive and academic skills in young adolescents (13 – 15 years) engaged with mental health services on the Sunshine Coast, and by comparing these results to a general population group of the same age.
What's involved
Participants attend assessments with a registered clinical psychologist:
- A computerised thinking and memory assessment (approximately 50 minutes)
- A brief academic skills assessment (15-25 minutes)
- A self-report questionnaire (approximately 30 minutes)
After completing the assessment, participants and their families will receive a written report and verbal feedback explaining their results. With the family’s consent, a copy of this report will also be shared with the young person’s treating clinician.
Participants are invited to complete a optional brief follow-up assessment approximately eight months later.
Participants will receive a $30 gift card for their time.
Who: Young adolescents (13–15 years) who are currently receiving support from a community mental health service (CYMHS or Headspace).
Where: One assessment session (or two shorter sessions if needed) at UniSC's Thompson Institute or a community mental health facility.
When: A mutually convenient day and time will be arranged.
Learn more
To find out more, email Chief Investigator Professor Daniel Hermens or the Thompson Institute's Youth Mental Health research team, or call the Thompson Institute on +61 7 5430 1191.
- A major neurological disorder
- A diagnosed intellectual disability
- A major medical illness
- Insufficient English language skills
- Sustained a significant head injury
- Presenting as too medically unwell, in the opinion of the Researcher-Clinician, to safely or effectively complete the study assessments.
Because this project will be completed with young people experiencing mental health challenges, it is our priority to: a) ensure their safety and b) avoid over burdening any young person with unnecessary stressors.
If exclusion criteria are met, participants will be unable to participate. Interested parties with questions or who wish to seek further clarity on eligibility are advised in the Research Project Information sheet to reach out to the research team with the details provided.
Re-identifiable data will be stored on UniSC system R-drive (eg. data that is identified with a number ID code rather than personal identifiers such as participant’s names). Access to data containing personal identifiers and contact details will be stored on a UniSC-approved management system that is password protected with limited access. Documents will be kept on record as per relevant legal requirements following publication, after which, any personally identifiable information will be destroyed.
Participants/parents/caregivers will not be named in any reports or publications resulting from the research project, and no document containing their names will leave the research site. Any publications based on the research project will include only pooled results from all the participants/parents/caregivers, so an individual participant/parent/caregiver’s results will not be singled out.
Unless a participant/parent/caregiver requests that their data is withdrawn from the study, their data will be treated the same way as that for any participant/parent/caregiver who completes the study. That is, it will remain confidential, only non-identifiable data will be used for reporting purposes and future analyses, and it will be stored safely for the required length of time as per guidelines in the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research. If, however, the participant/parent/caregiver requests that their data is withdrawn their re-identifiable data will be retained (confidentially and securely) for the required length of time but will not be included in any analyses.
Immediate risk of harm is low.
However, there may be a possibility of discomfort/distress experienced by the young person while completing the neurocognitive and academic assessments. Young people may also experience some discomfort/distress reflecting on personal experiences during completion of the self-report questionnaire. All data collection will be completed by an experienced clinical psychologist ensuring that appropriate support and informed decisions around disclosed/identified clinical information is managed.
All participants and guardians will be informed through the initial consent process that disclosures of risk will be managed in accordance with the current Code of Conduct outlined by AHPRA. This includes discussing risk concerns with an appropriate caregiver or disclosing relevant information to the participant’s mental health clinician.
The adolescent self-report questionnaire requires selection of a box rather than a written response to minimise fatigue after completing all items. If the adolescent experiences fatigue/attention issues the Researcher will check in with the young person and ensure adequate breaks are included. Disclosure of any mental health disorders and anxiety or attention issues during the recruitment process will inform the Researcher of possible fatigue for the student during completion of the self-report questionnaire.
Participants will debrief with Researcher following completion of the assessments and will be provided an opportunity to give feedback on the experience. Participants will be provided with verbal and written feedback of their neurocognitive and academic assessment results, including practical recommendations to support identified areas of difficulty.
As this is an exploratory study with young adolescents from Sunshine Coast community mental health services, findings will be at a group level and their contribution to the field will be acknowledged.
Participants will directly benefit from assessments completed throughout the study through the provision of a summary report of neurocognitive and academic results, including recommendations, developed by an experienced clinical psychologist. With consent, these results will also be provided to the participants mental health clinician to assist in guiding ongoing clinical supports.
Participants will be advised these findings will support ongoing research and possible pilot studies aimed at increasing access to neurocognitive and academic screening with youth mental health services.
The field of psychology, specifically the literature on younger adolescents accessing mental health services, may benefit from potential findings as the investigation will provide insight into rates of neurocognitive difficulties within this cohort in contrast to a general population sample. Furthermore, it will provide the groundwork for implementation of neurocognitive screening within mental health services and potentially identify psychosocial factors associated with skills within this cohort.