De-stressing for mental health: The impact of neuroscience-based stress reduction in adolescents

De-stressing for mental health: The impact of neuroscience-based stress reduction in adolescents

Advisor/s

Title of Project De-stressing for mental health: The impact of neuroscience-based stress reduction in adolescents Name of Advisor/s A/Prof Zoltan Sarnyai

College or Research Centre

CPHMVS

Summary of Project

Stress has been linked to the emergence of mental illness, including mood disorders and psychosis, in young people. Adolescence is a particularly sensitive period when major stressful changes are taking places both biologically and socially leading to an increased vulnerability to develop mental illness during this period. We hypothesize that an effective stress reduction strategy can help young people to handle the repeated daily hassles and stress of their lives to avoid the emergence of mental health problems. We aim to adopt a well-characterized stress reduction/management program that is based on contemporary psychoneuroendocrinological understanding of the stress response to help young healthy and help-seeking adolescents. The project will use psychological and biological measurements of stress and mental well-being.

Key Words

adolescents; mental health; stress; depression; well-being; cortisol

Would suit an applicant who

This project would suit students with background in psychology, education and neuroscience.

Updated: 03 Apr 2020