Alison L Calear
Biographic Data
| ID | 1730591 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Alison L Calear |
| GIVEN NAMES | Alison L |
| FAMILY NAME | Calear |
| SIGNATURE | CALEAR A L |
| AFFILIATIONS | Australian National University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-7028-725X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 44 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 11 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 44 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2013 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Multilevel risk and protective factors for self‐harm, suicidal ideation and suicide attempt in adolescents
BACKGROUND: Better characterising risk and protective factors for suicidal distress and self-harm in adolescents may facilitate better targeting of interventions that address underlying vulnerabilities. However, few previous longitudinal studies have: (1) sufficient power to identify key risk and protective factors, (2) limited representativeness to the community and (3) accounted for multilevel factors (individual, family, community). This study…
Randomised controlled trial of a web‐based mental health, self‐harm and suicide gatekeeper resource for parents and caregivers
BACKGROUND: Parents and caregivers play key roles in recognising early signs of mental distress and facilitating access to support, yet often lack the confidence and knowledge to respond effectively. Gatekeeper training programs can improve skills, but few are specifically designed for parents. The aim of the current study was to assess the effectiveness of the Recognise, Respond and Support - A Parent's Guide to Youth Mental Health resource in i…
Mental health, wellbeing, and burnout among practicing psychologists following Australian weather disasters and Covid-19
Is trauma isolating, or does isolation traumatize? Loneliness and posttraumatic stress mutually reinforce one another in the aftermath of environmental disaster
These results speak to the importance of early response efforts that encourage collective recovery and community engagement in disaster management. This may support the long-term goal of preventing the onset of harmful cycles of loneliness and PTSD in the wake of traumatic experiences. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
Adverse Childhood Experiences and Adolescent Mental Health Symptoms
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are associated with poor mental health. Evidence suggests that positive peer interactions may buffer these effects, while negative peer interactions may exacerbate this relationship. This longitudinal study assessed Australia adolescents in Year 8 at baseline ( N = 4074, mean age 13.89 years) who reported ACEs, internalising and externalising symptoms, and peer interactions (positive and negative) between Augu…
The development of a caregiver intervention to address child mental health in settings of complex humanitarian emergency
A caregiver intervention to support child mental health in CHEs is available. It's development using multi-method, co-design processes will ensure its relevance and acceptability to target populations. Further research to evaluate the effectiveness and long-term effectiveness of the intervention is warranted
Young Australian Women’s Views on Peer Support for Self-Harm
Self-harm among young women has been rising internationally and in Australia, yet many are not in contact with formal services. Peer support may play an important role in managing self-harm; however, it remains under-investigated. This qualitative study explored how young Australian women perceive peer support for managing self-harm. Using purposive sampling, twenty-seven women ( M = 20.9, SD = 2.1) with lived or living experiences of self-harm p…
Perspectives from Young Australian Women with Lived Experience on Why Rates of Self-Harm Are Increasing
Rates of self-harm in Australian young people have increased significantly in recent years, especially in young women. Self-harm has been associated with several risk factors, including a history of abuse, bullying, mood and personality disorders, social isolation and suicidal ideation. However, little is known about why rates have increased in the past decade, and the voices of young Australian women have been conspicuously absent from the resea…
How Do Young Women Perceive Adult Responses to the Disclosure of Their Self-Harm and What Is the Impact of That Perception
Rates of self-harm amongst young women are rising. However, only half of individuals disclose self-harm, and when they do, they may be met with responses that can be harmful or helpful to recovery. The aim of the current study is to understand how young women perceive adult (e.g., parents, health professionals) responses to their self-harm disclosures, and the impact these responses have on them. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with you…
Exploring Support Preferences for Young Women Who Self-Harm
Rates of self-harm among young women have been increasing in recent years across multiple high-income nations. Given the negative outcomes associated with self-harm, it is essential that young women who engage in self-harm receive the support that best addresses their specific needs. The aim of the current study is to explore support preferences among Australian young women with a history of self-harm. Semi-structured interviews were conducted wi…
The Prejudice toward People with Borderline Personality Disorder Scale in a healthcare provider sample
Background: Although many instruments aiming to measure attitudes toward people with borderline personality disorder (BPD) exist, most demonstrate limited evidence of construct validity. Aims: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Prejudice toward People with Borderline Personality Disorder (PPBPD) scale in a sample of healthcare providers (HCPs) and expand the nomological network of prejudice toward people with BPD. Method: A survey con…
The Brief Solastalgia Scale
Witnessing degradation and loss to one’s home environment can cause the negative emotional experience of solastalgia. We review the psychometric properties of the 9-item Solastalgia subscale from the Environmental Distress Scale (Higginbotham et al. (EcoHealth 3:245–254, 2006)). Using data collected from three large, independent, adult samples ( N = 4229), who were surveyed soon after the 2019/20 Australian bushfires, factor analyses confirmed th…
Co‐Creation in Research
BACKGROUND: Applied research using co-creation methods is rarely described or evaluated in detail. Practical evidence of co-creation processes and collaboration effectiveness is needed to better understand its complex and dynamic nature. METHODS: Using a case study design and survey method, we assessed processes of co-implementation and co-evaluation grounded in our own experiences from the Co-Creating Safe Spaces project. We examine these in the…
Mental Health Among First-Year Students Transitioning to University in Australia
Objectives: Young people attending university for the first time may be at heightened risk of experiencing mental health problems. However, limited research has examined the mental health experiences of this cohort using longitudinal methods. This study aimed to examine mental health symptoms prior to commencing university, estimate changes in symptoms over the course of the first semester of study, and identify factors associated with initial sy…
At arm's length
Little attention has been paid to the experiences of families and carers supporting and accessing support for individuals in the period preceding and following their death by suicide. For many families and carers who have experienced loss and been subjected to a series of unhelpful or harmful encounters with health and emergency services, there is a desire to share their stories so that their experiences might contribute to the improvement of pra…
Liminality and insecurity
COVID-19 has disrupted the normative social order, particularly for young adults. Their deteriorating mental health over 2020 has been associated with the economic and social conditions during the COVID-19 lockdowns. We conducted 19 semi-structured interviews with young adults aged 8 and 29 most of whom lived in Victoria, Australia. The interviews explored participants' experiences and responses to COVID-19, covering areas such as disrupted every…
Prejudice toward people with borderline personality disorder
BACKGROUND: People living with borderline personality disorder (BPD) face high levels of prejudice and discrimination from both the community and medical professionals, but no measure of prejudice toward people living with BPD exists. AIMS: The current study aimed to adapt an existing Prejudice toward People with Mental Illness (PPMI) scale and investigate the structure and nomological network of prejudice toward people with BPD. METHODS: The ori…
Exploring Sociodemographic Correlates of Suicide Stigma in Australia
The risk of suicidal behaviour in Australia varies by age, sex, sexual preference and Indigenous status. Suicide stigma is known to affect suicide rates and help-seeking for suicidal crises. The aim of this study was to investigate the sociodemographic correlates of suicide stigma to assist in prevention efforts. We surveyed community members and individuals who had attended specific emergency departments for suicidal crisis. The respondents were…
Do emotion intensity, variability, differentiation, co-occurrence, and positive–negative ratios make unique contributions to predicting longitudinal change in psychological distress and well-being
A burgeoning array of affective indices are proposed to capture features of affect that contribute to mental health and well-being. However, because indices are often investigated separately, it is unclear what-if any-unique role they have. The present study addresses this question in a high-stress naturalistic context by prospectively testing the relative contributions of eight affective indices to psychological outcomes during the first acute l…
Disciplinary differences in the study of the relationship between social variables and mental health
There has been sustained interest in the intersection between social constructs and mental health from diverse disciplines including psychiatry, sociology and public health. However, no systematic attempt has been made to catalogue what is meant by ‘social’ by different researchers, how variables deemed ‘social’ constructs are linked to mental health, nor whether these patterns differ by academic discipline. Understanding interdisciplinary differ…
Are Parents the Key? How Parental Suicide Stigma and Suicide Literacy Affect Help-Seeking Attitudes and Intentions for their Child
Suicide is the leading cause of death among Australian young people, yet rates of help-seeking for suicidal ideation and behaviors in this population are concerningly low. In this study, the relationships between parental suicide stigma, parental suicide literacy, and their attitudes and intentions toward seeking professional help for their child if they were to express thoughts of suicide are investigated. Understanding this influence is critica…
Bushfire Smoke in Our Eyes
The 2019–20 bushfires that raged in eastern Australia were an overwhelming natural disaster leading to lives lost or upended, and communities destroyed. For almost a month, Canberra, Australia's capital city in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), was obscured by smoke from fires which threatened the outer suburbs. While smoke itself is experientially different from many natural disasters, it nevertheless poses a significant public health thre…
People Who Die by Suicide Without Receiving Mental Health Services
Factors Associated with Engagement in University Life, and Help Seeking Attitudes and Behaviour in First Year Undergraduate Students
Students transitioning from secondary school to university may experience unique issues that impact their mental health. There is limited research, however, on what drives first year students to seek professional help for mental health problems. There is also a current lack of knowledge about the factors that may be associated with engagement with university life in students transitioning to university, and how engagement may be related to help s…
The development and validation of a family functioning measure for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults
The Mayi Kuwayu Family Functioning Measure is a valid measure of family functioning in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adult population
Developing and validating measures of self-reported everyday and healthcare discrimination for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults
BACKGROUND: It is well established that racism is a fundamental contributor to poor health and inequities. There is consistent evidence of high exposure to discrimination among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous Australian) peoples, but impacts have not been fully quantified, in part due to limited measurement tools. We aim to validate instruments developed to measure interpersonal discrimination. METHODS: Instruments were discusse…
Temporal effects of separation on suicidal thoughts and behaviours
Are Parents the Key? How Parental Suicide Stigma and Suicide Literacy Affect Help-Seeking Attitudes and Intentions for their Child
Suicide is the leading cause of death among Australian young people, yet rates of help-seeking for suicidal ideation and behaviors in this population are concerningly low. In this study, the relationships between parental suicide stigma, parental suicide literacy, and their attitudes and intentions toward seeking professional help for their child if they were to express thoughts of suicide are investigated. Understanding this influence is critica…
Translation and validation of the Chinese versions of the Suicidal Ideation Attributes Scale, Stigma of Suicide Scale, and Literacy of Suicide Scale
This article reports the validation of the Chinese versions of the Suicidal Ideation Attributes Scale (SIDAS), the short form of Stigma of Suicide Scale (SOSS), and the short form of Literacy of Suicide Scale (LOSS) among 57 Chinese and English bilinguals and 224 Chinese university students. All the translated scales showed high correlations with the original versions. The translated SIDAS and refined SOSS demonstrated robust factor structures, g…
The Stigma of Suicide Scale
Background: There are presently no validated scales to adequately measure the stigma of suicide in the community. The Stigma of Suicide Scale (SOSS) is a new scale containing 58 descriptors of a “typical” person who completes suicide. Aims: To validate the SOSS as a tool for assessing stigma toward suicide, to examine the scale’s factor structure, and to assess correlates of stigmatizing attitudes. Method: In March 2010, 676 staff and students at…
Correlates of Suicide Stigma and Suicide Literacy in the Community
Public knowledge and attitudes toward suicide may influence help‐seeking for suicidality. This study aimed to identify correlates of suicide attitudes and knowledge. Australian adults were invited to complete an online survey, with 1,286 responders. Less exposure to suicide, older age, male gender, less education, and culturally diverse backgrounds were associated with poorer knowledge; while younger age, male gender, and culturally diverse backg…
The Suicidal Ideation Attributes Scale ( Sidas )
While suicide prevention efforts are increasingly being delivered using technology, no scales have been developed specifically for web‐based use. The Suicidal Ideation Attributes Scale ( SIDAS ) was developed and validated as a brief, web‐based measure for severity of suicidal ideation, using an online survey of Australian adults ( n = 1,352). The SIDAS demonstrated high internal consistency and good convergent validity. Frequency and controllabi…
Temporal effects of separation on suicidal thoughts and behaviours
A systematic review of the predictions of the Interpersonal–Psychological Theory of Suicidal Behavior
Generalized anxiety disorder stigma in adolescents
Stigma has been identified as a barrier to help-seeking for mental health problems. The aim of the current study was to examine levels of personal and perceived generalized anxiety disorder stigma among an adolescent population, and to identify potential predictors of these constructs. A total of 1,840 adolescents (64.6% female) aged between 12 and 18 years participated in the current study. As a part of the preintervention questionnaire of the Y…
Translation and validation of the Chinese versions of the Suicidal Ideation Attributes Scale, Stigma of Suicide Scale, and Literacy of Suicide Scale
This article reports the validation of the Chinese versions of the Suicidal Ideation Attributes Scale (SIDAS), the short form of Stigma of Suicide Scale (SOSS), and the short form of Literacy of Suicide Scale (LOSS) among 57 Chinese and English bilinguals and 224 Chinese university students. All the translated scales showed high correlations with the original versions. The translated SIDAS and refined SOSS demonstrated robust factor structures, g…
School-based depression and anxiety prevention programs for young people
Silence is deadly
Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12617000658314 . Registered on 8 May 2017
Validity of the PROMIS depression and anxiety common metrics in an online sample of Australian adults
Suicide, mental, and physical health condition stigma in medical students
The current study aimed to compare the personal stigma of suicide with the personal stigma for other mental and physical health conditions. 116 Australian medical students (58% women), aged between 20 and 41 years ( M = 25.02, SD = 3.80), completed an online survey. Suicide was more highly stigmatized than most of the other mental and physical health conditions in both attitudes toward suicide and willingness to disclose. The current study highli…
A randomised controlled trial of a relationship‐focussed mobile phone application for improving adolescents’ mental health
BACKGROUND: This study evaluated the acceptability and effectiveness of a relationship-focussed mobile phone application (WeClick) for improving depressive symptoms and other mental health outcomes in adolescents. METHODS: A randomised controlled trial involving 193 youth (M age: 14.82, SD: 0.94, 86.5% female) from Australia was conducted. Youth were recruited via the Internet and randomly allocated to the intervention or a 4-week wait list contr…
The Effect of Covid-19 on Mental Health and Wellbeing in a Representative Sample of Australian Adults
There is minimal knowledge about the impact of large-scale epidemics on community mental health, particularly during the acute phase. This gap in knowledge means we are critically ill-equipped to support communities as they face the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to provide data urgently needed to inform government policy and resource allocation now and in other future crises. The study was the first to survey a representative …
Physical and Mental Health Effects of Bushfire and Smoke in the Australian Capital Territory 2019–20
The 2019–20 bushfire season in south-eastern Australia was one of the most severe in recorded history. Bushfire smoke-related air pollution reached hazardous levels in major metropolitan areas, including the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), for prolonged periods of time. Bushfire smoke directly challenges human health through effects on respiratory and cardiac function, but can also indirectly affect health, wellbeing and quality of life. Few …
Cause or symptom? A longitudinal test of bidirectional relationships between emotion regulation strategies and mental health symptoms
Previous work has generally conceptualized emotion regulation as contributing to mental health outcomes, and not vice versa. The present study challenges this assumption by using a prospective design to investigate the directionality of underlying relationships between emotion regulation and mental health in the context of a major population-level stressor. We surveyed a large nationally representative sample of adults (18-91 years, N = 704) at t…
Developing and validating measures of self-reported everyday and healthcare discrimination for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults
BACKGROUND: It is well established that racism is a fundamental contributor to poor health and inequities. There is consistent evidence of high exposure to discrimination among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous Australian) peoples, but impacts have not been fully quantified, in part due to limited measurement tools. We aim to validate instruments developed to measure interpersonal discrimination. METHODS: Instruments were discusse…
Bushfire Smoke in Our Eyes
The 2019–20 bushfires that raged in eastern Australia were an overwhelming natural disaster leading to lives lost or upended, and communities destroyed. For almost a month, Canberra, Australia's capital city in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), was obscured by smoke from fires which threatened the outer suburbs. While smoke itself is experientially different from many natural disasters, it nevertheless poses a significant public health thre…
People Who Die by Suicide Without Receiving Mental Health Services
Factors Associated with Engagement in University Life, and Help Seeking Attitudes and Behaviour in First Year Undergraduate Students
Students transitioning from secondary school to university may experience unique issues that impact their mental health. There is limited research, however, on what drives first year students to seek professional help for mental health problems. There is also a current lack of knowledge about the factors that may be associated with engagement with university life in students transitioning to university, and how engagement may be related to help s…
The development and validation of a family functioning measure for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults
The Mayi Kuwayu Family Functioning Measure is a valid measure of family functioning in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adult population
What could we do differently next time? Australian parents’ experiences of the short-term and long-term impacts of home schooling during the Covid-19 pandemic
Despite some participants reporting positive experiences associated with home schooling, it remains challenging for many parents and their children. Supports for parents and children engaged in home schooling should provide clear and flexible guidance on how to balance schoolwork with other competing demands, assist parents who lack confidence in supporting their children's remote learning, and address risks associated with social isolation
Psychosocial impacts of home-schooling on parents and caregivers during the Covid-19 pandemic
The mental health impacts of home-schooling were high and may rise as periods of home-schooling increase in frequency and duration. Recognising and acknowledging the challenges of home-schooling is important, and should be included in psychosocial assessments of wellbeing during periods of school closure. Emotional and instrumental support is needed for those involved in home-schooling, as perceived levels of support is associated with improved o…
I didn’t feel safe inside’
Bushfires, and resulting bushfire smoke, were major environmental, social and health crises in Australia in the summer of 2019–20. In Australia’s national capital the smoke pollution index topped global charts, and public health communications were rapidly developed that advised people to stay indoors to avoid smoke exposure. Drawing on interviews with a diverse range of housed residents, we explore people’s experiences of navigating public healt…
At arm's length
Little attention has been paid to the experiences of families and carers supporting and accessing support for individuals in the period preceding and following their death by suicide. For many families and carers who have experienced loss and been subjected to a series of unhelpful or harmful encounters with health and emergency services, there is a desire to share their stories so that their experiences might contribute to the improvement of pra…
Liminality and insecurity
COVID-19 has disrupted the normative social order, particularly for young adults. Their deteriorating mental health over 2020 has been associated with the economic and social conditions during the COVID-19 lockdowns. We conducted 19 semi-structured interviews with young adults aged 8 and 29 most of whom lived in Victoria, Australia. The interviews explored participants' experiences and responses to COVID-19, covering areas such as disrupted every…
Psychology (32 works) · Medicine (27 works) · Psychiatry (27 works) · Clinical Psychology (25 works) · Mental health (22 works) · Clinical Psychology (17 works) · Suicide and Self-Harm Studies (16 works) · Mental Health Treatment and Access (14 works) · Poison control (11 works) · Social Psychology (11 works)