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Team Members of Prometheus who are undertaking a PhD are also given the chance to work on various grants and publications with the team leader, as well as with other academics who collaborate with Prometheus research projects. These opportunities are extracurricular to the Research Higher Degree (RHD) students own research project in some cases. Skills adopted through working with the Team Leader are grant writing experience, publications, clinical work, teaching, workshops, conference presentations and learning about working within academic and external research settings. It is the philosophy of the Prometheus Research Team
that indoctrination into a research community through extracurricular
activities helps to motivate, enlighten and support RHD
students towards a timely degree completion. Ultimately, this will lead
to the graduation of highly skilled and well-rounded future researchers
and also provide career building opportunities for RHD students
during the course of their Higher Degree Education.
Teaching Research Grants
Postgraduate ResearchAt any one time, Dr Andrew Campbell will
be the Primary Supervisor for up to 5 PhD students. These students
comprise the core members of Prometheus. The current PhD student
projects in Prometheus are outlined as abstracts below. Ms Krestina Amon – PhD Candidate –
The University of Sydney
The aims of the study are to determine the effectiveness of biofeedback through the measurements of heart rate and skin conductance with children diagnosed with AD/HD, and present this form of biofeedback as a reasonable option to help children manage their AD/HD. It is hypothesized that: (i) results may show whether AD/HD children have demonstrated marked improvements in their ability to hold attention and concentration, (ii) an involvement in biofeedback sessions may produce significantly less if any, side effects in comparison to a treatment plan involving medication, (iii) a difference in outcomes from children who attended three biofeedback sessions in a week, to those who attended sessions once a week, and (iv) parents experience with stress from their child’s behaviour could decline with session progression. Ms Melanie Nguyen – PhD Candidate –
The University of Sydney Abstract: The internet has functioned as a communication bridge that facilitates information dissemination and interpersonal relationships across multiple time-zones. It is also a medium that could be used to deliver psycho-education support and counselling services to geographically isolated areas. Thus there is potential for online counselling to supplement and enhance the delivery of mental health services in rural Australia. However, for online counselling to be successful and efficacious, a standardised, best-practice, framework must be established in regards to the effectiveness of online counselling delivery techniques. The present research aims to contribute to this monumental task.
With respect to online counselling, there are perhaps more questions and concerns than empirically established answers in regards to the efficacy of its delivery and clinical outcomes. Fundamental to the success of online counselling (as is the case with traditional face-to-face counselling) is the establishment of a therapeutic relationship. The present research aims to systematically compare online and offline communication. It seeks to examine the effects of timing and synchronicity, relationship contexts (friendship versus counselling relations) and personality variables on the trajectory of relationship development. Ms Suvena Sethi – PhD Candidate –
The University of Sydney Abstract: Existing studies have shown that psychotherapeutic treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) are effective in treating adolescent anxiety, however only a minority of sufferers seek treatment. Barriers to seeking and accessing psychologists include shortage of skilled therapists, long waiting lists, and monetary costs. Thus, a significant challenge remains to increase accessibility and affordability of evidence-based psychological treatments.
This research aims to examine the use and long-term efficacy of online counselling to treat adolescent anxiety. Based on this, and using CBT, a computerised package will be developed to combat adolescent anxiety. Longitudinal findings will be used to develop a theory explaining drop-out rates, which in turn will aid to minimize attrition in the computerised self-help package, aimed to treat and prevent adolescent anxiety. Mr Mark Toh – PhD Candidate – The
University of Sydney
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Prometheus
research projects comprise of 2 areas:
Abstract:
My previous research on "Parental stress and coping of parents with
children diagnosed with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder"
prompted many parents to approach me about alternative treatment options
for their children. This research will look at "Exploring the use of
biofeedback video games for children diagnosed with AD/HD". It will use
meditation and yoga-like breathing techniques coupled with the
biofeedback process to help children better manage the symptoms and
behaviours that are attached to their AD/HD.
With
the widespread usage of information technology, psychologists are
seeking to use the Internet to expand the avenues used to deliver
psychological treatment as it has the potential to distribute self help
interventions globally. Internet based programs to prevent anxiety and
depression in populations of students have been shown to be effective,
however, to date only one randomized controlled trial of depression
treatment using the internet has been published (Christensen, 2005).
There is insufficient data examining causes behind drop out rates to
online treatment, and it is of concern that subtle variations in
specific aspects of a person’s condition may not be adequately addressed
by a computerized package. Additionally, to date, there is no program or
website available, which solely targets adolescent anxiety (Edleman,
2006).
mastery
over the environment while gambling allows only for the perception of
mastery. In addition, gambling is often viewed as a solitary activity
while video games allow for high levels of interaction with other
players. Existing research has demonstrated strong links between social
interaction and self-esteem, as well as task mastery and self-esteem.
Online interactions also give adolescents the opportunity to develop
their sense of identity and form social groups outside their immediate
family. Given that the development of self-esteem and personal identity
is viewed as a crucial developmental milestone in psychosocial theory,
it is proposed that video games may serve as a vehicle for adaptive
developmental purposes if used appropriately and could be used to
facilitate a normal developmental trajectory. However, excessive use of
video games to meet developmental needs could be argued to result in the
formation of a dependency on video games leading to abnormal social and
behavioural outcomes during childhood or adolescent development stages.
This research aims to examine the beneficial impact of video games on a
child’s psychosocial development. It also aims to examine if levels of a
person’s self- esteem will differ based on whether the self-esteem scale
is referenced to an online or offline environment.