Alyssa Sawyer

Research Interests

Developmental & Child Psychology Maternal Health Mental Health Psychology Public Health Child and Adolescent Health

Dr Alyssa Sawyer

Senior Lecturer

School of Psychology

College of Education, Behavioural and Social Science

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.

I am a Lecturer in the School of Psychology and Registered Psychologist (endorsed by the Psychology Board of Australia as a Clinical Psychologist). I have previously worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Research and Evaluation Unit of the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, and with the BetterStart Child Health and Development Research Group within the School of Public Health.My research focuses on children’s development and mental health, postnatal mental health and support for new parents, and epidemiology. In particular, my research has focused on children’s mental health and wellbeing with particular emphasis on the development, implementation and evaluation of new clinical and population level interventions in partnership with health, education, and welfare services. I have an interest in using population data from longitudinal cohorts and surveys, and population-level interventions designed to improve outcomes for children. Of particular interest is the development of self-regulation and how this affects children’s later outcomes.

Alyssa is interested in providing supervision for students who wish to focus their research on the mental health of children, adolescents, or families (including perinatal and infant mental health). Alyssa works with population level datasets including the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (https://growingupinaustralia.gov.au/) and the Australian Child and Adolescent Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing (https://youngmindsmatter.telethonkids.org.au/about-young-minds-matter/ ). Opportunities exist for research projects using these population level datasets for students interested in statistical analyses and epidemiological research methods.

Research interests

  • Child mental health and development
  • Supports for parents during the postnatal period (particularly for mothers experiencing postnatal depression and for new fathers)
  • Perinatal and infant mental health
  • Epidemiology and population health
  • The development of self-regulation in childhood: effects on children's later outcomes.
  • The effectiveness of online interventions for postnatal depression

 

Potential projects for Masters of Psychology:

The following project will be co-supervised by Dr Cecily Young, Dr. Alyssa Sawyer, and Dr Anne Sved-Willams (SA Health). Please contact Cecily and Alyssa for further details.

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is increasingly diagnosed in perinatal settings, and research suggests that as well as an escalation of BPD symptoms in this period, these symptoms may also be highly detrimental to infant development. At Helen Mayo House Mother-Infant Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (MI-DBT) is a treatment developed to support women with a diagnosis of BPD during the postnatal period. Qualitative evaluations of this program have been conducted and the following projects would be available:

  1. Evaluating changes to the mother-infant relationship after MI-DBT.
  2. Previous qualitative research has provided evidence for the role of partners in supporting mother’s receiving MI-DBT. The project would involve conducting individual interviews or focus groups, and conducting qualitative analysis to examine the experience of partners of mothers with a diagnosis of BPD.

Potential projects for Masters of Psychology or PhD projects:

Women’s and Children’s Hospital, SA Medical Imaging and Child Protection Service. Project co-supervised by Dr Alyssa Sawyer, Dr Cecily Young.

This project will assess the effectiveness of a new ‘attachment-focused’ intervention designed to improve new parents’ ability to: (i) bond with their infant, (ii) understand their infant’s experiences, and (iii) support their infant during the antenatal/postnatal periods to support infant mental health.

The intervention was developed and evaluated in a pilot trial led by the University of Adelaide, SA Medical Imaging, and WCHN Child Protection Services. The trial demonstrated that parents experiencing moderate psychosocial adversity experienced improvements in: (i) parent-infant bonding; (ii) parent self-competence, and (iii) knowledge about safe-care and care for infants. The proposed project responds to feedback from pilot-participating parents that support to bond with baby during pregnancy, and knowledge about safe-care and care for infants during persistent infant crying, should be available to all parents. 

New parents often struggle to access support after hospital-based care ends and community-based care commences. Yet this is a time when parents face critical challenges, such as successful parent-infant bonding while sleep deprived, and safely responding to persistent infant crying. Problems in these areas increase risk for poor infant mental health.

For this study we will modify the pilot intervention so that it can be delivered as a universal preventative program. Parents birthing at the WCH and their clinicians will be engaged to make the intervention suitable for all new parents. This is a key component of the current project, which aims to ensure the final intervention meets the needs of new parents and is feasible for delivery alongside routine care. Our attachment-focused intervention is designed to help parents better cope with challenges during a time when hospital and community services can be difficult to access. The project aims to ensure all parents birthing at the WCH have access to knowledge and support to promote good infant mental health.

Projects include qualitative analysis of experiences of perinatal care from consumer and clinician reference groups, examining the experiences of attachment focused sonography training and outcomes for parents receiving scans, and systematic reviews of the development of persistent infant crying and the effect on parental wellbeing.

Date Position Institution name
2019 - ongoing Lecturer School of Psychology, University of Adelaide
2017 - 2019 Postdoctoral researcher Research and Evaluation Unit of the Women's and Children's Hospital; School of Medicine, University of Adelaide
2012 - 2017 Postdoctoral researcher School of Public Health, University of Adelaide

Date Institution name Country Title
2008 - 2012 Flinders University Australia PhD (Clin Psyc)
2007 - 2007 Flinders University Australia BA Hons (Psychology)
2006 - 2006 Flinders University Australia Grad Dip Psyc
2003 - 2005 Flinders University Australia BCA (Creative Writing)

Date Title Institution name Country
2014 Clinical Psychology Area of Practice Endorsement Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency Australia
2011 Registered Psychologist Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency Australia

Year Citation
2025 Ribeiro Santiago, P. H., Smithers, L., Townsend, M., Quintero, A., Sawyer, A., Soares, G., . . . Jamieson, L. (2025). The longitudinal network of peer problems and emotional symptoms among Australian adolescents: Bayesian structure learning of directed acyclic graphs.. Developmental Psychology, 61(8), 1479-1494.
DOI
2025 Pascoe, C., Oxlad, M., Sawyer, A., & Bartsch, D. R. (2025). ‘Right now I feel ok but more so that I am surviving not thriving’: experiences of parenting with a current or ex-partner with borderline personality disorder. Advances in Mental Health, 1-19.
DOI
2025 Aiyar, R., Due, C., Taylor, A., & Sawyer, A. (2025). South and Southeast Asian Migrant Caregivers’ Help-Seeking and Support Experiences Across the First 2,000 Days: A Qualitative Study and Emerging Model of Health Care. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 56(5), 582-603.
DOI
2025 Searson, C., Oxlad, M., & Sawyer, A. (2025). “Nobody asked me, as a dad, how I was coping”: exploring Australian new fathers’ paternal postnatal support experiences and needs. Clinical Psychologist, 29(2), 1-14.
DOI
2025 Aiyar, R., Due, C., Taylor, A. M., & Sawyer, A. C. P. (2025). Parenting experiences and impacts to wellbeing for South and Southeast Asian migrant caregivers in Australia across the First 2000 Days: reflections from migrants and service providers. Journal of Family Studies, 1-25.
DOI
2024 Bartholomaeus, V., Chronowski, N. H., Santiago, P. H. R., Kuring, J. K., & Sawyer, A. (2024). Equivalence of telehealth and face-to-face administration of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV). CLINICAL NEUROPSYCHOLOGIST, 39(5), 24 pages.
DOI Scopus4 WoS2 Europe PMC1
2024 Sawyer, A., Simpson, B., Reece, C., Richardson, V., Carbone, J., John, M., . . . Sawyer, M. (2024). Protocol for an intervention for new parents experiencing moderate psychosocial adversity: pilot feasibility randomised trial. Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology, 1-22.
DOI
2024 Do, L. G., Sawyer, A., John Spencer, A., Leary, S., Kuring, J. K., Jones, A. L., . . . Ha, D. H. (2024). Early Childhood Exposures to Fluorides and Cognitive Neurodevelopment: A Population-Based Longitudinal Study. Journal of Dental Research, 104(3), 243-250.
DOI Scopus13 WoS16 Europe PMC8
2024 Rimmington, D., Roberts, R., Sawyer, A., & Sved-Williams, A. (2024). Dissociation in mothers with borderline personality disorder: a possible mechanism for transmission of intergenerational trauma? A scoping review.. Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation, 11(1), 7-1-7-24.
DOI Scopus2 WoS1
2023 Do, L. G., Spencer, A. J., Sawyer, A., Jones, A., Leary, S., Roberts, R., & Ha, D. H. (2023). Early Childhood Exposures to Fluorides and Child Behavioral Development and Executive Function: A Population-Based Longitudinal Study. Journal of Dental Research, 102(1), 28-36.
DOI Scopus21 WoS21 Europe PMC11
2023 McGorm, K. J., Brown, J. D., Roberts, A. G., Greenbank, S., Brasacchio, D., Sawyer, A. C. P., . . . Penno, M. A. S. (2023). Experiences of Caregivers and At-Risk Children Enrolled in a Prospective Pregnancy-Birth Cohort Study into the Causes of Type 1 Diabetes: The ENDIA Study. Children, 10(4), 637.
DOI Scopus2 WoS2 Europe PMC2
2023 Snyder, G., Ribeiro Santiago, P. H., Sawyer, A., & Jamieson, L. (2023). A longitudinal mediation analysis of the effect of Aboriginal Australian mothers' experience of perceived racism on children’s social and emotional well-being. Australian Psychologist, 58(5), 1-16.
DOI Scopus1 WoS1
2023 Aiyar, R., Due, C., Taylor, A. M., & Sawyer, A. C. P. (2023). The wellbeing and support experiences of parents and caregivers from South and Southeast Asian refugee backgrounds during the First 2000 Days: A systematic review. Children and Youth Services Review, 155, 107222-1-107222-16.
DOI Scopus1 WoS1
2023 Chan, K. L., Sawyer, A., & Taylor, A. (2023). Understanding early risk factors for eating disorder symptoms in adolescence: the role of body dissatisfaction, negative emotional reactivity and self-esteem at age 10–11 years. Australian Journal of Psychology, 75(1), 11 pages.
DOI Scopus1 WoS1 Europe PMC1
2023 Waugh, J., Ma, N., Chur-Hansen, A., & Sawyer, A. (2023). Rural and remote psychologists’ views on provisional psychologist supervision. Australian Journal of Psychology, 75(1), 13 pages.
DOI
2022 Francis, J. L., Sawyer, A., Roberts, R., Yelland, C., Drioli‐Phillips, P., & Sved Williams, A. E. (2022). Mothers with borderline personality disorders' experiences of mother–infant dialectical behavior therapy. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 79(5), 1245-1260.
DOI Scopus9 WoS8 Europe PMC6
2022 Oxlad, M., Sawyer, A., Paparo, J., & D'Annunzio, J. (2022). Postgraduate students’ perceptions of simulation-based learning in professional psychology training. Australian Psychologist, 57(4), 226-235.
DOI Scopus4 WoS3
2021 Paparo, J., Beccaria, G., Canoy, D., Chur-Hansen, A., Conti, J. E., Correia, H., . . . Thielking, M. (2021). A New Reality: The Role of Simulated Learning Activities in Postgraduate Psychology Training Programs. Frontiers in Education, 6, 653269-1-653269-16.
DOI Scopus15 WoS15
2019 Sawyer, A., Kaim, A., Le, H. -N., McDonald, D., Mittinty, M., Lynch, J., & Sawyer, M. (2019). The Effectiveness of an App-Based Nurse-Moderated Program for New Mothers With Depression and Parenting Problems (eMums Plus): Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial (Preprint).
DOI
2019 Sawyer, A. C. P., Kaim, A. L. E., Mittinity, M., Jeffs, D., Lynch, J. W., & Sawyer, M. G. (2019). Effectiveness of a 2-year post-natal nurse home-visiting programme when children are aged 5 years: results from a natural experiment. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 55(9), 1091-1098.
DOI Scopus5 WoS4 Europe PMC2
2019 Sawyer, A. C. P., Kaim, A. L., Reece, C. E., McDonald, D., Le, H. N., Clark, J., . . . Sawyer, M. G. (2019). Evaluating the effectiveness of an app-based nurse-moderated program for new mothers with depression and parenting problems (EMUMS Plus): Protocol for a pragmatic randomized controlled trial. JMIR Research Protocols, 21(1), 96-105.
DOI Scopus4 WoS5 Europe PMC4
2019 Sawyer, A., Kaim, A., Le, H. N., McDonald, D., Mittinty, M., Lynch, J., & Sawyer, M. (2019). The effectiveness of an app-based nurse-moderated program for new mothers with depression and parenting problems (eMums Plus): pragmatic randomized controlled trial. Journal of medical Internet research, 21(6), e13689-1-e13689-14.
DOI Scopus68 WoS63 Europe PMC54
2019 Sawyer, M. G., Reece, C. E., Sawyer, A. C., Hiscock, H., & Lawrence, D. (2019). Adequacy of treatment for child and adolescent mental disorders in Australia: a national study. The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 53(4), 326-335.
DOI Scopus38 WoS38 Europe PMC27
2018 Smithers, L., Sawyer, A., Chittleborough, C., Davies, N., Davey Smith, G., & Lynch, J. (2018). A systematic review and meta-analysis of effects of early life non-cognitive skills on academic, psychosocial, cognitive and health outcomes. Nature Human Behaviour, 2(11), 867-880.
DOI Scopus130 WoS122 Europe PMC55
2018 Sawyer, M., Reece, C., Sawyer, A., Johnson, S., Hiscock, H., & Lawrence, D. (2018). Access to health professionals by children and adolescents with mental disorders: Are we meeting their needs?. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 52(10), 972-982.
DOI Scopus12 WoS12 Europe PMC11
2018 Sawyer, M., Reece, C., Sawyer, A., Johnson, S., & Lawrence, D. (2018). Has the Prevalence of Child and Adolescent Mental Disorders in Australia Changed Between 1998 and 2013 to 2014?. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 57(5), 343-350.
DOI Scopus69 WoS66 Europe PMC51
2018 Sawyer, A. C. P., Kaim, A. L., Reece, C. E., McDonald, D., Le, H. -N., Clark, J., . . . Sawyer, M. G. (2018). Evaluating the Effectiveness of an App-Based Nurse-Moderated Program for New Mothers With Depression and Parenting Problems (eMums Plus): Protocol for a Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial (Preprint).
DOI
2017 Sawyer, M., Reece, C., Bowering, K., Jeffs, D., Sawyer, A., Mittinty, M., & Lynch, J. (2017). Nurse-moderated internet-based support for new mothers: non-inferiority, randomized controlled trial. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 19(7), e258-1-e258-14.
DOI Scopus23 WoS22 Europe PMC17
2017 Sawyer, M., Reece, C., Sawyer, A., Johnson, S., Lawrence, D., & Zubrick, S. (2017). The prevalence of stimulant and antidepressant use by Australian children and adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder: a national survey. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, 27(2), 177-184.
DOI Scopus10 WoS10 Europe PMC7
2016 Sawyer, M., Reece, C., Bowering, K., Jeffs, D., Sawyer, A., Peters, J., . . . Lynch, J. (2016). Usage, adherence and attrition: how new mothers engage with a nurse-moderated web-based intervention to support maternal and infant health. A 9-month observational study. BMJ Open, 6(8), e009967-1-e009967-11.
DOI Scopus10 WoS10 Europe PMC9
2016 Pearce, A., Sawyer, A., Chittleborough, C., Mittinty, M., Law, C., & Lynch, J. (2016). Do early life cognitive ability and self-regulation skills explain socio-economic inequalities in academic achievement? An effect decomposition analysis in UK and Australian cohorts. Social Science and Medicine, 165(-), 108-118.
DOI Scopus25 WoS23 Europe PMC16
2015 Sawyer, A., Miller-Lewis, L., Searle, A., Sawyer, M., & Lynch, J. (2015). Is greater improvement in early self-regulation associated with fewer behavioral problems later in childhood?. Developmental Psychology, 51(12), 1740-1755.
DOI Scopus41 WoS41 Europe PMC21
2015 Sawyer, M. G., Erskine, H. E., Sawyer, A. C., Morrissey, M., & Lynch, J. W. (2015). Childhood mental disorders: a forgotten problem?. The Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry, 49(9), 774-775.
DOI Scopus1 WoS1
2015 Sawyer, A., Chittleborough, C., Mittinty, M., Miller-Lewis, L., Sawyer, M., Sullivan, T., & Lynch, J. (2015). Are trajectories of self-regulation abilities from ages 2-3 to 6-7 associated with academic achievement in the early school years?. Child: Care, Health and Development, 41(5), 744-754.
DOI Scopus43 WoS38 Europe PMC15
2014 Miller-Lewis, L., Sawyer, A., Searle, A., Mittinty, M., Sawyer, M., & Lynch, J. (2014). Student-teacher relationship trajectories and mental health problems in young children. BMC Psychology, 2(1), 27-1-27-18.
DOI Europe PMC18
2014 Sawyer, A., Chittleborough, C., Lynch, J., Baghurst, P., Mittinty, N., Kaim, A., & Sawyer, M. (2014). Can screening 4-5 year olds accurately identify children who will have teacher-reported mental health problems when children are ages 6-7 years?. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 48(6), 554-563.
DOI Scopus8 WoS8 Europe PMC6
2014 Sawyer, A., Williamson, P., & Young, R. (2014). Metacognitive processes in emotion recognition: are they different in adults with Asperger's Disorder?. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 44(6), 1373-1382.
DOI Scopus31 Europe PMC24
2014 Miller-Lewis, L., Sawyer, A., Searle, A., & Sawyer, M. (2014). Child and family predictors of child-teacher relationship trajectories during the transition from preschool to school. International Journal of Information and Education Technology, 4(3), 235-243.
DOI
2014 Gialamas, A., Sawyer, A., Mittinty, M., Zubrick, S., Sawyer, M., & Lynch, J. (2014). Quality of childcare influences children's attentiveness and emotional regulation at school entry. Journal of Pediatrics, 165(4), 813-819.e3.
DOI Scopus20 WoS17 Europe PMC8
2014 Sawyer, A. C. P., Lynch, J., Bowering, K., Jeffs, D., Clark, J., Mpundu-Kaambwa, C., & Sawyer, M. G. (2014). An equivalence evaluation of a nurse-moderated group-based internet support program for new mothers versus standard care: a pragmatic preference randomised controlled trial. BMC Pediatrics, 14(1), 119-1-119-8.
DOI Scopus5 WoS5 Europe PMC4
2014 Sawyer, M., Pfeiffer, S., Sawyer, A., Bowering, K., Jeffs, D., & Lynch, J. (2014). Effectiveness of nurse home visiting for families in rural South Australia. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 50(12), 1013-1022.
DOI Scopus14 WoS14 Europe PMC11
2014 Sawyer, A. C. P., Williamson, P., & Young, R. L. (2014). Can Gaze Avoidance Explain Why Individuals with Asperger's Syndrome Can't Recognise Emotions From Facial Expressions? (vol 42, pg 606, 2012). JOURNAL OF AUTISM AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS, 44(10), 2669.
DOI
2012 Sawyer, M., Sawyer, A., & La Greca, A. (2012). Help-seeking by young people with depressive disorders. The Prevention Researcher, 19(4), 11-14.
2012 Sawyer, A., Williamson, P., & Young, R. (2012). Can gaze avoidance explain why individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome can’t recognise emotions from facial expressions?. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 42(4), 606-618.
DOI Scopus43 WoS43 Europe PMC30
2009 Sawyer, A., Clark, R., Keage, H., Moore, K., Clarke, S., Kohn, M., & Gordon, E. (2009). Cognitive and electroencephalographic disturbances in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and sleep problems : new insights. Psychiatry research, 170(2-3), 183-191.
DOI Scopus22 WoS16 Europe PMC12

Year Citation
2024 Aiyar, R., Due, C., Taylor, A., & Sawyer, A. (2024). Help-Seeking and Support for South and Southeast Asian Migrant Caregivers’ Wellbeing in the First 2000 Days: Advancing Health Equity. In Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand (PSANZ) 2024 Annual Congress, Whiria te Tāngata “Weave our people together”, 7‐10 April 2024 Vol. 60. Ōtautahi Christchurch, Aotearoa New Zealand: Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health: Wiley.
DOI
2018 Sawyer, A., Lynch, J., McDonald, D., Jeffs, D., Reece, C., Clark, J., & Sawyer, M. (2018). eMums Plus: Supporting mothers with mild-moderate depression and parenting problems. In AUSTRALIAN PSYCHOLOGIST Vol. 53 (pp. 53). WILEY.

Year Citation
2024 Aiyar, R., Due, C., Taylor, A., & Sawyer, A. (2024). “Just Act Like You're Okay”: Parenting and Wellbeing Experiences Across the First 2000 Days for South and Southeast Asian Migrant Caregivers in Australia. Poster session presented at the meeting of PSANZ 2024. Ōtautahi Christchurch, Aotearoa New Zealand: Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health: Wiley.
2022 Aiyar, R., Due, C., Taylor, A., & Sawyer, A. (2022). South and Southeast Asian Refugee Parents' Wellbeing Experiences and Support Needs During the First 2000 Days: A Systematic Review. Poster session presented at the meeting of PSANZ 2022. Adelaide, Australia: Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health: Wiley.
2015 Pearce, A., Sawyer, A., Chittleborough, C. R., Mittinty, N. M., & Lynch, J. (2015). Relative contributions of early-life cognitive ability and self-regulation in mediating social inequalities in academic ability: effect decomposition in contemporary UK and Australian cohorts. Poster session presented at the meeting of Society for Longitudinal and Life Course Studies International Conference. Dublin.
2012 Sawyer, A., Chittleborough, C. R., Mittinty, N. M., Sawyer, M., & Lynch, J. (2012). The importance of children’s development of self-regulation in early life for later school readiness and academic achievement. Poster session presented at the meeting of The 11th Australian Conference for Personality and Individual Differences. Melbourne.
2012 Sawyer, A., Chittleborough, C. R., Lawlor, D., Sawyer, M., Mittinty, N. M., & Lynch, J. (2012). The role of attention and emotion regulation in school readiness and school performance. Poster session presented at the meeting of Population Health Congress. Adelaide.

Year Citation
2023 Sawyer, A., Due, C., Aiyar, R., Reece, C., Oxlad, M., & Taylor, A. (2023). Access to child development screening in South Australia: An evaluation of two new models to provide access to child development checks to children and families.
2015 Sawyer, M. G., Mpundu-Kaambwa, C., Sawyer, A., Clark, J., & Lynch, J. (2015). Results from a Pilot Trial Assessing a new Child and Family Health Service (CaFHS) Clinical Support Measure. School of Paediatrics and Reproductive Health, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia; the Research and Evaluation Unit, Women’s and Children’s Health Network, Adelaide..
2014 Sawyer, A., Gialamas, A., Pearce, A., Sawyer, M., & Lynch, J. (2014). A Supporting Systems Framework for Child Health and Development, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide.

Competitive grants:

2026 - 2030

Sawyer. A., Russo, K., Young, C., Princi-Hubbard, R., Carbone, J., Richardson, V., John, M., Smedley, C., Reece, C. & Due, C. (2025). Attachment-informed perinatal care – Evaluating a universal program to support infant mental health at the transition to parenthood Women’s and Children's Hospital Foundation, $699,802

2022-2023      

Sawyer. A., Carbone, J., Richardson, V., Lee, J., Linke, R., McDonald, D., Turnbull, D., Sawyer, M. A preliminary evaluation of a new approach to improve the antenatal and postnatal care of infants in families experiencing psychosocial adversity Channel 7 Children’s Research Foundation, $99,345

2019-2021      

Do, L. G., Sawyer, A., Jones, A., Ha, D. H., Leary, S., Spencer, A. J. Early exposure to fluoridated water and child psychological and intellectual development. National Health and Medical Research Council – Project Grant, $828,756

2016               

Sawyer, M., Lynch, J., Sawyer, A., Sved Williams, A., & Briggs, N. A randomised controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of a nurse-moderated group-based internet support program for mothers with comorbid mild to moderate depression and parenting problems. Channel 7 Children’s Research Foundation, $75,000.

2014      

Sawyer, M., Bowering, K., Jeffs, D., Lynch, J., Sawyer, A. Does nurse home-visiting improve the longer term health and wellbeing of mothers and children? Channel 7 Children’s Research Foundation, $58,062.

2013 - 2016    

Lynch, J., Chittleborough, C., Smithers, L., Sawyer, M., Brinkman, S., Mittinty, M., Sawyer, A., Bowering, K. Child health and development: a South Australian data linkage study. National Health and Medical Research Council – Partnership Project. ($273,131 NHMRC), ($180,000 partners)

2013               

Sawyer, M., Bowering, K., Jeffs, D., Lynch, J., Sawyer, A. Does nurse home-visiting improve the longer term health and wellbeing of mothers and children? Channel 7 Children’s Research Foundation, $72,355.

Other grants:

2015               

Australian Federation of University Women South Australian Postdoctoral Grant. Awarded on merit for completion of research project, $5000.

2014               

Healthy Development Adelaide Travel Grant. Awarded to attend and present at the 8th World Congress on Promoting Mental Health (London, September, 2014), $1000

2013-2017      

Marshall, H., Richmond, P., Booy, R., Wood, N., Blythe, C., Nissen, M., Crawford, N., Buttery, J., Haji Ali Afzali, H., Sawyer, M., Barton, B., Sawyer, A., Wang, B., Clarke, M. The Long-term Impact of Serogroup B Invasive Meningococcal Disease (IMD) in Australian Adolescents and Young Adults: 2012 – 2016.  AMEND study. Pfizer, $891,000.

Lecturing and course coordination:

2020-onwards       Coordinator, Psychological Assessment (Master of Psychology (Clinical), University of          Adelaide).

2018, 2020-onwards       Placement Coordinator (Master of Psychology (Clinical), University of Adelaide).

2018                Coordinator, Abnormal Psychology (Master of Psychology (Clinical), University of Adelaide).

2014 - 2016     Public Health 1A (Bachelor of Health Sciences, University of Adelaide).

2014 - 2018     Communication for Health Sciences (Bachelor of Health Sciences, University of Adelaide).

 

Tutoring:

 

2014-2015       Public Health 1B (Bachelor of Health Sciences, University of Adelaide) – mentor for Small Group Discovery Experience.

2014                Public Health 1A (Bachelor of Health Sciences, University of Adelaide).

Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
2021 Co-Supervisor Interventions for disrupted attachment styles in adults with BPD, and the effects on infant attachment Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Mr David Rimmington
2021 Co-Supervisor Nature Play? No way! An investigation of preventative factors impacting on child engagement in nature play. Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Miss Madison Skye Bellchambers
2021 Co-Supervisor Interventions for disrupted attachment styles in adults with BPD, and the effects on infant attachment Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr David Rimmington
2021 Co-Supervisor Nature Play? No way! An investigation of preventative factors impacting on child engagement in nature play. Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Madison Skye Bellchambers

Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
2021 - 2025 Co-Supervisor “Just act like you’re okay”: An investigation of the experiences of South and Southeast Asian migrant caregivers in the context of the First 2000 Days in Australia Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Ria Aiyar

Date Role Research Topic Location Program Supervision Type Student Load Student Name
2021 - 2021 Co-Supervisor Does Taking Parental Leave Improve Mental Health and parenting sense of competence in New Fathers? The University of Adelaide Honours in Psychology Honours - Thomas Parkin
2021 - 2021 Principal Supervisor The association between depression in adolescence and academic achievement. The University of Adelaide Honours in Psychology Honours - Ellen Gecz
2021 - 2021 Co-Supervisor Does emotional dysregulation at early childhood predict the risk of disordered eating in Adolescence? The University of Adelaide Honours in Psychology Honours - Srivaasavi Sivasankar
2021 - ongoing Co-Supervisor Preliminary evaluation of a school-based programs for children with anxiety. The University of Adelaide Master of Psychology (Clinical) Master - Jane Cope
2021 - ongoing Principal Supervisor Telehealth validation of the WAIS IV (full scale IQ score). The University of Adelaide Master of Psychology (Clinical) Master - Vanessa Bartholomaeus
2021 - ongoing Principal Supervisor Telehealth validation of the WAIS IV (Perceptual Reasoning and Processing Speed Index scorex). The University of Adelaide Master of Psychology (Clinical) Master - Nicholas Chronowski
2021 - ongoing Principal Supervisor Evaluating psychosocial guidelines for care of infants and children in ICU after suspected child abuse or maltreatment. The University of Adelaide Master of Psychology (Clinical) Master - Victoria Rivis
2020 - 2021 Co-Supervisor A longitudinal examination of the relationship between Aboriginal mothers’ experiences of racism and children’s mental health. Primary supervisor The University of Adelaide Master of Psychology (Clinical) Master - Gemma Synder
2020 - 2021 Co-Supervisor What factors at age 10-11 are predictive of eating disorder symptoms in adolescence? Testing the transdiagnostic theory of eating disorders in adolescents using longitudinal data. The University of Adelaide Master of Psychology (Clinical) Master - Kiu Lam Chan
2019 - 2019 Principal Supervisor Mental Health Problems and Academic Failure: A Worry for Adolescents. The University of Adelaide Honours in Psychology Honours - Jane Cope
2019 - 2019 Principal Supervisor Parenting as a predictor of child development: The association between maternal parenting styles in childhood and adolescent emotional and behavioural problems. The University of Adelaide Honours in Psychology Honours - Monique Girardo
2019 - 2019 Co-Supervisor The Subjective Experiences of Mothers with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) Who Have Completed Mother-Infant Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (MI-DBT). The University of Adelaide Honours in Psychology Honours - Jaimee Francis
2018 - 2018 Principal Supervisor The Effect of Parental Self-Efficacy on the Behaviour of Infants, Whose Mothers present with Depressive Symptoms. The University of Adelaide Honours in Psychology Honours - Carley Davies
2014 - 2015 Co-Supervisor The role of parental conflict in children’s mental health problems. The University of Adelaide, Research and Evaluation Unit, WCHN Master of Psychology (Clinical) Master - Jo Carbone
2013 - 2014 Co-Supervisor The role of attention in mental health problems. The University of Adelaide Master of Psychology (Clinical) Master - Sharni Searle

Date Role Membership Country
2014 - ongoing Member Member of The Australian Psychological Society College of Clinical Psychologist Australia
2013 - ongoing Member NHMRC Research Translation faculty Australia
2013 - 2015 Member Early Career Researchers Committee, School of Population Health, Adelaide University. -
2012 - ongoing Member Healthy Kids Cluster Australia
2011 - ongoing Member The Australian Psychological Society Australia
2011 - ongoing Member Australian Association for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Australia
2008 - ongoing Member Healthy Development Adelaide Australia

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