Valsamma Eapen
Dados Biográficos
| ID | 1463972 |
|---|---|
| NOME | Valsamma Eapen |
| PRENOMES | Valsamma |
| SOBRENOME | Eapen |
| ASSINATURA | EAPEN V |
| AFILIAÇÕES | UNSW Sydney |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-6296-8306 |
| VERIFICADO | Sim |
| TOTAL DE OBRAS | 61 |
| TOTAL DE CITAÇÕES | 6 |
| TOTAL COMO AUTOR | 60 |
| TOTAL COMO EDITOR | 1 |
| PRIMEIRO ANO DE PUBLICAÇÃO | 1991 |
| ANO MAIS RECENTE DE PUBLICAÇÃO | 2026 |
| ÍNDICE H | 1 |
Trajectories of intimate partner violence, common mental disorders, and functioning among women of reproductive age in conflict-affected timor-leste.
Exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depressive symptoms, and functional impairment among women of reproductive age are pressing public health and human rights issues in conflict-affected settings. However, to better inform policy and influence positive change, there is a need to understand the trajectories and relationships between these issues over time. We aimed to characterize the trajectories and…
The Barriers and Enablers to Implementing Child and Family Health Hubs for Migrant Families
Migrant women and children can face significant barriers when accessing child and family health services. Child and family health hubs (hubs) represent a potential solution to simplify pathways between maternity, child, and social care services for migrant populations. However, how these hubs operate specifically for migrants remains underexplored. Our study addresses this gap by exploring what helps and hinders the establishment and delivery of …
Effectiveness of a Digital Screening and Navigation Model in Addressing Unmet Social Needs among Parents and Caregivers in Priority Population Groups
Introduction: Children and families from priority populations (e.g. culturally and linguistically diverse and regional/rural communities) often experience significant psychosocial challenges and barriers to accessing health and social care. These inequities were further exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Integrating social care with health services has been proposed as an approach to improve service access and address unmet needs. Methods:…
Child Temperament, Caregiving Representations, and Parental Reflective Functioning
Early Childhood Temperament Factors and Callous-Unemotional Traits in Preschool and School Aged- Children
Increasing Youth Peer Workers' Impact Through Integration
BACKGROUND: Embedding youth peer workers within youth mental health services is critical to integrating the personal lived experience of recovery-oriented and trauma-informed approaches in care and helping young people to make sense of the system. However, research into the optimal engagement of youth peer workers is lacking, which limits opportunities for integrating personal lived experience within care. This paper evaluated peer workers' exper…
The Building Blocks for Successful Hub Implementation for Migrant and Refugee Families and Their Children in the First 2000 Days of Life
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Migrant and refugee women, families, and their children can experience significant language, cultural, and psychosocial barriers to engage with child and family services. Integrated child and family health Hubs are increasingly promoted as a potential solution to address access barriers; however, there is scant literature on how to best implement them with migrant and refugee populations. Our aim was to explore with serv…
When Is the Still‐Face Not the Still‐Face
The Face‐to‐Face Still‐Face (FF‐SF) procedure has been a popular paradigm to understand infant behavior. The current study examines the validity of mothers' behavior during the Still‐Face phase of the FF‐SF, especially the quality of her neutral face and its impact on infant arousal ( N = 358 ethnically‐diverse mother–infant dyads, Mean infant age = 223 days, SD = 27 days). Results showed that more than half of the mothers in the sample breached …
Feasibility and Preliminary Efficacy of Enhanced Midwifery Care to Support Women Experiencing Subclinical Depression
This study investigated the feasibility and preliminary effects of enhanced midwifery care in reducing subclinical depression symptoms among women in ethnically diverse areas of the South Western Sydney Local Health District (SWSLHD). A pilot randomised controlled trial was conducted among pregnant women attending the Fairfield and/or Liverpool antenatal clinic with an Edinburgh Depression Scale (EDS) score of 10-12 (i.e., just below the generall…
Home Visiting Interventions and Their Impact on Mental Health, Psychosocial, and Parenting Practice Outcomes of Vulnerable Caregivers
Past reviews have found home visiting interventions to be successful at improving caregiver outcomes. Though, no review has looked specifically at the effect of home visiting interventions on caregivers with high vulnerability and complex needs. This review aimed to examine and synthesis the literature on the impact of home visiting programs administered to caregivers with young children, high vulnerability and complex needs by professionals/para…
Differences between men and women accessing an Australian perinatal and infant mental health care navigation service—Why do fathers seek help
This study explored the demographic and psychosocial characteristics, and presenting concerns of new or expectant fathers seeking perinatal mental health (PMH) support through the Australia‐based ForWhen service, compared to a sample of mothers. The retrospective observational analysis examined routinely collected data from 105 male and 203 female clients who were supported by ForWhen between February 2022 to June 2024. Fathers and mothers did no…
Optimizing parenting and child outcomes following parent–child interaction therapy – toddler
Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR), 12,618,001,554,257. Registered 24 September 2018 - retrospectively registered, https://anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?ACTRN=12618001554257
Perinatal continuity of care for mothers with depressive symptoms
Mothers and clinicians perceived benefits of continuity of care for maternal mental health. Offering midwife-led continuity of care to mothers with mild to moderate depression during the perinatal period is recommended
Prospective associations between early childhood mental health concerns and formal diagnosis of neurodevelopmental disorders in adolescence
Our findings highlight the opportunity for early identification of transdiagnostic developmental and MH issues in the preschool period. Findings also emphasise the critical role of social determinants of health in the longitudinal trajectory of MH and NDDs and highlight the need for implementing early supports for improving peer relations and behavioural support strategies. If coupled with wrap around social care, early support strategies can enh…
Epic-CP pilot trial
In children with cerebral palsy (CP), there is evidence that social determinants of health contribute to poorer health outcomes and are barriers to families accessing health services. In the general paediatric population, there is emerging evidence that clinical pathways for the systematised identification and referral of unmet social can support families to address their social needs. The objectives of this Australian pilot are to investigate th…
What is an integrated Child and Family Hub, and how do you set one up and run it
Supporting the first 2,000 days of a child’s life from pregnancy to five years is a national policy and research priority to ensure all Australian children flourish. Unfortunately, across Australia, up to one in three preschool-aged children from disadvantaged communities are ‘developmentally vulnerable’, making them at increased risk of poor long-term health, educational and social outcomes. Integrated Child and Family Hubs provide a ‘one stop s…
Creation of the Youth Integration Project Framework
The Youth Integration Project framework can form a basis for the development, implementation and evaluation of well-articulated models of youth integrated mental health pathways, assisting services identify what operational changes are needed to best implement and sustain integrated care
A preliminary investigation of parent-child attachment relationship in toddlers with autism traits
Using a cross-sectional design, this study explored attachment insecurity and disorganization (assessed using the Strange Situation Procedure) in 90 toddlers (aged 14–24 months) with and without autism traits and assessed the associations between autism traits (severity and profiles) and both developmental level and attachment classification. Our findings showed no significant differences between the rates of attachment insecurity or attachment d…
A Preliminary Trial of an Early Surveillance Program for Autism and Developmental Delays within General Practices
There are inequities in engagement with established early childhood developmental surveillance programs, eclipsing disadvantaged families. The current study sought to address this by dovetailing developmental surveillance with immunization visits and other opportunistic contacts with children at general practices). While 53 General Practices were recruited, significant COVID-19 disruptions resulted in only 81 children being screened (both parent-…
Maternal antenatal depression, oxytocin, and infant temperament
This study examined the associations between maternal depression and oxytocin in pregnancy, caregiving sensitivity and adult attachment style, and infant temperament. One hundred and six women recruited from a public hospital antenatal clinic in Australia, and their infants completed assessments at three time points (Time 1: pregnancy; Time 2: 3‐month postpartum; Time 3: 12‐month postpartum). Mothers completed self‐report questionnaires assessing…
Identifying and responding to family adversity in Australian community and primary health settings
Background: Unaddressed family adversity has potentially modifiable, negative biopsychosocial impacts across the life course. Little is known about how Australian health and social practitioners identify and respond to family adversity in community and primary health settings. Objective: To describe, in two Australian community health services: (1) the number of adversities experienced by caregivers, (2) practitioner identification of caregivers …
Facial reactions to emotional films in young children with conduct problems and varying levels of callous‐unemotional traits
BACKGROUND: Elevated levels of callous-unemotional (CU) traits have proven useful for identifying a distinct subgroup of children whose conduct problems (CP) are early emerging, severe, persistent, and underpinned by aberrant emotional processing. The early childhood emotional experiences and expressions of CP subtypes are poorly understood, despite their importance to understanding the problematic attachments and atypical social affiliation expe…
Patient navigation models for mental health of parents expecting or caring for an infant or young child
Patient navigation (PN) aims to improve timely access to healthcare by helping patients to “navigate” complex service provision landscapes. PN models have been applied in diverse healthcare settings including perinatal mental health (PMH). However, the practice models and implementation of PN programs vary widely, and their impact on engagement with PMH services has not been systematically investigated. This systematic narrative review study aime…
Parenting Characteristics and Callous-Unemotional Traits in Children Aged 0–6 Years
Preschool Behavioral Problems
This study investigated maternal oxytocin, caregiving sensitivity and mother-to-infant bonding at 3-months postpartum as predictors of child behavior and psychological outcomes in the preschool years, when controlling for concurrent maternal negative emotional symptoms and adult attachment state-of-mind. Forty-five mother-child dyads were assessed at 3-months and 3.5 years postpartum using mix of questionnaires, observational, interview and biolo…
Development and validation of a measure for assessing gender dysphoria in adults
Available clinically useful questionnaires for people with gender dysphoria incorporate outdated binary male/female gender stereotypes. Moreover, no tools assess for gender dysphoria, a construct applicable to a gender-diverse population. This study's purpose was to develop and validate an instrument that overcame these shortcomings: the Gender Preoccupation and Stability Questionnaire (GPSQ). Method: The 14-item GPSQ was developed through consul…
Improving Access to Early Childhood Developmental Surveillance for Children from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (Cald) Background”
Integration supported vulnerable families from CALD backgrounds to access developmental surveillance through child and family health services but required flexibility and adjustments by all involved
Attempted Suicide and the Lunar Cycle
An analysis of 383 cases of attempted suicide presented to the Accident and Emergency Department during 12 complete lunar cycles (one year) gave no support for an association between attempted suicide and the lunar cycle, especially the full moon. No control for weekends or holidays was made
Gilles De La Tourette Syndrome in India
Two cases of Gilles de la Tourette syndrome from India are presented. The symptomatology of Tourette syndrome is the same as that documented in western populations which suggests biological factors in the aetiology of the syndrome
Mass in an Culture
In this report we describe the circumstances surrounding an outbreak of mass hysteria among first year female university students. The outbreak was precipitated by a state of panic over the possibility of a fire which turned out to be harmless fumes from a locally used burning perfume. Twenty-three cases presented to the emergency room with symptoms of respiratory distress associated with marked emotional reactions. The outbreak was controlled by…
Tourette Syndrome, Epilepsy, and Emotional Disorder, a Case of Triple Comorbidity
We present a case report illustrating the complexity encountered in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with multiple diagnoses. The clinical presentation in Tourette syndrome, and the behavioural manifestations in some cases of complex partial seizures can both be misunderstood and misdiagnosed. The paper, within the framework of a case, emphasises the need for a multidisciplinary approach in the assessment and management of such cases
Self-Perception Profile in Children with Cancer
Self-perception about competence, behaviour, and self-worth were examined in 30 children (8 to 14 years) recently diagnosed as having cancer and were compared with that of their parents' perception. The poor agreement between parents' and children's ratings on physical appearance and social acceptance is noteworthy in that these two domains are particularly vulnerable in children with cancer, given the effect of chemotherapy on physical appearanc…
Help-Seeking for Mental Health Problems of Children
Parental attitudes, religious beliefs, and other sociocultural factors have all been recognized to influence help-seeking patterns in relation to child psychiatric morbidity. But few systematic studies have addressed this issue in the Arab region. In this study, we investigated the help-seeking preferences for mental health problems in a community sample. 325 parents contacted as part of a community-based study of child psychiatric disorders were…
Psychometric Properties of the Child Behavior Checklist/2-3 in an Arab Population
Child Behavior Checklist 2-3 is a parents' report questionnaire whose psychometric properties are known in the Western setting, but no studies have investigated this in an Arabic culture. In this study, the psychometric properties of the Arabic translation were studied using a sample of 694 children age 3 yr., ascertained as part of a community-based epidemiological study in the United Arab Emirates. The item-total correlations for items were sat…
Postpartum Mental Illness
There is growing awareness of the importance of mental health issues in the perinatal period in Western societies, but very little information is available from Muslim and Arab countries. Qualitative information gathered using focus group discussions of women of childbearing age is presented along with additional information obtained from key informant interviews with grandmothers, husbands, and health care professionals in the United Arab Emirat…
SP4-26 Burden of toxic metal exposure among school-aged children in United Arab Emirates
Background Environmental toxic metal exposure may adversely affect children's development and behaviour. Data are lacking about heavy metal exposure in children in UAE and Gulf countries. Objectives To determine blood concentrations of 12 heavy metals in school-age children in Al Ain City, UAE. Methods It was a cross sectional study. One hundred and forty seven subjects were selected from nine elementary schools. The mean age was 8.4 years (SD ±2…
Neurodevelopmental Genes Have Not Read The DSM Criteria
brain plasticity. Hence, as the genetically programmed but environmentally modulated developmental process progresses, diagnosis will need to be seen as a means to assist rather than a hindrance
Factors impacting the quality of peer relationships of youth with Tourette’s syndrome
The findings from the study may help clinicians, parents and individuals with TS to better understand and cope with the difficulties experienced in interactions with peers
The Impact of Tic Severity, Comorbidity and Peer Attachment on Quality of Life Outcomes and Functioning in Tourette’s Syndrome
Comorbidities, Social Impact, and Quality of Life in Tourette Syndrome
Tourette syndrome (TS) is more than having motor and vocal tics, and this review will examine the varied comorbidities as well as the social impact and quality of life (QoL) in individuals with TS. The relationship between any individual and his/her environment is complex, and this is further exaggerated in the case of a person with TS. For example, tics may play a significant role in shaping the person's experiences, perceptions, and interaction…
Development and validation of a measure for assessing gender dysphoria in adults
Available clinically useful questionnaires for people with gender dysphoria incorporate outdated binary male/female gender stereotypes. Moreover, no tools assess for gender dysphoria, a construct applicable to a gender-diverse population. This study's purpose was to develop and validate an instrument that overcame these shortcomings: the Gender Preoccupation and Stability Questionnaire (GPSQ). Method: The 14-item GPSQ was developed through consul…
Recognising and Treating Tourette's Syndrome in Young Australians
ObjectiveThis study aimed to evaluate the complex clinical phenomenology of Tourette's syndrome within a community‐based Australian sample. It also aimed to determine the service needs of this population.MethodParticipants included parents of individuals with Tourette's syndrome (n = 86; mean age = 11.4, standard deviation [SD] = 2.8) and control group peers (n = 108; mean age = 11.3, SD = 2.6). Clinical phenomenology was assessed using the Paren…
The parental reflective functioning questionnaire
This paper reports on three studies on the development and validation of the Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (PRFQ), a brief, multidimensional self-report measure that assesses parental reflective functioning or mentalizing, that is, the capacity to treat the infant as a psychological agent. Study 1 investigated the factor structure, reliability, and relationships of the PRFQ with demographic features, symptomatic distress, attachme…
Risk of perpetrating intimate partner violence amongst men exposed to torture in conflict-affected Timor-Leste
Our data provide the first systematic evidence of an association between torture and IPV in a low-income, post-conflict country, confirming that low socio-economic status, partly related to being a torture survivor, adds to the risk. The high prevalence of IPV in this context suggests that other structural factors, such as persisting patriarchal attitudes, contribute to the risk of IPV. Early detection and prevention programs may assist in reduci…
Optimising refugee children’s health/wellbeing in preparation for primary and secondary school
Refugee families face challenges to accessing services, but also have strengths that enable them to optimise their children's wellbeing. Culturally-tailored models of care embedded within GP services and school systems may assist improved healthcare for refugee families
Longitudinal path analysis of depressive symptoms and functioning among women of child-rearing age in postconflict Timor-Leste
This longitudinal study indicates that exposure to the traumas of mass conflict and subsequent depressive symptoms play an important role in pathways leading to functional impairment in the postconflict period among women of child-rearing age. Our study, conducted in Timor-Leste, involved an analytic sample of 1292 women recruited at antenatal clinics in the capital and its surrounding districts. Women were re-interviewed at home 2 years later (7…
A randomized controlled trial comparing parent child interaction therapy - toddler, circle of security– parentingTM and waitlist controls in the treatment of disruptive behaviors for children aged 14–…
Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR), 12618001554257 . Registered 24 September 2018 - retrospectively registered
Mapping the Specific Pathways to Early-Onset Mental Health Disorders
This study will be the first to test a clear developmental map of both the unique and specific causes of childhood psychopathology and will identify more precise early intervention targets for children with complex comorbid conditions
Callous–Unemotional Traits and Disorganized Attachment
Improving Access to Early Childhood Developmental Surveillance for Children from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (Cald) Background”
Integration supported vulnerable families from CALD backgrounds to access developmental surveillance through child and family health services but required flexibility and adjustments by all involved
A Framework-Based Approach to Assessing Mental Health Impacts of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Children and Adolescents
The COVID-19 pandemic has yielded extensive impacts globally in the year of 2020. Although the mental health of children and adolescents may be particularly susceptible to stressors stemming from the pandemic and anti-contagion policies, most ongoing efforts are geared toward curbing the viral spread. In the current perspective, we have identified four domains of factors corresponding to an ecological framework that may directly or indirectly inf…
Tourette Syndrome Risk Genes Regulate Mitochondrial Dynamics, Structure, and Function
Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by motor and vocal tics with an estimated prevalence of 1% in children and adolescents. GTS has high rates of inheritance with many rare mutations identified. Apart from the role of the neurexin trans-synaptic connexus (NTSC) little has been confirmed regarding the molecular basis of GTS. The NTSC pathway regulates neuronal circuitry development, synaptic connecti…
Psychology (48 obras) · Medicine (39 obras) · Psychiatry (35 obras) · Clinical Psychology (28 obras) · Developmental psychology (22 obras) · Clinical Psychology (21 obras) · Mental health (21 obras) · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development (20 obras) · Autism Spectrum Disorder Research (13 obras) · Nursing (12 obras)