Australian Rotary Health

Michael Sawyer, MBBS, PhD, Dip Child Psych., FRANZCP, FRCPC is Head, Research and Evaluation Unit at the Women's and Children's Hospital in South Australia and Professor, Discipline of Paediatrics at the University of Adelaide. He is currently Chair of the Australian Rotary Health Research Committee. He has previously been Head, Department of Paediatrics and Associate Dean (Research) in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Adelaide.

Professor Sawyer completed his undergraduate medical education at Monash University and his post-graduate training in psychiatry at McMaster University and the University of Toronto in Ontario, Canada. Professor Sawyer's research has focused on the quality of life of children with chronic illness and the epidemiology of child and adolescent mental disorders. 

Professor Sawyer was the lead investigator in the Child and Adolescent Component of the National Survey of Mental Health and Well-Being in Australia. He is currently lead investigator of the research team responsible for evaluating the beyondblue Schools Research Initiative.

 

Around 40% of young people in remand in South Australia are of Aboriginal background and a majority of young people in remand have been subject to a Care and Protection notification. Identifying factors which lead to better or worse outcomes for young people in remand is vital to help address their mental health problems. Prof Michael Sawyer from the University of Adelaide and his team have received a grant from ARHRF to establish whether changes in policy have resulted in changes in the level of mental health problems experienced by teenagers in remand since 1990. The study will also compare the mental health of teenagers in remand with teenagers in the general community.

Professor Michael Sawyer, Co-Investigators A/Professor Peter Baghurst, Bernadette McGinnes and Dr Veda Rengasamy

The mental health and wellbeing of young people in remand: Is the prevalence of mental health problems changing?  


Despite the challenges presented by the behaviour of young people in remand, their best interests remain of paramount concern. Young people incarcerated by the State need to have their mental health needs met.              

This study, which runs from 2008 to 2009, was established by Prof Michael Sawyer and his team at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital and the University of Adelaide to identify the prevalence of mental health problems and health-risk behaviours, such as smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol, among young people who are remanded consecutively over 15 months at the Magill Youth Training Centre in South Australia. Rates of mental health problems and health-risk behaviours in the remanded population are being compared with rates in the general community and with rates reported by young people in remand in a previous study conducted by Professor Sawyer’s group in 1989.

Since commencing data collection in April 2008, 79 young people have been enrolled in the study. Despite their difficult circumstances, it is notable that over 90% of young people and their legal guardians have agreed to participate after being contacted by research staff. The Department for Families and Communities (DFC), which manages the Centre, has provided strong support for the study. Currently, questionnaire data is being entered and preliminary analyses are being undertaken.