- The Queensland Government is providing over $630,000 in research grants to four Queensland universities to better understand suicide and enhance suicide prevention.
- Their research will help build the evidence on preventing suicide and strengthen Queensland’s ability to deliver high quality suicide prevention initiatives.
The Queensland Government has announced four Queensland universities as recipients of over $630,000 in suicide prevention research funding.
Funding recipients include the University of Southern Queensland, Griffith University, Bond University and the Thompson Institute at the University of the Sunshine Coast.
The grants will support a diverse range of projects across a broad range of research domains such as service delivery, system reform, community, social determinants and technology, which will guide and inform future investments in suicide prevention in Queensland.
The supported research projects will determine:
- the primary drivers of suicide in fly-in fly-out and drive-in drive-out workers
- the impact of access to gender-affirming healthcare on suicide prevention
- how to keep safe online and improve online support for people in suicide distress
- assessing individual suicide risk with the aid of machine learning, and
- early suicide awareness and response for young people.
The grants support high quality research to build a greater evidence base on what works to prevent suicide and strengthen Queensland’s ability to deliver high quality suicide prevention initiatives.
The grants are an outcome of Phase Two of Every life: The Queensland Suicide Prevention Plan 2019-2029 and its commitment to improve the way data, evidence and evaluation is collected, used and shared to drive and improve suicide prevention.
The research grants are managed by the Queensland Mental Health Commission, which is also implementing a number of other initiatives to address and reduce suicide in Queensland.
Funds have been sourced from the Suicide Prevention Research Scheme and other Commission funding programs.
As part of the grant scheme’s development, researchers and people with lived experience of suicide were consulted on a broader research agenda to help refine research priorities and ensure the grants can fund a range of suicide prevention research.
Information about the grant scheme is available at https://www.qmhc.qld.gov.au/awareness-promotion/suicide-prevention/suicide-prevention-research-scheme.
Quotes attributable to the Queensland Mental Health Commissioner Ivan Frkovic:
“Suicide is a community-wide issue, and while we know some groups may be more vulnerable to suicide, it can affect anyone around us.
“We know that high-quality research and stronger evidence goes hand in hand with more effective and better targeted suicide prevention responses.
“It’s one of many initiatives underway at the Queensland Mental Health Commission to improve Queensland’s response to suicide and suicide prevention.
“It’s also encouraging that we have seen a downward trend in the number of suicides in Queensland over the last three years, both in number and per capita terms, in contrast with some other jurisdictions—and it’s crucial this continues as our population grows.”
Support services
Lifeline 13 11 14
Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467
Beyond Blue 1300 224 636
Communicating safely
Language matters. Review the Mindframe guidelines for safe reporting about mental health, alcohol and other drugs, and suicide: https://mindframe.org.au/guidelines.
ENDS
Media contact: Kate Southwell 1300 855 945 or media@qmhc.qld.gov.au.
