Adrian B Kelly

• BSc MClinPsych PhD (UQ) MBA (UQ) FCCLP SFHEA
• Professor (Associate) at Queensland University of Technology

In the alcohol literature, most cognition research has focused on alcohol expectancies. Overall scores on alcohol expectancy questionnaires predict longitudinal changes in drinking behavior. However, the association between expectancy subscale scores and drinking behavior is inconsistent and modest. Attitudinal information may vary in accessibility...

This study examined how family, peer and school factors are related to different trajectories of adolescent alcohol use at key developmental periods. Latent Class Growth Analysis was used to identify trajectories based on five waves of data (from Grade 6 - age 12 to Grade 11 - age 17), with predictors at Grade 5, Grade 7, and Grade 9 included as co...

The Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) has been widely used for measuring autistic traits however its factor structure has been primarily determined from nonclinic populations. This study aimed to establish an internally coherent and reliable factor structure for the AQ using a sample of 455 Australian adults of whom 141 had autism spectrum disorder (AS...

Public opinions are divided on the relative benefits versus harms of allowing mobile phones in schools. When debating the consequences of mobile phones in schools, politicians often argue that students’ use of mobile phones distract from their learning, increase cyberbullying and lead to poor mental health outcomes. We conducted a scoping review of...

Objective: To examine how alcohol availability, overserving, and enforcement in recreational and social settings are related to alcohol misuse and alcohol-impaired driving among young adults in Victoria, Australia and Washington State, United States. Method: Longitudinal data came from 1,430 participants in Victoria (n = 757; 52% female) and Was...

This study offers a model for using multidimensional growth mixture models to identify polysubstance use trajectories by examining transitions among conjoint substance use trajectories from adolescence to young adulthood and exploring potential moderators that may facilitate transitions towards healthier substance use trajectories in young adulthoo...

Anxiety disorders occurs at a high rate amongst autistic children. Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) is a reasonably well-established multi-component intervention used to reduce anxiety in this population. Whilst there are known effective intervention components in CBT for treating anxiety among autistic children, there are few guidelines for how t...

Objective This study examined the nature and prevalence of polydrug use in 12–14 year old Australians. Method Three Australian school surveys (2006, n=4091; 2009, n=5635; 2017, n=1539; age 12–14 years) spanning 11 years were used. Substances included alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, inhalant, and other illicit substances. Risk factors included depresse...

Among children with psychotic-like experiences (PLEs), the presence of co-occurring psychopathology may distinguish children's self-report of clinically significant experiences (i.e., PLEs that are distressing and/or impairing of daily functioning) from reports of more benign experiences. The aim of this study was to examine whether the likelihood...

The Questionnaire for Autism Spectrum Conditions (Q-ASC; Attwood, Garnett & Rynkiewicz, 2011) is one of the few screening instruments that includes items designed to assess female-specific ASD-Level 1 traits. This study examined the ability of a modified version of the Q-ASC (Q-ASC-M; Ormond et al., 2018) to differentiate children with and without...

This study examined associations between school sector (Government, Catholic or Independent) and depressive symptomology over the secondary school years. Six waves of data collected annually from a representative Australian sample were examined. Multilevel piecewise linear and logistic regression controlling for a variety of demographic variables a...

BACKGROUND Problematic internet use (PIU) is prevalent amongst Chinese adolescents. There is a need to better understand how parent-adolescent relationship quality is associated with adolescent PIU to guide the development of effective prevention and early intervention programs. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to examine parent-adolescent conflict and...

Background Problematic internet use (PIU) is prevalent among Chinese adolescents. There is a need to better understand how the quality of parent-adolescent relationship is associated with adolescent PIU to guide the development of effective prevention and early intervention programs. Objective This study aims to evaluate parent-adolescent conflict...

Despite a decline in Australian adolescents reporting to have consumed alcohol, a high proportion of the adolescent population still consumes alcohol. Community-led prevention interventions that systematically and strategically implement evidence-based programs have been shown to be effective in producing population-behaviour change related to yout...

Internationally, youth crime is a significant social problem. Violent youth crime has been rising over the past decade in the state of Victoria, Australia. Communities That Care (CTC) is a coalition training process designed to prevent youth crime. There has been limited evaluation outside the USA. Using a non-experimental design, this study employ...

Child maltreatment rates remain unacceptably high and rates are likely to escalate as COVID-related economic problems continue. A comprehensive and evidence-building approach is needed to prevent, detect and intervene where child maltreatment occurs. This review identifies key challenges in definitions, overviews the latest data on prevalence rates...

Introduction Internationally, the prevalence of young adult homelessness is concerning. Few data on life‐course predictors from longitudinal studies exist, limiting our capacity to inform prevention strategies at the population‐level. Methods Data were drawn from a state representative population‐based sample of young adults from Victoria, Austral...

The potential for adolescent mental health problems arising from heavy internet use is significant. There is a need to better understand the risk and protective factors related to problematic internet use (PIU) amongst adolescents. This study examined the role of adolescents’ perceptions of school-based relationships as potential contextual anteced...

The concept of life meaning and purpose is inherently developmentally referenced. We know that for adults, life meaning is indicated by a driving purpose that unifies different aspects of life, is consistent over time, and adds meaning or value to others. Adolescents may or may not have a clear sense of meaning and purpose, and by virtue of their d...

International research consistently shows that high school disengagement is related to lower subsequent participation in paid work, fewer employment opportunities, and lower engagement in further education. In Australia, the number of people who do not complete high school varies from 16 to 26%, and the average fiscal and social/community costs of...

Introduction Preventing adolescent alcohol use is an international public health priority. To further understand adolescent alcohol use, this study tested a model of adolescent intention to consume alcohol that incorporated multiple social systems influences. Methods Participants included 2529 Australian secondary school students (Mage = 14.20; 53...

Aims: Alcohol use is a leading risk factor for disease burden among youth. This study estimated sex differences in the prevalence of alcohol use and consequences among adolescents living in low and middle-income countries (LMIC). Design: Multi-staged cross-sectional international standardized self-report questionnaires administered in the classr...

Academic self-efficacy is the degree to which students believe they are capable of learning or accomplishing an academic task within a specific area of education. High academic self-efficacy has been associated with positive education outcomes such as enhanced learning, motivation, self-determination, and ultimately academic performance. The curren...

Illicit drug use frequently starts during adolescence and young adulthood. Early initiation of illicit drug use in this period is associated with continued drug use in adulthood, the development of dependence, polydrug use and a number of adverse social, educational and mental health outcomes. Understanding when and why illicit drug use starts has...

Introduction Despite declines in tobacco use during pregnancy and after childbirth, smoking remains unacceptably high among many parents. Smoking maintenance or relapse may be common in couple relationships when the other parent continues to smoke, when relationship satisfaction is low, or parental stress high. Aim To examine the longitudinal infl...

Background: Alcohol use in adolescence predicts future alcohol misuse. However, the extent to which different patterns of adolescent use present risk remains unclear. Objectives: This study investigated how adolescent trajectories of alcohol consumption during the school years predict alcohol misuse at age 19 years. Methods: Data were drawn fr...

Background This cluster randomised control trial is designed to evaluate whether the Communities That Care intervention (CTC) is effective in reducing the proportion of secondary school age adolescents who use alcohol before the Australian legal purchasing age of 18 years. Secondary outcomes are other substance use and antisocial behaviours. Long t...

Objective: To assess gender differences in the relationship between eating and weight loss attitudes (EWAs), and 30-day tobacco and alcohol use among adolescents, while controlling for potential confounds (age, country of birth, psychological distress, pubertal development, peer alcohol and tobacco use, and sexual activity). Methods: School studen...

Aims This study estimated the extent of familial alcohol supply in 45 low and middle income countries (LMIC), and examined the country-level effects of familial alcohol supply on adolescents’ alcohol use. Method We used data from 45 LMICs that participated in the Global School-Based Student Health Survey (GSHS) between 2003 and 2013 (n = 139,840)....

Objective: To assess gender differences in the relationship between eating and weight loss attitudes (EWAs), and 30-day tobacco and alcohol use among adolescents, while controlling for potential confounds (age, country of birth, psychological distress, pubertal development, peer alcohol and tobacco use, and sexual activity). Methods: School stud...

Background: Parents and peers both influence the development of adolescent substance misuse, and the Social Interaction Learning (SIL) model provides a theoretical explanation of the paths through which this occurs. Objective: The SIL model has primarily been tested with conduct outcomes and in US samples. This study adds to the literature by te...

Background and aims: In many countries adolescent alcohol use is a major health problem. To supplement national policies, it is important to trial community interventions as a potential strategy to prevent adolescent alcohol use. Methods: This study evaluated a multicomponent community intervention that included community mobilisation, social ma...

Background. The mechanism linking impulsivity to adolescent alcohol use is unclear. We prospectively evaluated the cognitive mechanisms outlined in two-factor impulsivity models. Methods. Two cohorts of adolescents followed for three years were included in the study (younger cohort: N = 908, aged 10–12 years at Time 1; older cohort: N = 943, aged...

Background and aims: In many countries adolescent alcohol use is a major health problem. To supplement national policies, it is important to trial community interventions as a potential strategy to prevent adolescent alcohol use. Methods: This study evaluated a multicomponent community intervention that included community mobilisation, social marke...

Objective Parents and peers both influence the development of adolescent substance misuse, and the Social Interaction Learning (SIL) model provides a theoretical explanation of the paths through which this occurs. The SIL model has primarily been tested with conduct outcomes and in U.S. samples. This study adds to the literature by testing the SIL...

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of macro-level regulatory systems on alcohol management for community sport organisations (CSOs). It examines how alcohol regulations translate into meso-level management actions and interactions that impact alcohol consumption in community sport clubs. Design/methodology/approach M...

Background Existing research on parental supply of alcohol analyses the effects of self-reported parental supply on adolescent drinking using individual level data. This study examined the contextual effect of parental supply of alcohol on adolescent alcohol use by examining the association between the prevalence of parental supply in each Australi...

Background Recent reports suggest an increase in use of extremely potent cannabis concentrates such as Butane Hash Oil (BHO) in some developed countries. The aims of this study were to examine the characteristics of BHO users and the effect profiles of BHO. Design Anonymous online survey in over 20 countries in 2014 and 2015. Participants aged 18...

Objective: To examine the extent to which family conflict, peer bullying and psychological distress account for eating and weight loss attitudes in adolescent females. This study examined the degree to which psychological distress mediated the association between family conflict and eating and weight loss attitudes, and the association of bullying...

Background: Given the stressful nature of military life, people in the armed forces are vulnerable to substance use. Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between family and peers with drug use among military forces in Iran. Methods: Convenience sampling was used to recruit a total of 422 draftees doing military ser...

Introduction: Despite declines in population tobacco use, smoking remains unacceptably high. Smoking cessation may be particularly difficult in couple relationships when partners continue to smoke, and when relationship satisfaction is low. This study examined the longitudinal influence of partner tobacco use and relationship satisfaction on the li...

Background: Skog's collectivity theory of alcohol consumption predicted that changes in alcohol consumption would synchronize across all types of drinkers in a population. The aim of this paper is examine this theory in the Australian context. We examined whether there was a collective change in alcohol use in Australia from 2001 to 2013, estimate...

Aims: This study examined the association between peer drug use and adolescent polysubstance use, and investigated if this association was moderated by parenting and/or school factors. Methods: The sample consisted of 9966 participants (mean age=14.3; 49.34% males) randomly selected from secondary schools in Victoria, Australia. Three 30-day pol...

Adolescent depressed mood is related to the development of subsequent mental health problems, and family problems have been linked to adolescent depression. Longitudinal research on adolescent depressed mood is needed to establish the unique impact of family problems independent of other potential drivers. This study tested the extent to which fami...

The extent to which parental traits of autism are related to parenting efficacy has yet to be explored. Parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) were studied in three groups: (a) families in which both the parent and the child had a DSM-IV-TR ASD diagnosis (n = 109); (b) families in which only the child had a DSM-IV-TR ASD diagnosis...

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the association of risky dieting amongst adolescent girls with depressed mood, family conflict, and parent-child emotional closeness. METHOD: Grade 6 and 8 females (aged 11-14years, N=4031) were recruited from 231 schools in 30 communities, across three Australian States (Queensland, Victoria, and Western Australia)...

Introduction and aims: This study investigated the extent to which parental monitoring and parental disapproval of alcohol use account for the association between country of birth and adolescent alcohol use. Design and methods: The sample consisted of 10 273 adolescents from grades 7 (Mean age = 12.5 years), 9 (14.5 years) and 11 (16.4 years) in...

Military forces are among vulnerable groups to high-risk behaviors, especially substance use. Accordingly, this study aimed to investigate the role of personality traits and socio-familial factors in the prediction of risk of substance use among soldiers. A total of 309 soldiers doing military service in Tehran, Iran, were selected using convenienc...

Background Most adolescents begin alcohol consumption during adolescence, heavy alcohol use by adolescents is common, and alcohol-related harm amongst adolescents is a major public health burden. Parents are a common source of alcohol amongst adolescents, but little is known about how parental supply of alcohol has changed over recent years. This s...

Introduction and aims: This study examines the association of alcohol and polydrug use with risky sexual behaviour in adolescents under 16 years of age and if this association differs by gender. Design and methods: The sample consisted of 5412 secondary school students under 16 years of age from Victoria, Australia. Participants completed an ano...

Background: For young couples, a partner's heavy alcohol use may be a point of conflict and relationship distress, particularly when there are disparities in the severity of drinking across partners. Objective: The aim was to examine the longitudinal impact of discrepancies in heavy alcohol use, particularly in couples with parenting responsibil...

In this chapter, we focus on early adolescence as a high risk period for the onset and development of alcohol use, and the evidence on current prevention programs for this vulnerable age group. At around 10 years, children typically embark on their journey towards full puberty, bringing about profound physical, cognitive, and emotional development,...

PurposeAlcohol use is more prevalent in rural than urban areas in adult populations. Few studies have focused on adolescent drinking. This study investigated if adolescents in regional and rural areas of Australia were more likely to drink alcohol and if there were differences in parental drinking and alcohol supply across regions.MethodsA subsampl...

Purpose: Polydrug use is relatively common amongst adolescents. Psychological distress is associated with the use of specific drugs, and may be uniquely associated with polydrug use. The purpose was to test the association of psychological distress with polydrug use using a large adolescent sample. Methods: The sample consisted of 10,273 students a...

The frequency and emotional response to bullying victimisation are known to be associated with adolescent mental ill health. A potentially important under-investigated factor is the form of bullying. Four common forms of bullying behaviours are name-calling, physical threats or harm, rumour spreading and social exclusion. To more comprehensively un...

Introduction and aims: Alcohol misuse and depressed mood are common during early adolescence, and comorbidity of these conditions in adulthood is associated with poorer health and social outcomes, yet little research has examined the co-occurrence of these problems at early adolescence. This study assessed risky and protective characteristics of pr...

To investigate if parental disapproval of alcohol use accounts for differences in adolescent alcohol use across regional and urban communities. Secondary data analysis of grade-level stratified data from a random sample of schools. High schools in Victoria, Australia. A random sample of 10 273 adolescents from Grade 7 (mean age = 12.51 years), 9 (1...

Objective: To investigate if parental disapproval of alcohol use accounts for differences in adolescent alcohol use across regional and urban communities. Design: Secondary data analysis of grade-level stratified data from a random sample of schools. Setting: High schools in Victoria, Australia. Participants: A random sample of 10273 adolescents fr...

AimsFailure to complete high school predicts substantial economic and social disadvantage in adult life. The aim of this study was to determine the longitudinal association of mid-adolescent polydrug use and high school non-completion, relative to other drug use profiles.DesignA longitudinal analysis of the relationship between polydrug use in thre...

This study examined the extent to which young adolescent alcohol use was related to alcohol-related norms and law enforcement of underage alcohol use, after accounting for known strong parent and peer correlates. Our sample consisted of 7,674 students (mean age 12 years) from 30 Australian communities. Two-level (individuals nested within communiti...

Purpose of Review: Polysubstance use is common, particularly among some age groups and sub-cultures. It is also associated with elevated risk of psychiatric and physical health problems. We review recent research findings, comment on changes to polysubstance diagnoses, report on contemporary clinical and epidemiological polysubstance trends, and ex...

There is considerable debate about the sociocognitive features of autism spectrum conditions (ASC), and a tool for profiling the sociocognitive profiles of children and adolescents with ASC is needed. The aim of this research was to evaluate the psychometric properties of a new questionnaire—The Australian Scale for Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASAS...

Background: Alcohol use and illicit drug use peak during young adulthood (around 18–29 years of age), but comparatively little is known about polydrug use in nationally representative samples of young adults. Drawing on a nationally representative cross-sectional survey (Australian National Drug Strategy Household Survey), this study examines polyd...

Alcohol behavioral couples therapy (ABCT) remains the most systematically evaluated and validated couples-based therapy for the treatment of couples where one partner has alcohol problems, with evidence that it has significant long-term benefits for couples over individual interventions. Couples approaches are difficult to implement, in part becaus...

Objective: Heavy alcohol use increases dramatically at age 14, and there is emerging cross-sectional evidence that when girls experience family conflict at younger ages (11-13 years) the risk of alcohol use and misuse is high. This study evaluated the role of family conflict and subsequent depressed mood in predicting heavy alcohol use among adole...

Introduction Throughout the world, alcohol consumption is common among adolescents. Adolescent alcohol use and misuse have prognostic significance for several adverse long-term outcomes, including alcohol problems, alcohol dependence, school disengagement and illicit drug use. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether randomisation to a communi...

b>Introduction Throughout the world, alcohol consumption is common among adolescents. Adolescent alcohol use and misuse have prognostic significance for several adverse long-term outcomes, including alcohol problems, alcohol dependence, school disengagement and illicit drug use. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether randomisation to a comm...

This study examined the extent to which young adolescent alcohol use was related to alcohol-related norms and law enforcement of underage alcohol use, after accounting for known strong parent and peer correlates. Our sample consisted of 7,674 students (X̅ age = 12 years) from 30 Australian communities. Two-level (individuals nested within communiti...

The co-occurrence of anger in young people with Asperger's syndrome (AS) has received little attention despite aggression, agitation, and tantrums frequently being identified as issues of concern in this population. The present study investigated the occurrence of anger in young people with AS and explores its relationship with anxiety and depressi...

Early experimentation with tobacco is predictive of nicotine dependence and longterm physical harm. The mean age of tobacco initiation is 15 years, signalling the need to examine key protective influences operating at this particularly vulnerable age. This study examined the unique prospective relationship between perceived father’s care and smokin...

School connectedness is central to the long term well-being of adolescents, and high quality parent-child relationships facilitate school connectedness. This study examined the extent to which family relationship quality is associated with the school connectedness of pre- and early teenagers, and how this association varies with adolescent involvem...

This study examined the extent to which a retrospective measure of parental provision of the first alcoholic beverage was related to current heavy episodic drinking and current responsible drinking practices. 608 14- to 17-year-olds from the 2007 Australian National Drug Strategy Household Survey. Source of first alcoholic beverage (friends/parents...

The aim of this study is to examine the susceptibility of very young adolescents (10-12 years of age) to peer alcohol-related influences, compared to older adolescents (13-14 years of age). The analysis sample consisted of 7064 adolescents in grade 6 (modal age 11) or grade 8 (modal age 13) from 231 schools in 30 communities across three Australian...