news
Earlier the better
Self-harm study prompts calls for earlier intervention .
Australian children are reporting self-harm as early as
grade 6 , a new study shows . Researchers assessed more than 1200 children living in
Melbourne each year from age 8-9 years to 11-12 years . Twenty-eight of the 1059 students in the study reported selfharm at age 11 and 12 years . Of those who self-harmed , two-thirds ( 64.3 per cent ) were females and one-third ( 35.7 per cent ) were males .
In grades 3-5 , predictors of future self-harm in grade 6 included persistent symptoms of depression or anxiety , bullying and alcohol consumption . For children aged 11-12 , associations with self-harm were having few friends , poor emotional control , engaging in anti-social behaviour and being in mid-late puberty .
Participants who reported having few friends , and those who had experienced bullying victimisation , were seven and 24 times more likely to have self-harmed at age 11-12 years , respectively .
Those who self-harmed were also more than seven times more likely to report depressive symptoms and five times more likely to report anxiety than peers who had not self-harmed .
Lead researcher Dr Rohan Borschmann said the research sheds light on the impact of peer relationships , including bullying , mental health problems , and puberty on children .
“ The transition from childhood to adolescence is a critical time for kids and challenging experiences can have a huge impact on their self-esteem and friendships during this development phase .”
The research , led by a team from the University of Melbourne and the Murdoch Children ’ s Research Institute and published in PLOS ONE , prompted calls for intervention efforts to start earlier .
Senior author Professor George Patton said : “ These days many high schools participate in mental health and resilience programs , but our research shows that prevention strategies are needed much earlier .
“ Promoting and nurturing better relationships with other students is also particularly important .” ■
National blueprint
Grattan Institute releases national plan to reform aged care .
A national aged care system divided into 30 regions and an extra $ 7 billion a year are key parts of the Grattan Institute ’ s blueprint to reform Australia ’ s aged care sector .
The report , Reforming aged care : a practical plan for a rightsbased system , held that Australia should be divided into 30 regions , each with a ‘ system manager ’ responsible for individual support plans for older Australians in their area .
Local ‘ assessment officers ’ would work with each older Aussie to draw up support plans and a local ‘ support manager ’ would act as their advocate in obtaining necessary services .
“ Rather than a poorly-regulated and fragmented system far away in Canberra , 30 regionally-based ‘ system managers ’ across the country should be made responsible for the care of older Australians in a defined geographic area . They should manage the local service system and only accredit providers dedicated to the rights of older Australians ,” the report read .
And , under the plan , those who enter aged care would contribute to their accommodation costs by paying rent , but the Grattan team said a means test would be applied to ensure people who couldn ’ t afford the rent would pay less or not at all .
Among the other reforms put forward were a national registration scheme for staff , mandated minimum staffing ratios and 24-hour nursing supervision in residential care .
The Grattan model would require the Federal Government to spend an extra $ 7 billion a year .
But , the team added , the move would create an extra 70,000 jobs and help lift the economy out of the COVID-19 recession .
The report held that the new system should be phased in over three years , starting with a trial in the nation ’ s smallest states , South Australia and Tasmania .
In the meantime , Grattan called on the government to offer up a one-off $ 1 billion national rescue fund to lift the standard of care across the country .
“ Australians already have universal access to health care via Medicare , and universal access to disability support via the NDIS . It ’ s time older Australians had universal access to aged care ,” said lead author and Grattan Institute health program director Stephen Duckett . ■ nursingreview . com . au | 5