Five Griffith University researchers have been awarded Advance Queensland COVID-19 Industry Research Fellowships announced by the Minister for State Development, Tourism and Innovation, The Honourable Kate Jones, this week.

Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research) Professor Mario Pinto said the fellowships recognised some of the brightest, most innovative researchers and were an investment in the next generation of researchers.

“I congratulate the awardees as they embark upon these transformative research projects to mitigate the effects and create long-term solutions to problems arising from COVID-19,” he said.

The fellowships were awarded to —

Dr Tristan Casey — Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research
$180,000 – Development and evaluation of crisis management toolkits for Queensland industry

 

 


Dr Belinda de Villiers — Institute for Glycomics
$90,000 – Evaluation of COVID-19 antiviral and vaccine candidates, using a non-infectious virus-like particle platform.

 

 

Dr Yoriko Kikkawa — Griffith Institute for Educational Research
$180,000 –Improve Advance Life Support Training for frontline healthcare workers under novel conditions

 

 


Dr Camila Shirota — The Hopkins Centre, Menzies Health Institute Queensland
$90,000 – Accelerating technology uptake during a pandemic: enabling and extending delivery of rehabilitation.

 

 

Associate Professor David Trembath — Menzies Health Institute Queensland
$150,000 – Optimising telehealth to future-proof the delivery of autism-related services.

 

 

 

Parents of children with autism want more research to support their child’s wellbeing at home, socialisation at school and awareness and education in the community.

In an Australian-first study, Griffith University academics, Dr Megan Clark and Associate Professor Dawn Adams from the Autism Centre of Excellence, worked with parents of children with autism to find out their priorities for autism research.

“Involving the community in research is so important, but this often happens too late in the research process when projects have already been developed,’’ Dr Clark said.

“Increasing community engagement in autism research can increase the translation of science and improve the application of findings in practice.”

Published in PLOS One,the research found that parents wanted to see more research focussed on supporting the health and wellbeing of their child at home, more school-based research to support children’s socialisation and research to promote community awareness and understanding.

Parents were also asked to rank priorities of research in home, school and the community.

Most important in the home was research to support the parent, siblings, child and family impact and stress of autism, while research to promote more education and support for teachers was ranked most important for school. In the community, parents indicated a need for more research dedicated towards recognising and supporting anxiety.

“If we want research to have maximum impact, then it’s important we align projects with the needs and priorities identified by parents,’’ Associate Professor Adams said.

“It is this information and experience that should be informing the development and funding of future autism research.

“Priority setting is an easy way to gain insight into the lived experiences of parents and their children and most importantly, the needs that require attention. Yet, unfortunately, this is step that is often missed in the research process.”

Griffith University has been designated a United Nations (UN) Millennium Fellows Campus for 2020, the only university in the country and the wider Oceania region to achieve the title.

1400 universities applied for the international leadership opportunity, with Griffith one of just 80 institutions recognised by the UN.

Vice Chancellor and President Professor Carolyn Evans said it was an extremely impressive achievement that would provide an exciting professional pathway for 17 Griffith students selected as UN Millennium Fellows.

“Griffith is the only Australian university to be designated a UN Millennium Fellows Campus for 2020, based on our support for and growing contribution towards the UN Sustainability and Development Goals,” Professor Evans said.

“The Fellowship focuses on implementation of the UN SDGs, which is one of the priorities for Griffith and aligns to several of our core values.

“These values include outstanding scholarship that makes a major contribution to society, multi-disciplinary teams that address key issues of our times and contributing to a robust, equitable and environmentally sustainable society.

“Griffith is committed to equipping the next generation of leaders, innovators and decision makers with the knowledge and skills to tackle global challenges.

“As part of the UN Millennium Fellowship, students will participate in a UN training program and lead the development and implementation of SDG projects at Griffith over the remainder of the year.

“In doing so, they will make a significant contribution to the University’s goal of being ranked in the top 200 globally for the SDGs by 2025.”

Professor Evans said Griffith Honours College had been pivotal in securing the prestigious opportunity.

“A key reason for Griffith’s success in this endeavour is the college’s expertise in supporting and partnering with students to establish social enterprises, including over of decade of engagement with Enactus and Hult Prize on campus, international competitions that promote innovation and social enterprise encouraging startup projects aligned to the UN SDGs.”

Griffith Honours College Program Co-ordinator Kim Holmes said Griffith was committed to providing extra-curricular leadership opportunities for students to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to enact sustainable development.

“Opportunities to test their skills and capabilities differentiate our students, producing graduates of the future who are committed to enabling change and positive social impact,” she said.

“We congratulate all 17 Millennium Fellows including Kimberley Bates and Rachel Kapnias who will also perform the roles of Campus Directors for Griffith’s UN Millennium Fellows Class of 2020.

“The Millennium Fellows will work in partnership with our campus community, including other students as ‘Friends of Millennium Fellows’, on nine social impact projects, like a music program for disadvantaged groups, social impact videos and capturing stories of peace and healing.”

Griffith’s Millennium Fellows for 2020 are:

About the Campus Directors

Kimberley Bates accepts her award from Julie Bishop, Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Kimberley Bates accepts an award from Julie Bishop, Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Kimberley Bates is currently completing her Honours in Psychological Science with the School of Applied Psychology. She isa Communications Specialist with Humanitarian Affairs Asia and received the Global Youth Icon Award at the UNCC in Bangkok, Thailand. She is also an Ambassador for Peace under UN SDG #16 from her involvement in the Peace Summit of Emerging Leaders. An alumni of Australia’s New Colombo Plan Scholarship and recent recipient of the 2020 Jack Cranstoun scholarship by the Queensland Department of Justice and Attorney-General Dispute Resolution Centre, Kimberley has travelled to China, Hong Kong, Singapore, India, and Thailand to undertake research in topics including mental health, domestic violence, and cyber security.

Rachel Kapnias is a third-year international student from South Africa completing a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) with the School of Applied Psychology. She is passionate about psychological research and improving mental health through evidence-based practices. Rachel is a Health Dean Research Summer Scholarship 2019 recipient and is involved in research in anxiety treatments. She is part of the Binna Burra Equity Crowdfund project with Millennium Fellow Tanner Noakes that aims to raise funds to rebuild the main lodge that was destroyed during the 2019/20 bushfires. She says she is eager to collaborate with diverse groups of individuals to make meaningful and sustainable change during this challenging time.

A Griffith panel of experts has agreed it is essential patients from all walks of life see themselves represented by the clinicians that treat them.

Ingrid Ozols

The importance of representation was front and centre in Griffith’s Virtual Open House, “You can’t be it if you can’t see it. Why representation in healthcare matters” recent webinar, which featured members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, LGBTQIA+ and mental health communities.

Griffith Master of Suicidology student and founder of Melbourne-based mental health service mh@work Ingrid Ozols said it was extremely valuable to have people with lived-experience of mental health helping those going through a similar experience.

Ingrid is a survivor of attempted suicide and lives with bi-polar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and binge-eating disorder.

“What I have been trying to do is role model hope and recovery,” Ingrid said.

“With the right care — of which I have been a beneficiary — there is so much to life.”

“Even through the ups and downs of managing challenges, lived experience can inform and offer so much richness as we are the stories behind the statistics.

Dr Blake Jones

“Sometimes if I share that vulnerability it shows that it’s okay for that person so share theirs.”

Dr Blake Jones, a Birpai man and aspiring physician, is working with Griffith’s First Peoples Health Unit and Queensland Rural Medical Education to establish a mentoring pathway for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander medical students, said better representation included mentoring upcoming healthcare professionals.

“Representation to me means the visibility that comes with being an Aboriginal person… in the hospital, with patients, among other staff and the medical education world,” Dr Jones said.

Cassandra Nest

“For junior doctors and medical students mentoring relationships are so important… and it’s about facilitating professional growth in a way that you feel like you’re not being judged and it’s also culturally safe.”

Griffith alumnus and First Peoples midwifery lecturer Cassandra Nest also spoke of her experience as a Ngunnawal woman providing care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers with the Waijungbah Jarjums Service.

“In Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, an individuals actual relationship to the land and their kin group and totems are all attained through the pregnancy and birthing experience, and those important aspects are integral to our holistic view of health and dreaming and laws, and set you up for where you sit within the community,” Cassandra said.

“Through understanding that our definition of health incorporates more than a Western world view, and includes not just the physical wellbeing, of an individual but also the social, emotional and cultural wellbeing of the whole community, you can start to understand the importance of providing culturally safe care and what that means.”

Hospital registrar Dr Daniel Wilson (main image) is passionate about providing access to healthcare for rural Australians and the LGBTQIA+ community, with lived experience as a cisgendered gay man surviving domestic violence.

“In the LGBTQIA+ community, those individuals are more likely to experience ill health in terms of their mental wellbeing and increased risk of suicide… due to a lack of access.”

“For myself, as a gay man, it’s really difficult to come forward when you’re experiencing a health condition and bring with you a baggage of wondering if you are going to be judged… for the way I live my life or the way that I am and it can be really hard to find a close connection with a practitioner that you feel safe with,” Dr Wilson said.

“It’s great to see there are some steps that are being taken at the moment to increase the level of education to healthcare practitioners to practice culturally safe care in the pride community.”

The “You can’t be it if you can’t see it. Why representation in healthcare matters” session was hosted by Griffith alumnus Zoe Gill, who is Assistant Director Behaviour Support at NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission in Queensland.

Talented creatives from Griffith Film School are pairing up with industry mentors from around the globe to create innovative content for kids.

The Kidscreen Next Wave Mentoring Program connects university animation and film students with mentors from the world’s biggest production houses, studios and streaming services, including the likes of Nickelodeon to Netflix, Apple to Aardman Animations and Brisbane’s own Ludo Studio.

Preparing graduates for career in the film industry

LiveLab creative director Richard Fabb

Richard Fabb is creative director of Griffith Film School’s commercial production arm, LiveLab, and said the mentoring program would help graduating students bridge the gap between university and a career in the screen industry.

“This program offers students at GFS an exceptionally rare chance to work with some of the biggest names in children’s content,” he said.

“We have an existing relationship with Kidscreen’s parent company, Brunico, which has offered generous support to our students in the past at the Asian Animation Summit.

“We’re delighted that Kidscreen invited us to participate in this new initiative, alongside some of the most prestigious film schools in the world.

“It demonstrates our growing international reputation, and the students being mentored may well follow in the footsteps of GFS alumni who have produced shows like Bluey or feature films like The Wishmas Tree.”

A dream come true

Griffith Film School student Lily Mitchell

Griffith Film School student Lily Mitchell is one of the final year students involved in the mentoring program. She is working with Aardman Animations Managing Director Sean Clarke – part of the team behind the beloved British series Wallace & Gromit and Shaun the Sheep.

“My mum is from the UK, and my aunt used to send us tapes of English kids TV series – my favourite was always Wallace & Gromit,” she said.

“The fact I’m getting the chance to work with the head of the studio is a dream come true. It’s a big deal for my family – we’re all huge fans.”

Making connections

Lily Mitchell during her broadcasting internship at the Commonwealth Games

Lily has a degenerative eye condition that impairs her sight – but has seized every opportunity that has come her way during her time at Griffith Film School. She interned with NEP Broadcasting during the Commonwealth Games and joined a study exchange to Cambodia.

“I’m made so many connections through Griffith, and especially LiveLab,” she said.

“Most of our lecturers have industry experience and everyone is great about helping line up work experience, giving us access to gear and introducing us to their network of contacts.”

A talented runner who represented Queensland and NSW at para-athletics events, Lily had hoped to represent Australia in the 100m and 200m at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo.

“I have low-vision, which can be a challenge, but it’s never held me back,” she said.

The young filmmaker is keen to create content for kids with a disability.

“I want to help kids going through the same things I did, and I think you can educate and entertain at the same time,” she said.

Hands-on industry experience

Lachlan Macfarlane on set.

Lachlan Macfarlane is being mentored byLudo Studio co-founder and director Charlie Aspinwall – from the creative team behind Bluey.

“It’s been amazing – we’ve had our first meeting and Charlie has given me great advice on projects that I want to pitch,” he said.

“GFS does a great job bringing us these kinds of opportunities and making sure we get this kind of hands-on experience.

“It allows young filmmakers to get their foot in the door, and it makes a career in the industry feel more achievable.”

Creating must-see children’s television

Lachlan said he had been encouraged by the number of production companies in Brisbane creating award-winning content for children.

“There has been a boom in children’s entertainment right here in Brisbane,” he said.

“I think the response to shows like Bluey are challenging the idea that kids content has to play second fiddle to shows produced for adults.”

Nurturing the next generation of storytellers

Kidscreen VP and Publisher Jocelyn Christie

Kidscreen Publisher Jocelyn Christie said the mentoring program filled a gap, with many internships and film festivals cancelled because of COVID-19.

“We are hoping this program will fill that gap and keep our industry well supplied with fresh new talent,” she said.

“We could not be more grateful to our mentors for generously sharing their time and wisdom to help us meet that goal.”

Creative arts doctoral candidate Mauricio Iregui has created an epic interactive installation for the Queensland Museum.

Viewers play with infinite reflections as part of Omnipresence.

Omnipresence will take over the upper level of the museum from this week.

The installation is 25m long, 10m wide and 5m high – creating a jaw-dropping playground where people can immerse themselves inside a giant infinity mirror.

“The viewers and their interactions become the subject of the piece,” Mauricio said.

“By playing with perceptions of time, Omnipresence reflects an era where self-identity is blurred by our virtual reflections.”

The social media-friendly installation allows viewers to see themselves reflected back in various incarnations and ‘interact’ with reflections of previous visitors.

“I think people will enjoy playing with this installation and sharing their experience on platforms like TikTok and Instagram,” Mauricio said.

“I think social media is changing the way we experience and share visits to galleries and museums, and how we see art.”

Griffith PhD candidate Mauricio Iregui

Mauricio is completing a PhD in immersive sound installation at the Queensland Conservatorium, where he teaches creative music technology. He is also a member of the Queensland Conservatorium Research Centre.

As part of the installation, he created an interactive music system featuring original looped compositions and soundscapes, putting into practice many of the ideas he is exploring in his studies.

The artwork is a family affair – Mauricio collaborated on the installation with his brother Daniel Iregui, a Montreal-based new media artist.

The brothers showed an earlier version of the installation in X’ian, China in 2018, and it will have its Australian premiere at the Queensland Museum.

“It’s crazy – some people spend their whole career working towards having their work at a big institution like the Queensland Museum,” Mauricio said.

“This is like nothing that’s ever been seen at the museum before – it’s very interactive and contemporary.”

Head of creative music technology Dr John Ferguson

Mauricio said the installation also allowed viewers to engage and interact without touch – an important consideration amid COVID-19 restrictions.

Queensland Conservatorium senior lecturer Dr John Ferguson, one of Mauricio’s PhD supervisors, said the project was an impressive achievement.

“Mauricio is a great ambassador for the creative arts at Griffith University,” he said.

“This installation uses the same technology that’s available on your mobile phone, but it’s a totally different experience. Mauricio’s work explores that space where art and science meet.”

Dr Ferguson said the collaboration with the Queensland Museum would bring Mauricio’s work to a wider audience.

“This is fantastic for his career – it really gives his work a broad reach and helps establish him as a professional artist,” he said.

“It’s also really inspiring for our students, who are studying the creative application of music technology.

“We’re going to take a group of them through the installation with Mauricio and give them a behind the scenes look at how he developed the installation.”

Omnipresence opens at the Queensland Museum on Monday 10 August and runs until 5 October. Entry to Queensland Museum is free, but due to social distancing restrictions, visitors must book a free timed ticket.

Professor Katherine Andrews, Director of the Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery (GRIDD), has been recognised as a Fellow of the Australian Society for Parasitology for her work on malaria drug discovery.

Presented at the Australian Society for Parasitology Annual General Meeting, Professor Andrews’s election as a Fellow acknowledges her outstanding contribution to parasitology research, focusing on early stage screening and pre-clinical testing of new drugs for the prevention and treatment of malaria.

“Malaria kills more than 1000 children every day, so it is essential that we find the best drug options available to help save lives,” Professor Andrews said.

“As the leader of the Tropical Parasitology laboratory at GRIDD, I direct a research team that focuses on the identification of new antimalarial drugs and new physiological target areas in the malarial process.

“One of the key techniques we use is to generate drug-resistant malaria parasites in the lab, see what genetic changes have occurred and use these clues to develop new areas for drugs to target. We also investigate promising new chemical compounds that have the potential to be used as new drugs to prevent or treat malaria.”

With more than 20 years’ experience in malaria research Professor Andrews has dedicated her career to discovering new and effective treatments that may benefit human health.

Professor Katherine Andrews, Director of the Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery (GRIDD)

“Becoming a Fellow of the Society is truly humbling, and has given me a platform to increase people’s awareness of the devastating impacts of parasitic diseases like malaria.”

Founded in 1964, the Australian Society for Parasitology fosters connections between scientific researchers and advances knowledge in the field of parasitology, making a significant contribution to the scientific and educational community of Australia and more globally.

“The Australian Society for Parasitology has been instrumental during my career, including providing wonderful networking opportunities with colleagues around Australia and nationally.”

Outside research, Professor Andrews is a STEM engagement advocate and a passionate STEM role model. As the founder and Director of the That’s RAD! Science STEM outreach project she authored an engaging and educational children’s book on parasites and has also produced three other books featuring female scientists working on nanotechnology, forensic science and protein crystal science.

“The support of the Australian Society for Parasitology for the That’s RAD! Science book project has contributed to us giving more than 6,000 books out to children and libraries in Queensland and Australia,” Professor Andrews said.

Thinking of studying a Bachelor of Music in Creative Music Technology at Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University? Student Tess King shares her experience as a student and her advice to students.

Walk us through what a day is like studying at Queensland Conservatorium.

It might not be what you would expect! Generally, I’ll spend a day with lectures and tutorials in the Creative Music Technology (CMT) labs or studios. I will work with different software DAWs (digital audio workstation) to do everything from sound design, compose, mix tracks, experiment with surround audio and record audio. During class time, it might sometimes look a little closer to the normal, with notebooks, pens and projected presentations, but often it will involve much more. Anything from sitting around speakers and analysing a hit song, soldering electronics or taking on a producer role with musicians in the studio. The day can last pretty long if you let your curiousity run wild. It’s very common to see us “mutechs” pottering away on computers into the late hours of the night.

What do you love most about Queensland Conservatorium and why did you come here to study?

I love that the Conservatorium is a buzzing hub of interesting and passionate people. It is a network of friendly people that can open doors and opportunities that you wouldn’t have otherwise.

The support structure within the Conservatorium is self-sustaining. Cohorts and program undertakers rally together to help each other with frustrations and tribulations. Within that, the lecturers often take a genuine interest in how you’re doing as a student and in your life outside of studies. Griffith as a whole provides a wealth of engagement and assistance opportunities in and outside of university time.

Tell us more about some of the classes you’ve taken. Have there been any classes or specific teachers who have inspired you throughout your time here?

It would be very difficult to point out a class that didn’t inspire me. All of my classes have brought a different perspective to sound. The lecturers that I have in CMT are some of the most experienced, caring, invested and open people I have ever met. Dr Matt Hitchcock, Douglas Roberts, Dr Thomas Green, Craig Parry and Dr John Ferguson are just a few of the incredible people who have taught me so much more beyond what the courses initially cover.

Have you had many opportunities to perform at the Con?

Being in CMT gives you completely different performance experiences. Many subjects within my degree provide opportunities to perform with a mixture of electronic and acoustic instruments, giving you a unique perspective on the idea of “performance” and “instrument”. My favourite performance would have to be when I performed alongside the Conservatorium Wind Orchestra with Nava MacDonald in a ‘bridging of worlds’, if you will, of music technology and orchestra. Rarely do CMT students get the opportunity to perform in the theatre hall as other music students do. More often than not, we are behind the curtain, monitoring recording levels in a quiet kind of chaos for the elective class Professional Recording Projects (5000QCM). Having that opportunity, too, alters your perspective on performance and music as a whole.

Tell us a bit about your background and what drew you to music and specifically Creative Music Technology (CMT)?

Growing up, I was surrounded by music, although not much of it had a focus on technology. I started in Grade Three with clarinet, violin and keyboard studies which eventually narrowed to focus on just piano. I was originally drawn to music for the challenge of learning but as I grew up I was continuously drawn to it because of the psychological and philosophical ties to sound. Things like the emotional responses to music and the creation thereof. I love learning about the psychoacoustics of sounds and better yet, seeing it in action. At the time that I applied for CMT, I had very little idea what it actually was and meant, but I got the impression that it would tie together many fields of sound. I had so many interests in varied fields that CMT seemed to be the perfect place to explore these interests.

I would absolutely recommend that people apply to study CMT. Even if they think that they don’t know a lot about technology in music. If you have curiosity and passion for learning about sound, then give it a shot. The knowledge, skills and community are all worth it.

What is your proudest achievement so far?

I am most proud of the instrument I made for the class Electronic Instruments (2710QCM). It opened up a whole new area of knotted topics and fields in music technology. The brief was to design, build and program a unique electronic instrument that you would then perform in a concert. I loved the merging of knowledge into one project. The project itself was quite entertaining to many as well. I called it a SQUBE (standing for squishy cube — because I am VERY creative with names) and it was simply that. A cube with squishy gelatin-covered faces that responded to the amount of pressure on different faces through sonic generation and manipulation. There were also some buttons and LEDs which aided in audience and performer feedback and understanding. It was a topic I knew nothing about going into the course and managed to come out with a functional instrument and a keen curiosity for electronic instrument design and creation.

What advice do you have for future students?

Be curious.

Always remember that you have never discovered everything there is to know and that is the exciting part. You will find you are capable of many extraordinary feats if you are open to learning, discourse and experimentation. Part of being open to those things can mean letting go of inhibitions and taking chances, which may seem daunting. Talk to people who uplift you as they will be the people who can inspire courage. I’ve talked to a lot of potential students on Open Day who only found others who have the same interests that they do through the Conservatorium. That interaction is often the first time they have found people who uplift and excite their curiosity in the many areas of music technology. There will always be those who do share your enthusiasm, it just might take some searching.

A new anti-cancer drug for prostate cancer overcomes the twin problems plaguing researchers for decades. It halts metastasis (tumour spread) and drug resistance.

Developed by Griffith University researcher Professor Des Richardson and colleagues from the University of Sydney, the drug known as DpC inhibits prostate specific antigen (PSA) as well as suppressing both androgen-dependent and independent arms of androgen receptor signalling.

“The current gold standard for prostate cancer treatment is androgen deprivation therapy to inhibit androgen receptors but eventually treatment leads to resistance in most men,’’ Professor Richardson said.

“This drug is the first to exhibit such potent androgen receptor suppression, critical for overcoming the development of androgen resistance, a major killer in prostate cancer.”

In a article published in the FASEB Journal, Professor Richardson and colleagues examined the effect of these new anti-cancer agents (including DpC) on prostate cancer.

“Our results demonstrate that our drug unexpectedly overcomes deadly oncogenic signalling by the hormone, testosterone,’’ he said.

“This finding was totally unexpected and very exciting, as for the first time we may be able to treat patients using a new therapy that is miles ahead of the current standard anti-cancer chemotherapy for prostate cancer, Enzalutamide”.

He said another important aspect of the paper was the finding that DpC could markedly reduce the expression of the well-known indicator of prostate specific antigen — PSA.

“PSA is a bad guy in prostate cancer patients, and the fact that DpC could markedly ablate this indicator was again very surprising and could be part of the way these drugs work to block the spread of prostate cancer.”

Professor Richardson is a new appointee (Alan Mackay Sim Distinguished Chair of Cancer Cell Biology and NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellow) at the Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery based at Griffith University.

Over the past 25 years he has been developing unique anti-cancer drugs (dipyridyl thiosemicarbazones such as “DpC”) that have entered multi-centre Phase I clinical trials for the treatment for a range of highly resistant and difficult to treat tumours.

The current research was a collaboration with Dr Zaklina Kovacevic (University of Sydney), who was mentored by Professor Richardson through her PhD studies and also multiple post-doctoral fellowships over a period of 14 years leading to over 70 joint publications in quality international journals.

 

Connection to others and service are the two main reasons for living among those with lived experience of suicide entering the suicide prevention workforce, a Griffith University study has found.

Published in the journal Death Studies — the collaborative research project between the Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention (AISRAP) and suicide prevention organisation Roses in the Ocean — involved 110 people who participated in suicide prevention training programs.

“The aim was to explore the reasons for living of people with a lived experience of suicide and who are in the early stages of entering the lived experience workforce as suicide prevention peer workers,’’ says lead author Jacinta Hawgood, from AISRAP and the School of Applied Psychology.

The research found connections to others followed by service were the most commonly stated reasons for living. Other important reasons for living included orientation towards the future, life, self, pleasure, and spiritual reasons and values.

Ms Hawgood says the findings are important because a person’s reasons for living protect them against suicidal ideation and suicide attempts.

“Reasons for living increase the perception that life is meaningful and participating in the suicide prevention field is associated with meaning-making.”

Martina McGrath from Roses in the Ocean said unique to this study was the theme of contributing to society and making a change by directly helping others.

“The suicide prevention peer workforce is in its infancy in Australia and internationally, and particularly at this time of COVID-19 requires further research and guidance from those with lived experience around what support is needed to ensure their contributions can continue to positively impact the suicide prevention sector.”

If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline: 13 11 14, or Q Life: 1800 184 527.