
My primary research interests are in child and youth mental health. I conduct multi-disciplinary longitudinal research projects that use cognitive neuroscience and life-course epidemiology methods to characterise developmental pathways from childhood to diverse health, social, and educational outcomes in adolescence and young adulthood. I am motivated to identify new prevention and early intervention opportunities in childhood that promote successful development for all individuals, and I work with clinical colleagues and educational professionals to develop new prevention and intervention programs for young people. I am currently supported by an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship.
Projects
Additional information
- Laurens, K., Graham, L., Dix, K., Harris, F., Tzoumakis, S., Williams, K., Schofield, J., Prendergast, T., Waddy, N., Taiwo, M., Carr, V. & Green, M. (2022). School-Based Mental Health Promotion and Early Intervention Programs in New South Wales, Australia: Mapping Practice to Policy and Evidence. School Mental Health, 14(3), 582–597. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/226937
- Laurens, K., Dean, K., Whitten, T., Tzoumakis, S., Harris, F., Waddy, N., Prendergast, T., Taiwo, M., Carr, V. & Green, M. (2021). Early childhood predictors of elementary school suspension: An Australian record linkage study. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 77. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/226404
- Laurens, K., Tzoumakis, S., Dean, K., Harris, F., Carr, V. & Green, M. (2020). Population profiles of child-reported psychotic-like experiences and their differential association with other psychopathologies. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 59(1), 22–38. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/132002
- Laurens, K., Islam, F., Kariuki, M., Harris, F., Chilvers, M., Butler, M., Schofield, J., Essery, C., Brinkman, S., Carr, V. & Green, M. (2020). Reading and numeracy attainment of children reported to child protection services: A population record linkage study controlling for other adversities. Child Abuse and Neglect, 101, 1–15.
- Laurens, K., Murphy, J., Dickson, H., Roberts, R. & Gutteridge, T. (2020). Trajectories of mismatch negativity and P3a amplitude development from ages 9 to 16 years in children with risk factors for schizophrenia. Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, 5(12), 1085–1094. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/205198
- Green, M., Harris, F., Laurens, K., Kariuki, M., Tzoumakis, S., Dean, K., Islam, F., Rossen, L., Whitten, T., Smith, M., Holbrook, A., Bore, M., Brinkman, S., Chilvers, M., Sprague, T., Stevens, R. & Carr, V. (2018). Cohort Profile: The New South Wales Child Development Study (NSW-CDS)-Wave 2 (child age 13 years). International Journal of Epidemiology, 47(5), 1396–1397k. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/121997
- Jolley, S., Kuipers, E., Stewart, C., Browning, S., Bracegirdle, K., Basit, N., Gin, K., Hirsch, C., Corrigall, R., Banerjea, P., Turley, G., Stahl, D. & Laurens, K. (2018). The Coping with Unusual Experiences for Children Study (CUES): A pilot randomized controlled evaluation of the acceptability and potential clinical utility of a cognitive behavioural intervention package for young people aged 8-14 years with unusual. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 57(3), 328–350. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/122008
- Laurens, K., Tzoumakis, S., Dean, K., Brinkman, S., Bore, M., Lenroot, R., Smith, M., Holbrook, A., Robinson, K., Stevens, R., Harris, F., Carr, V. & Green, M. (2017). The 2015 Middle Childhood Survey (MCS) of mental health and well-being at age 11 years in an Australian population cohort. BMJ Open, 7(6), 1–16. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/122043
- Laurens, K. & Cullen, A. (2016). Toward earlier identification and preventative intervention in schizophrenia: evidence from the London Child Health and Development Study. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 51(4), 475–491. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/122025
- Laurens, K., Luo, L., Matheson, S., Carr, V., Raudino, A., Harris, F. & Green, M. (2015). Common or distinct pathways to psychosis? A systematic review of evidence from prospective studies for developmental risk factors and antecedents of the schizophrenia spectrum disorders and affective psychoses. BMC Psychiatry, 15, 1–20. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/122039
- Title
- Achieving Better Mental Health for Maltreated Children: Translating Population Data into Policy
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- 1133833
- Start year
- 2018
- Keywords
- child maltreatment; child development; child health; record linkage; resilience
- Title
- Developmental Schizotypy in the General Population: Early Risk Factors and Predictive Utility
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- 1148055
- Start year
- 2018
- Keywords
- Title
- The Role of Social-Emotional Learning in Attaining Literacy and Numeracy
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- FT170100294
- Start year
- 2018
- Keywords
- Title
- Determinants of Risk and Resilience in Maltreated Children Using Multi-Agency Administrative Records: A population Record-Linkage Study
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- 162302
- Start year
- 2017
- Keywords
- Title
- Identifying New Targets for Primary School Mental Health Interventions Using Population Data
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- 1058652
- Start year
- 2014
- Keywords
- mental health promotion; child health; child development; school-based intervention; developmental outcomes; risk factors; protective factors; school health promotion; psychiatric epidemiology; record linkage
- Social-emotional learning in middle childhood: An Australian population cohort study
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Adjunct Associate Professor Kate Williams, Associate Professor Sonia White - Identifying Clinically Significant and Biological Markers That Differentiate Putatively DistinctDevelopmental Pathways to Psychosis
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Associate Professor Adrian Kelly
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Linda Graham
- Examining how attention and prediction modulate visual perception: A predictive coding view (2022)
- Environmental risk factors and antecedents for schizophrenia: A focus on social stressors (2016)
- The early impact of stigma and discrimination on pathways to care for young people at early risk states of psychotic disorders (2016)
- Cognitive and facial emotion processing abnormalities among children at-risk for schizophrenia : candidate targets for early identification? (2014)
- Identifying neuroanatomical subtypes of psychosis (2014)
- Increased stress susceptibility and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysfunction : early markers of psychosis vulnerability? (2014)
- Psychotic-like experiences and psychometric schizotypy : their relationships with depressive symptoms and theory of mind in adolescents from the general population (2013)