A/Professor Peter Butterworth

Centre for Ageing, Health and Wellbeing
Australian National University, Canberra
Mental Health Research 2012

Peter Butterworth is an Associate Professor and deputy director of the newly established Centre for Ageing, Health and Wellbeing at The Australian National University and leads the Psychiatric Epidemiology and Social Issues Unit. He was previously based at the Centre for Mental Health Research. Butterworth has a PhD in psychology from the University of Queensland, and strong research and statistical skills.
 
Butterworth’s research examines the social causes and social consequences of common mental disorders, and he seeks to undertake research which provides an evidence base to inform the development of health and social policy and service delivery.

SUMMARY OF PROJECT:
The social costs of adolescent mental health problems in Australia: educational disruption and longer term social exclusion
Adolescence and early adulthood is a critical period of transitions: when most people complete their school studies; obtain academic and vocational skills and qualifications; establish themselves in the workforce and forge their careers; and when they establish their independence and build friendships and intimate relationships. The success of these transitions provides the basis for a productive, healthy and engaged life. The experience of mental disorders during this critical time can disrupt these normative life transitions and thereby have negative consequences that cascade across the entire life course, affecting a multitude of life domains.
 
This project seeks to identify the socioeconomic consequences of the early onset of mental health problems, particularly on educational disruption. International research has shown that the early onset of mental disorders is associated with disrupted educational attainment, particularly school education. However population-based research on this topic is lacking in Australia. Further, there is little longitudinal research evaluating the mid- to longer-term socioeconomic consequences of disrupted high school education in conjunction with early onset disorders. This information is essential to fully understand the social costs of adolescent mental disorders and inform policy decisions about appropriate targeting and design of mental health services and educational programs in Australia.
 
The current project seeks to address the research gap in this important area and has three primary aims:
 
To use nationally representative, longitudinal data from young Australians (aged 15 to 17 years) to quantify the association between poor mental health and failure to complete Year 12;
 
To examine the extent to which the association between mental health and disrupted educational attainment reflects underlying disadvantage and family characteristics; and
To evaluate the medium- to longer-term outcomes in key socioeconomic domains such as post-school education, labour force participation, job quality, and welfare dependency.