Congratulations to the ARCH Lab’s Megan Dol on the successful defense of her PhD thesis!
Megan’s thesis investigated trajectories of psychopathology in youth with chronic physical illness (CPI) and how these trajectories mediated the relationship between family dynamics and mental health service utilization.
Megan’s work found that youth with CPI follow distinct and varied patterns of psychopathology, with individual experiences differing significantly. These youth can shift between different profiles of symptoms, indicating that their mental health is subject to dynamic and fluctuating changes. Notably, the trajectories of youth psychopathology play a crucial role in mediating the link between parent psychological distress and the likelihood of engaging with healthcare professionals.
These findings underscore four key themes:
- the need for integrated physical and mental healthcare
- the importance of early detection of psychopathology in youth with CPI
- the necessity for flexible, adaptive treatment approaches; and
- the critical role of family-centred care within youth mental health services.
Well done Megan! We wish you all the best in your future endeavours.
