Oliver J Watkeys
My research strives to inform improvements in prevention and early intervention for mental health problems in young people, using a combination of epidemiological, genetic, cognitive, and neuroimaging approaches. Following completion of my PhD in 2021, which focused on epigenetic processes in psychotic and mood disorders, I secured a position as a postdoctoral research fellow at UNSW working on the New South Wales Child Development Study (NSW-CDS). The NSW-CDS is a longitudinal, record-linkage study investigating child development across mental health, child protection, education, and criminal justice domains. My research on the NSW-CDS has primarily focused on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), mental illness, and mental health service use. In collaboration with the other members of the NSW-CDS research team, government partners, and individuals with lived experience, I have contributed to the production of more than 40 research outputs, advancing knowledge of the biology and epidemiology of mental illness. This work has led to evidence-based reform of maternal and early childhood policies aimed at reducing exposure to various forms of adverse childhood experiences. Following receipt of a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship from Suicide Prevention Australia in 2023, my research has been primarily focused on investigating protective factors against adolescent suicidal and self-injurious behaviour in the face of ACEs. This work identified the ACEs most strongly associated suicidal and self-injurious behaviour and the geographic distribution of these associations. I am currently finalising this project, with forthcoming research examining how parental education, social support, and psychological treatment can buffer against the effects of ACEs on suicidal and self-injurious behaviour.
Abstracts this author is presenting: