Infant Mental Health

Infant Mental Health

Research Group Lead: A/Professor Brigid Jordan AM | bjordan@unimelb.edu.au

Research Overview:

Focused on understanding the connection and impact of early life stress on the mental health of infants, young children and their families. We investigate how serious illness, hospital experiences, significant family stress, and social disadvantage affect infants and toddlers and the parent-child relationship and design psychosocial interventions to support optimal development.

Staff:

• Tamera Clancy, Research Assistant

Collaborators:

• Baby & Child Research Centre, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
• Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research
• Parkville Institute

Research Projects:

• Associate Professor Brigid Jordan AM is involved in several projects focused on early education and care for young children living with significant adversity including the co-design of a model of ECEC with an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
  • Early Years Education Program Replication Trial (University of Melbourne)
  • Parkville Institute
• Tamera Clancy is involved in a longitudinal, prospective cohort study of pre-schoolers with congenital heart disease (CHD). This project studies how emotional and behavioural regulation develops in children who had cardiac surgery early in life, focusing on the factors that influence this development. It is a longitudinal, prospective cohort study of pre-schoolers with congenital heart disease (CHD) who had cardiac surgery in the first six months of life.

Research Publications:

Tseng Y, Jordan B, Borland J, Clark M, Coombs N, Cotter K, Guillou M, Hill A, Kennedy A and Sheehan J, '36 months in the Early Years Education Program: Assessment of the impact on children and their primary caregivers', Changing the Trajectories of Australia's Most Vulnerable Children, Report No. 5 (October 2022). (external PDF link).

Hickey L, Anderson V, Jordan B. Australian parent and sibling perspectives on the impact of paediatric acquired brain injury on family relationships during the first 6 weeks at home. Health Soc Care Community. 2022 Nov;30(6):e5204-e5212. doi: 10.1111/hsc.13938. Epub 2022 Jul 26. PMID: 35880586.

Moore DE, White A, Jordan B, Uahwatanasakul W. What do children think about doctors' communication at the Teddy Bear Hospital? J Paediatr Child Health. 2022 Feb;58(2):243-247. doi: 10.1111/jpc.15688. Epub 2021 Aug 10. PMID: 34374472.

Clancy, T, Jordan, B, de Weerth, C, Muscara, F. (2020) Early Emotional, Behavioural and Social Development of Infants and Young Children with Congenital Heart Disease: A Systematic Review. J Clin Psychol Med Settings 27(4) : 686 -703

Pham, H, Vandeleur, M, Mainzer, R, Jordan, B, Clark, N, Du Berry, C, Schultz, A, Ramsay, K, Pettigrew, G, Harper, A, et al. P045 Association between childhood cystic fibrosis lung disease and adolescent sleep and mental health. SLEEP Advances 5(Supplement_1) : a44 -a45 2024

Hickey, L., Anderson, V., Hearps, S., & Jordan, B.  Family appraisal of paediatric acquired brain injury: A social work clinical intervention trial. Developmental Neurorehabilitation, 2018,1-8.

Hickey, L., Anderson, V., Heaprs, S., & Jordan, B. Family forward: A social work clinical trial promoting family adaptation following paediatric acquired brain injury. Brain Injury, 201832(7).

Tseng, Y.P., Jordan, B., Borland, J., Coombs, N., Cotter, K., Hill, A., & Kennedy, A. The first twelve months in the Early Years Education Program: An initial assessment of the impact on children and their primary caregivers. Changing the Trajectories of Australia's Most Vulnerable Children, Report No. 2 (March 2018).

McGauran, M., Jordan, B., Beijers, R., Janssen, I., Franich-Ray, C., de Weerth, C., & Cheung, M. Long-term alternation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in children undergoing cardiac surgery in the first 6 months of life. The International Journal on the Biology of Stress, 2017,20(5), 505-512.

Tseng, Y., Jordan, B., Borland, J., Clancy, T., Coombs, N,. Cotter, K., Hill, A., & Kennedy, A. Participants in the Trail of the Early Years Education Program , Changing the Trajectories of Australia’s most Vulnerable Children Report  No. 1. Australian Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, University of Melbourne, June 2017.

Hickey, L., Anderson, V., & Jordan, B. Family forward: Promoting family adaptation following pediatric acquired brain injury. Journal of Social Work in Disability & Rehabilitation, 2016,15(3-4), 179-200.

Douglas, T., Jordan, B., Priddis, L., Anderson, V., Sheehan, J., Kane, R., Massie, J., Branch Smith, C., & Shields L., Protocol for a study of the psychosocial determinants of health in early childhood amongst children with cystic fibrosis. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 2015, 71(7):1704-16.

Kosta L, Harm L, Franich-Ray C, Anderson V, Northam E, Cochrane A, Menahem A, Jordan B. Parental experiences of their infant's hospitalisation for cardiac surgery. Child: Care, Health & Development 2014; 41(6), 1057---65.

Jordan B, Franich-Ray C, Albert N, Anderson V, Northam E, Cochrane A, Menahem S. Erly mother-infant relationships after cardiac surgery in infancy. Arch Dis Child 2014; 99, 641--5.

Jordan B, Anderson V, Albert N, Cochrane A, Menahem A. Maternal report of infant emotional wellbeing following their infant's hospitalization for neonatal cardiac surgery. Infant Mental Health Journal 2013; 34(4), 259--66.

Franich-Ray C, Bright MA, Anderson V, Northam E, Cochrane A, Menahem S, Jordan B. Trauma reactions in mothers and fathers after their infants cardiac surgery. Journal of Pediatric Psychology 2013; 38(5), 494-505.

Bright MA, Franich-Ray C, Anderson V, Northam E, Cochrane A, Menahem S, Jordan B. Infant cardiac surgery and the father-infant relationship: Feelings of strength, strain and caution. Early Human Development 2013; 89; 593---9.

Miron D, Bisaillon C, Jordan B, Bryce G, Gauthier Y, St-Andre M, Minnis H. Whose rights count? Negotiating practice, policy and legal dilemmas regarding infant-parent contact when infants are in out of home care. Infant Mental Health Journal 2013; 34(2): 177--88.

Jordan B. Therapeutic play within infant-parent psychotherapy and the treatment of infant feeding disorders. Infant Mental Health Journal 2012; 33(3): 307-313.

Stock A, Chin L, Babl FE, Bevan C, Donath S, Jordan B. Postnatal depression in mothers bringing infants to the emergency department. Arch Dis Child 2013;

98(1): 36-40.

Jordan B. Therapeutic play within infant-parent psychotherapy and the treatment of infant feeding disorders. Infant Mental Health Journal 2012; 33(3): 307-313.

Jordan B. An overview of attachment theory. Community Paediatric Review 2009; 17(2): 1-6.

Jordan B. Focusing the lens: The infant’s point of view. Infant Mental Health Journal 2011; 32(6): 687-693.

Brown M, Heine R, Jordan B. Health and well-being in school-age children following persistent crying in infancy. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health 2009; 45(5): 25--62.

Jordan B, Heine R, Lubitz L, Meehan M, Catto-Smith AG. Effect of anti-reflux medication, placebo and infant mental health intervention on persistent crying: A randomized clinical trial. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health 2006; 42(1-2): 49-58.

Heine R, Jordan B, Lubitz L, Meehan M, Catto-Smith AG. Clinical predictors for pathological gastro oesophageal reflux. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health 2006; 42(3): 134---9.

Hiscock H, Jordan B. Problem crying in infancy. Medical Journal of Australia 2004; 181(9): 507---12

Jordan B. Infancy and domestic violence. Children Australia 2002; 27(4).

Jordan B. Reflux and irritability. Community Paediatric Review 2001; 10(2).

Salo F, Paul C, Morgan A, Jones S, Jordan B, Meehan M, Morse S, Walker A. Free to be Playful: Therapeutic work with Infants. Infant Observation Journal 1999; 3: 47-62.

Jones S, Jordan B. Written communication between child psychiatry staff and medical referrers. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 1993; 27(4): 683-685.

Jordan B. Gender and infant psychiatry. Infant Mental Health Journal 1992; 13(4): 28--95.