Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Dr Marie Yap is an Associate Professor (Research) and Psychologist with expertise in parenting and youth mental health. Her research interests in parenting are two-fold: 1) increasing our understanding of specific family processes and the mechanisms by which they influence young people's mental health; and 2) translating existing research evidence into credible, accessible resources for parents to help them reduce their child's risk of developing mental health problems. She is the lead investigator of the Parenting Strategies program www.parentingstrategies.net, which has been developed to provide parents with actionable strategies endorsed by research evidence and experts in the field to help them protect their child's mental health.
Current Projects
1. Parenting Strategies online platform
The Parenting Strategies platform currently consists of 3 linked projects:
1.1. Parenting Strategies: Preventing Adolescent Alcohol Misuse (www.parentingstrategies.net/alcohol) provides parenting guidelines for adolescent alcohol use, as well as an interactive, web-based parenting program that tailors the guidelines recommendations for individual parents' needs and supports parents in their attempts to implement these recommendations. Pilot data demonstrates that parents find the program useful, reporting that they have made significant changes in their parenting after accessing the program.
1.2. Parenting Strategies: Preventing Depression and Anxiety (www.parentingstrategies.net/depression/ ) provides parenting guidelines to prevent depression and anxiety disorders in their (1) teenagers and (2) primary school-aged children. Two corresponding personalised online parenting programs have been developed to support parents in implementing these guidelines. We have completed two large randomised controlled trials of the program for parents of teenagers (Partners in Parenting) and are currently a third RCT evaluating the program for parents of primary-school chidren (Parenting Resilient Kids).
1.3 Therapist-assisted Online Parenting Strategies (TOPS)
TOPS is the therapist-assisted version of the Partners in Parenting online program, designed to empower parents whose adolescent is experiencing clinical-level difficulties with depression and anxiety. We are currently conducting an open-trial to evaluate the effects of TOPS on various parent and adolescent outcomes, including depression, anxiety, suicidality, school engagement, and sleep problems: http://tops.partnersinparenting.net.au/
2. An online parenting intervention to prevent affective disorders in high-risk adolescents: The PIPA trial
In collaboration with A/Prof Andy Thompson and Prof Max Birchwood at the University of Warwick, we are adapting the Partners in Parenting online intervention for the UK population, and conducting a definitive RCT to evaluate its effectiveness and cost-effectiveness as a targeted prevention program for parents whose adolescent is at high risk for developing an affective disorder. This project is funded by the National Institute for Health Research, UK.
3. Increasing Parental Engagement in Preventive Parenting Programs
Despite robust evidence indicating the long-term benefits of preventive parenting programs for child mental health, the population-level impact of many evidence-based programs is limited by the poor uptake and engagement by parents. Moreover, parenting research in general, and evaluation studies of parenting programs specifically, typically see an under-representation by certain subgroups of parents. These include fathers, parents of lower socio-economic positions, and parents residing in rural and remote regions. In this program of research, we are examining the factors that hinder and facilitate parents' engagement in preventive programs, with the goal of increasing parental uptake of programs that will improve their child's mental health.
4. Childhood Adversity and Associated Depression and Anxiety
This project is part of a Centre for Research Excellence funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council in partnership with Beyond Blue. It aims to prevent the significant mental health morbidity load of depression, anxiety problems and suicidality experienced by children living in adversity and exposed to Adverse Childhood Experiences.
Related Links:
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Education/Academic qualification
Clinical Psychology, Master of Psychology, University of Melbourne
Award Date: 26 Feb 2010
Psychology, PhD, Temperament, family processes, and adolescent depressive symptomatology: Emotion regulation as a mediator , University of Melbourne
Award Date: 31 Mar 2007
Research area keywords
- Online Interventions
- Parenting
- Children
- Adolescents
- Prevention
- Alcohol Misuse
- Depression
- Anxiety
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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CSIRO Data61 Next Generation Graduates Programs: AI in Mental Health
McNaney, R., Olivier, P., Yap, M., Cai, J., Wu, L., Watterson, J., Haffari, R., Qu, L., Wilson Rajaratnam, S., Wang, T., Sharp, G., Alvarez-Jimenez, M., D'Alfonso, S. & Kostakos, V.
Monash University – Internal Department Contribution
5/04/23 → 31/12/27
Project: Research
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Feasibility and acceptability pilot trial of a coach-supported, online parenting intervention for parents of children with autism to reduce internalising problems
Yap, M., Sim, W., Jorm, A., Olivier, P., Wu, L., Haslam, R., McCormack, D. & Williams, K.
1/01/23 → 31/12/23
Project: Research
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Early, novel and accessible intervention for children with developmental regression
Williams, K., Olivier, P., Bourke-Taylor, H., Yap, M., Brignell, A., Fahey, M., Hunter, M., Sim, W., Ure, A., Xie, J., Furley, K., Elvidge, K. & Wake, M.
1/07/22 → 1/07/27
Project: Research
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Co-Creation and Pilot Evaluation of a Therapist-assisted Online Parenting Strategies (TOPS) Program for Youth Suicide Prevention
Yap, M., Melvin, G., Jorm, A. F., Hasking , P., Thompson, A. D., Gordon, M. & Olivier, P.
3/05/21 → 31/12/23
Project: Research
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Growing Minds Australia: A National Trials Strategy to Transform Child and Youth Mental Health Services
Dadds, M. R., Anderson, V., Bellgrove, M., Brown, N. J., Burchfield, K., Cann, W., Carr, V., Clark, D. A., Curtis, J. R., Dean, K., Dear, B. F., Degenhardt, L., Doyle, F. L., Eapen, V., Efron, D., Elliott, E., Fonagy, P., Goldfeld, S. R., Green, M. J., Hart, L., Hawes, D., Hearps, S., Hunt , C., Jorm, A. F., Kenardy, J., Kimonis, E. R., Kohn, M. R., Kowalenko, N., Laurens, K. R., Morgan, A. J., Newman, L., Northam, J., Oberklaid, F., Olivier, P., Rapee, R. M., Sanders, M., Sawyer, M. G., Schroeder, E., Sciberras, E., Shanley, D., Silk, T. J., Tonge, B., Tully, L. A., Tzoumakis, S., Ward, P. S., Waters, A. M., Williams, K., Yap, M., Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., Reupert, A. & Mihalopoulos, C.
1/05/21 → 30/04/26
Project: Research
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Targeted community-based programmes for children’s mental health: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the Australian literature
Savaglio, M., Yap, M. B. H., O’Donnell, R. & Skouteris, H., Feb 2023, In: Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. 57, 2, p. 197-212 16 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review Article › Research › peer-review
1 Citation (Scopus) -
Acceptability of an enhanced transdiagnostic CBT intervention for adults with anxiety disorders who are parenting an anxious child
Galea, S., Wade, C., Salvaris, C. A., Yap, M. B. H. & Lawrence, K. A., 2022, In: Clinical Psychologist. 26, 2, p. 141-155 15 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
2 Citations (Scopus) -
An online parenting intervention to prevent affective disorders in high-risk adolescents: the PIPA trial protocol
Connor, C., Yap, M. B. H., Warwick, J., Birchwood, M., De Valliere, N., Madan, J., Melvin, G. A., Padfield, E., Patterson, P., Petrou, S., Raynes, K., Stewart-Brown, S. & Thompson, A., Dec 2022, In: Trials. 23, 1, 18 p., 655.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Other › peer-review
Open Access2 Citations (Scopus) -
A review of Australian Government funding of parenting intervention research
Havighurst, S. S., Chainey, C., Doyle, F. L., Higgins, D. J., Mathews, B., Mazzucchelli, T. G., Zimmer-Gembeck, M., Andriessen, K., Cobham, V. E., Cross, D., Dadds, M. R., Dawe, S., Gray, K. M., Guastella, A. J., Harnett, P., Haslam, D. M., Middeldorp, C. M., Morawska, A., Ohan, J. L., Sanders, M. R., & 7 others , Jun 2022, In: Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health. 46, 3, p. 262-268 7 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access2 Citations (Scopus) -
Children's Perspectives of an Enhanced Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment for Child–Parent Dyads With Anxiety Disorders
Salvaris, C. A., Wade, C., Galea, S., Yap, M. B. H. & Lawrence, K. A., Apr 2022, (Accepted/In press) In: Cognitive and Behavioral Practice. 16 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Prizes
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Partners in Parenting: Evaluating a Brief Online Parenting Program to Prevent Adolescent Depression and Anxiety Disorders
Yap, Marie (Recipient), 4 Feb 2016
Prize: Other distinction