Levita D’Souza
Biographic Data
| ID | 5423791 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Levita D’Souza |
| GIVEN NAMES | Levita |
| FAMILY NAME | D’Souza |
| SIGNATURE | D’SOUZA L |
| AFFILIATIONS | Monash University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-0325-8977 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 14 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 2 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 14 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2022 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Supporting Adults with Misattributed Paternity
Commercial DNA testing has led to an increase in individuals discovering misattributed paternity (the discrepancy between the genetic and social fatherhoods outside of adoption and donor-assisted reproduction), posing significant emotional, identity-related, and relational challenges. Despite this growing prevalence, no studies currently exist on how counselling professionals can support individuals navigating this experience. Our study examines …
A systematic evaluation and comparison of the consistency of infant safer sleep messaging in Australia
To reduce the occurrence of sudden infant death, organisations have created recommendations about infant safer sleep and shared sleep. With the considerable volume of documents, consistency in messaging is paramount to reduce caregiver confusion and to reduce engagement in practices deemed to be unsafe for their infant. This review aimed to systematically compare documents that contain recommendations on infant safer sleep, including shared sleep…
Beyond the rules
Background: Despite public health campaigns promoting infant sleep safety, SUDI (including SIDS and fatal sleep accidents) remains one of the most significant contributors to post-neonatal infant death in many high-income countries. Bedsharing remains common despite predominant risk elimination guidelines, with many families struggling to follow rigid rules of avoidance. Risk minimisation considers the complexities of family life and recognises m…
Effectiveness of Father-Focused Interventions to Prevent or Reduce Intimate Partner Violence During Pregnancy and Early Parenthood
During pregnancy and the early parenting period, women are especially vulnerable to intimate partner violence (IPV), with devastating impacts on women, children, and families. The aim of this systematic review was to determine the effectiveness of father-focused interventions to prevent or reduce IPV during pregnancy and early parenthood. Six databases were searched, using a combination of the concepts “fathers,” “pregnancy/early parenthood,” “IP…
Lost in translation?“
Digital platforms such as websites play an increasingly important role in supporting perinatal mental health, yet their reach, cultural responsiveness, and effectiveness among women of migrant backgrounds remain under-explored. This study aimed to understand how women from diverse migrant communities engage with five digital perinatal mental health resources and to identify factors influencing their access, engagement, and overall experiences. We…
An invisible injury’
Educational experiences and needs of students in out-of-home care
Numerous studies show that children and young people in out-of-home care (OOHC) face significant disadvantage in completing high school and accessing post-secondary education. The current research involved a two-round Delphi survey which aimed to identify educational challenges and school reforms to improve the educational experiences of children and young people in OOHC. A total of 45 participants from three OOHC stakeholder groups (carers of ch…
Understanding motivations and satisfaction with sleep location among co‐sleeping (including bed‐sharing) parents
Sources of attitudes towards parent–child co‐sleeping and their effects
Parent–child co‐sleeping is a common practice in many cultures, although in Western countries, families who engage in parent–child co‐sleeping can encounter attitudes about co‐sleeping that feel critical from the people around them, as it is not commonly accepted and often stigmatized. This systematic scoping review examined and synthesized the available literature on the attitudes about parent–child co‐sleeping that people encounter, their origi…
Psychosocial Consequences of Disclosing Misattributed Paternity
Unlike adoption and donor-assisted reproduction, misattributed paternity occurring within the context of spontaneous conception and outside of formally recognised practices of having a child remains largely an understudied phenomenon. Despite being an age-old phenomenon affecting a substantial population, the psychosocial consequences of disclosing and discovering misattributed paternity continue to lack empirical understanding. The current paper…
Posttraumatic Growth and Continued Bonds in Fathers Receiving Bereavement Photography Following Perinatal Loss
Research exploring fathers' experiences of using bereavement photography after perinatal loss is lacking. Using continuing bonds theory, this study aims to investigate fathers'experiences of bereavement photography and predictors of posttraumatic growth (PTG). Mixed methodology was employed with participants ( n = 29). A hierarchical regression showed that there were no significant associations between continuing bonds and PTG, but time since dea…
Co-sleeping fathers’ perceptions of sleep quality with intentional and unintentional co-sleeping
Objective: Nearly 45% of Australian families intentionally or unintentionally co-sleep, including bedshare. Parents' intentionality to co-sleep can influence their perceptions of sleep quality, family functioning and overall satisfaction. Yet very little is known about fathers' perspectives and experiences of co-sleeping with their children. This mixedmethod study aimed to explore paternal co-sleeping intention and its association with perceived …
Examining the role of lived experience consultants in an Australian research study on the educational experiences of children and young people in out-of-home care
Children and young people’s access to and engagement in education is a key determinant of future positive outcomes. Children and young people in out-of-home care disproportionally experience educational disruptions and disengagements affecting their ability to participate in schooling, further and higher education. There is increasing international interest in the participation of young people with lived experience of out-of-home (OOHC) in resear…
Bereavement photography, volunteering, and posttraumatic growth
Bereavement photography has been recognized as an important tool to create memories and as a support service for parents experiencing perinatal loss. This paper explores the impact of volunteering on posttraumatic growth among photographers working with parents impacted by stillbirth. Using a mixed-methods design, 141 Australian and New Zealand volunteer bereavement photographers were recruited. Higher number of losses experienced by photographer…
Co-sleeping fathers’ perceptions of sleep quality with intentional and unintentional co-sleeping
Objective: Nearly 45% of Australian families intentionally or unintentionally co-sleep, including bedshare. Parents' intentionality to co-sleep can influence their perceptions of sleep quality, family functioning and overall satisfaction. Yet very little is known about fathers' perspectives and experiences of co-sleeping with their children. This mixedmethod study aimed to explore paternal co-sleeping intention and its association with perceived …
Bereavement photography, volunteering, and posttraumatic growth
Bereavement photography has been recognized as an important tool to create memories and as a support service for parents experiencing perinatal loss. This paper explores the impact of volunteering on posttraumatic growth among photographers working with parents impacted by stillbirth. Using a mixed-methods design, 141 Australian and New Zealand volunteer bereavement photographers were recruited. Higher number of losses experienced by photographer…
Examining the role of lived experience consultants in an Australian research study on the educational experiences of children and young people in out-of-home care
Children and young people’s access to and engagement in education is a key determinant of future positive outcomes. Children and young people in out-of-home care disproportionally experience educational disruptions and disengagements affecting their ability to participate in schooling, further and higher education. There is increasing international interest in the participation of young people with lived experience of out-of-home (OOHC) in resear…
Educational experiences and needs of students in out-of-home care
Numerous studies show that children and young people in out-of-home care (OOHC) face significant disadvantage in completing high school and accessing post-secondary education. The current research involved a two-round Delphi survey which aimed to identify educational challenges and school reforms to improve the educational experiences of children and young people in OOHC. A total of 45 participants from three OOHC stakeholder groups (carers of ch…
Understanding motivations and satisfaction with sleep location among co‐sleeping (including bed‐sharing) parents
Sources of attitudes towards parent–child co‐sleeping and their effects
Parent–child co‐sleeping is a common practice in many cultures, although in Western countries, families who engage in parent–child co‐sleeping can encounter attitudes about co‐sleeping that feel critical from the people around them, as it is not commonly accepted and often stigmatized. This systematic scoping review examined and synthesized the available literature on the attitudes about parent–child co‐sleeping that people encounter, their origi…
Psychosocial Consequences of Disclosing Misattributed Paternity
Unlike adoption and donor-assisted reproduction, misattributed paternity occurring within the context of spontaneous conception and outside of formally recognised practices of having a child remains largely an understudied phenomenon. Despite being an age-old phenomenon affecting a substantial population, the psychosocial consequences of disclosing and discovering misattributed paternity continue to lack empirical understanding. The current paper…
Posttraumatic Growth and Continued Bonds in Fathers Receiving Bereavement Photography Following Perinatal Loss
Research exploring fathers' experiences of using bereavement photography after perinatal loss is lacking. Using continuing bonds theory, this study aims to investigate fathers'experiences of bereavement photography and predictors of posttraumatic growth (PTG). Mixed methodology was employed with participants ( n = 29). A hierarchical regression showed that there were no significant associations between continuing bonds and PTG, but time since dea…
Co-sleeping fathers’ perceptions of sleep quality with intentional and unintentional co-sleeping
Objective: Nearly 45% of Australian families intentionally or unintentionally co-sleep, including bedshare. Parents' intentionality to co-sleep can influence their perceptions of sleep quality, family functioning and overall satisfaction. Yet very little is known about fathers' perspectives and experiences of co-sleeping with their children. This mixedmethod study aimed to explore paternal co-sleeping intention and its association with perceived …
A systematic evaluation and comparison of the consistency of infant safer sleep messaging in Australia
To reduce the occurrence of sudden infant death, organisations have created recommendations about infant safer sleep and shared sleep. With the considerable volume of documents, consistency in messaging is paramount to reduce caregiver confusion and to reduce engagement in practices deemed to be unsafe for their infant. This review aimed to systematically compare documents that contain recommendations on infant safer sleep, including shared sleep…
Beyond the rules
Background: Despite public health campaigns promoting infant sleep safety, SUDI (including SIDS and fatal sleep accidents) remains one of the most significant contributors to post-neonatal infant death in many high-income countries. Bedsharing remains common despite predominant risk elimination guidelines, with many families struggling to follow rigid rules of avoidance. Risk minimisation considers the complexities of family life and recognises m…
Effectiveness of Father-Focused Interventions to Prevent or Reduce Intimate Partner Violence During Pregnancy and Early Parenthood
During pregnancy and the early parenting period, women are especially vulnerable to intimate partner violence (IPV), with devastating impacts on women, children, and families. The aim of this systematic review was to determine the effectiveness of father-focused interventions to prevent or reduce IPV during pregnancy and early parenthood. Six databases were searched, using a combination of the concepts “fathers,” “pregnancy/early parenthood,” “IP…
Lost in translation?“
Digital platforms such as websites play an increasingly important role in supporting perinatal mental health, yet their reach, cultural responsiveness, and effectiveness among women of migrant backgrounds remain under-explored. This study aimed to understand how women from diverse migrant communities engage with five digital perinatal mental health resources and to identify factors influencing their access, engagement, and overall experiences. We…
An invisible injury’
Supporting Adults with Misattributed Paternity
Commercial DNA testing has led to an increase in individuals discovering misattributed paternity (the discrepancy between the genetic and social fatherhoods outside of adoption and donor-assisted reproduction), posing significant emotional, identity-related, and relational challenges. Despite this growing prevalence, no studies currently exist on how counselling professionals can support individuals navigating this experience. Our study examines …
Psychology (9 works) · Qualitative research (5 works) · Developmental psychology (4 works) · Neuroscience of respiration and sleep (4 works) · Political science (4 works) · Sociology (4 works) · Thematic analysis (4 works) · Child Welfare and Adoption (3 works) · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health (3 works) · Medicine (3 works)