The Mental health harm Prevention (MhhP) area of research strength is about understanding how prevention can be harnessed to improve mental health.

The core theme is enhancing mental health and wellbeing by preventing mental ill-health through better understanding of the risk and protective factors for mental health.

Mental health is a national and global priority, with the prevalence of mental ill-health high and rising. Traditional service responses are not able to cope with the growing demand and focusing only on treatment for established mental illness will not reduce the burden of disease. Effective ways to intervene earlier in the developmental trajectory of mental ill-health are urgently needed. 

Our interdisciplinary team is founded in a population health approach and informed by undertaking research that advances knowledge in the prevention of mental ill-health by focusing on risk and protective factors. This incorporates many areas of the Faculty of Health, including Psychology, Sport and Exercise Science, Counselling, Occupational Therapy, Nursing, Social Work, and other allied health professionals.

Through these collaborations, we will cover universal, selective, and indicated prevention, taking a holistic and lifespan perspective that facilitates interdisciplinarity and inclusiveness, founded in psychological science.

Our interest is to use and build our research skills and capacity to address real-world knowledge gaps and challenges to promote mental health and prevent mental ill-health by building protective factors and resilience, identifying and reducing risks, and implementing effective early interventions.

The strategic value of this group is in bolstering the Faculty’s capacity to undertake, and be seen as an area of excellence and leadership in, research to prevent mental ill-health.