Australian Rotary Health

Richard Mattick is Professor of Drug and Alcohol Studies at the National Drug & Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, where he was Director from 2001 to 2009. Professor Mattick is recognised for his research into the treatment of opioid and psychostimulant dependence, alcohol dependence, and mental health disorders. His major research interests are in understanding the effectiveness of treatments, evidence-based medicine, and research that improves preventative interventions for drug and alcohol use disorders. Professor Mattick’s most recent research has focused on risk factors influencing the development of drug abuse and dependence. He has recently been involved in preparing a systematic review of the empirical research on the effects of parental alcohol use disorders on children and families.

 

Professor Mattick has extensive project management and supervisory experience. In the past 12 years he has been chief investigator on over 50 grants, including a Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care grant in Health care utilization and opioid replacement therapy (2000) and a $2,500,000 NHMRC Capacity Building grant in 2003 for Using population health data to improve health services, policy and planning as part of the Health Evaluation Research and Outcomes Network (HERON). Professor Mattick has experience in the management of large scale clinical trials for the treatment of drug dependence: He was the coordinator of the federally funded National Evaluation of Pharmacotherapies for Opioid Dependence which compared the effectiveness of different treatment modalities in 1500 opioid dependent patients. He also conducted the largest randomised clinical trial of buprenorphine versus methadone, a pivotal study for the United States Federal Drug Advisory registration of buprenorphine.

 

Professor Mattick has been a member of the NSW Expert Advisory Group on Drugs and Alcohol (advising the NSW Minister for Health) and a member of the Australian National Council on Drugs (advising the Prime Minister) since 2004 and he was recently a member of the Australian Delegation to the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna in March 2008 and March 2009, and he regularly works as an advisor to WHO and UN working groups.

Alcohol use is a common health risk behaviour amongst Australian adolescents. It is associated with long-term alcohol-related problems in adulthood, and in the short-term, can lead to use of other substances, delinquent behaviour, injuries and physical fights, and unplanned and unprotected sex. Research shows parents have an important role in preventing adolescent alcohol use and misuse. One common strategy used by Australian parents is to provide alcohol to their child, believing this is the best way to teach their children how to drink responsibly.

 

The need to understand the impact of the parental supply of alcohol on adolescents is reflected by a 2007 review of parental supply of alcohol commissioned by the Australian Government Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy to members of this research team. The review found that despite being common in Australia, the short- and long-term effects of parental supply of alcohol are currently unknown. Parental supply of alcohol may in fact be unintentionally harmful for young people, reducing psychosocial barriers to alcohol. Another important research gap includes factors such as quantity and frequency of alcohol supplied, and context of how alcohol is consumed, including parental supervision, which are largely overlooked in the research. Such factors are likely to have very important implications for adolescent alcohol use, and the development of different drinking patterns. Other factors, such as family relationships, parental supervision, peers, and a young person’s individual behaviour are all likely to also influence the impact of parental supply. However, how such factors influence the impact of parental supply is also currently unclear. Gaining a clear understanding of how parental supply impacts upon adolescent alcohol use and misuse in young Australians is needed to better educate parents, families and policy-makers about appropriate preventive strategies for this developmentally critical period.