Monash University > Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences > Psych > Research > Themes >

Psych: Culture and Mental Health

Contacts

Theme Leader

Dr Cameron Duff
T: +61 3 9903 4506
E: Cameron.Duff@monash.edu

Opportunities

Potential research projects

Culture and Mental Health

We are interested in the impact of culture and social context on the experience of mental illness, health and wellbeing. This includes the prospects for meaningful recovery among individuals and groups living with mental health problems. The goal is to locate mental health within a range of social, political and cultural contexts including issues concerning gender, globalization and cultural diversity, social inclusion, migration and social change. Greater sensitivity to these social and cultural contexts provides unique insights into the onset of mental illness; population differences in help-seeking behaviour; the experience of treatment and other clinical interventions; the role of the community in reducing stigma and promoting social inclusion for individuals experiencing mental health problems; and the meaning and experience of recovery.

This research complements work in clinical settings, providing novel evidence to support the ongoing development of mental health promotion and prevention strategies, as well as treatment and recovery programs in local, national and cross-cultural settings and contexts.

Highlights

Featured projects

Care-seeking, use of CAM, and self-management among people with Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. NHMRC 491171, 2008-2011 (with Professor Lenore Manderson with B. Oldenburg, V. Lin, B. Hollingsworth and M. de Courten).
Immigration, wellbeing and parenting among Cambodian and Iraqi women in Australia. ARC DP 0878866, 2009-2011 (Professor Lenore Manderson with P. Liamputtong, L. Hoban and K. Vasey).
Disability Inclusive Development in the Solomon Islands, ARC Linkage Project with AusAID. This project explores how socio-cultural beliefs shape attitudes and behaviours towards disability, and examines the policies, strategies and approaches that might most effectively promote rights and social inclusion of people with disability (Professor Lenore Manderson and Dr Megan Jennaway, Psych, Dr Alex Gartrell, Geography, Arts, with People Living with Disability Solomon Islands).
Triple jeopardy: Gender-based violence, disability, rights violations and access to related services among women in Cambodia, Australian Development Research Awards (AusAID) (Professor Jill Astbury, with International Women’s Development Agency [IWDA]).
Social isolation, health and wellbeing among people living with HIV/AIDS in Australia (ARC Discovery Project, Associate Professor Andrea Whittaker).
A study of infertility, IVF and reproductive travel in Thailand and the region (ARC Future Fellowship, Associate Professor Andrea Whittaker).
Longitudinal head Injury Outcome Study funded by the TAC under the auspices of the Monash-Epworth Rehabilitation Research Centre. This project explores cultural influences on response to injury and rehabilitation following traumatic brain injury and orthopaedic trauma (Professor Jennie Posford, Monash University).
Models of psychosocial adaptation and related interventions for trauma related mental health conditions among refugees and asylum seekers (led at Monash by Professor Louise Newman).
Informal community resources in promoting stable housing for youth recovering from mental health problems (AHURI funded project led by Dr Cameron Duff).
Managing chronicity: Trajectories of stroke and Parkinson’s disease in Indian- and Euro-Australians, (NHMRC Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, Dr Narelle Warren).
Cross-cultural salience of neuropsychological domains. (Monash Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences Early Career Researcher Strategic Grant, Dr Narelle Warren).
Socio-economic and cross country differences in conceptualisations and experiences of happiness and meaning across 15 countries. Led at Monash by Dr Dianne Vella-Brodrick).
Cultural context of violence in Cambodia, ARC DP (Professor Maurice Eisenbruch, with Royal Phnom Penh University, Transcultural Psychosocial Organization, HealthNet International, Oxfam, ChildWise, Uppsala University, and Rutgers University).
Enhancing well-being and self-regulation in a general adolescent population: Comparing evidence-based coaching and positive psychology interventions (Funded by Harvard Institute of Coaching with S. Green, J. Norrish, D. Vella-Brodick and A. Grant).

Recent Publications

Duff, C., S. Murray, N. Alic, S. Loo and K. Jacobs. (2011). The role of informal community resources in supporting independent housing for young people recovering from mental illness: A guide for housing policy makers and practitioners. AHURI Positioning Paper. Melbourne: AHURI Ltd. Available at: http://www.ahuri.edu.au/publications/
Manderson, L. (2011). Surface Tensions: Surgery, Bodily Boundaries and the Social Self. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press.
Manderson, L (ed) (2012). Technologies of Sexuality, Identity and Sexual Health. London and New York: Routledge.
Manderson, L., Smith, W. and Tomlinson, M. (eds) (2012). Flows of Faith: Religious Reach and Community in Asia and the Pacific. Dordrecht and New York: Springer Publishing Company.
Rickard, N. S. & McFerran, K. (2012). Lifelong Engagement with Music: Benefits for Mental Health and Well-Being. New York: Nova Publishers.
Whittaker, A. (ed.) (2010). Abortion in Asia: Local dilemmas, global politics. London: Berghahn.

News

Recording of our Dean's Lecture "Mental health, trauma and recovery", with guest speakers: Professor Louise Newman AM and Professor David Kissane

Click on the names above to view their presentations. (Requires Adobe Flash)
Professor Jill Astbury is co-chair of the international Coordinating Group of the Sexual Violence Research Initiative
Professor Lenore Manderson is editor of the international journal, Medical Anthropology
Professor Lenore Manderson has been appointed a member of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee, WHO/TDR (Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases)