Overview
Background
My work aims to ensure all children have access to safe, stable, violence-free childhoods they need to thrive in childhood and across life. This spans from extensive work on evidence-based parenting programs to major national epidemiological work on child maltreatment & mental health & wellbeing.
In 2023, I was a ministerial appointment to the Child Death Review Board which conducts systemic reviews of child deaths to identify areas to improve child safety. I also serve on the Board of Directors for the Parenting & Family Researchers Alliance and on the editorial board of the Australian Journal of Social Issues a policy masthead.
As both a clinical psychologist and a research academic, I use a prevention lens to target risk and protective factors to enhance child and family wellbeing to reduce the presence and impact of early adversity & mental ill health. This includes a focus on parenting stress, family violence and maltreatment, and issues associated with balancing work and life.
I am a chief investigator on the Young Minds: Our Future study which is the Third Australian Child and Adolescent Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, and I am part of the Australian Child Maltreatment Study (ACMS) team which generated the first nationally representative Australian data on the prevalence and mental health impact of the five types of child maltreatment in Australia.
As a researcher, I have received >$10 million in research funding and published extensively in leading D1 & Q1 journals. I am a sought-after speaker & frequently engage in science communication via the media.
Availability
- Dr Divna Haslam is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Arts, The University of Queensland
- Bachelor (Honours) of Arts, The University of Queensland
- Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland
Research impacts
I am an international leader in knowledge generation, particularly around parenting and the use of parenting support to reduce violence toward children and strategies to enhance child mental health and wellbeing. My research has demonstrated global impact on research and policy and there is strong evidence of recognition of my thought leadership by governments and peak bodies within Australia and overseas. My research has been cited in 65 policy documents, across 12 countries (Overton, 2024) including the UK, Australia, and Norway, and by peak bodies such as UNICEF, and in clinical excellence guidelines such as the UK's National Insitute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines. My work has a strong focus on science communication and the media frequently seek me to provide expert commentary on parenting, child adversity, and the importance of the early years. Clinical tools I have developed have been used in over 15 countries across 10 languages.
I actively participate in public discourse and knowledge transfer through the generation of knowledge-sharing resources, and the publication of feature articles aimed at policymakers and the general public in platforms such as the Conversation and John Menadue's Public Policy Journal. I am a sought-after speaker and have provided a range of keynotes and invited presentations across all levels of government, the sector, and in academic conference settings. The Australian government has engaged me as a field expert for several different projects in parenting and child maltreatment. For example, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade contracted me as an expert to provide policy recommendations in the area of parenting to the Indonesian government as they established a parenting directorate, and in 2023 the National Office of Child Safety within the Attorney General's contracted me to conducted a scoping study on Wave Two Australian Child Maltreatment Study. On the basbsu
Works
Search Professor Divna Haslam’s works on UQ eSpace
2016
Conference Publication
Parenting after migration: Exploring the acceptability of a parenting program aimed at improving family adjustment during resettlement in Australia
Monty, K., Haslam, D., Morawska, A. and Filus, A. (2016). Parenting after migration: Exploring the acceptability of a parenting program aimed at improving family adjustment during resettlement in Australia. Helping Families Change Conference, Banff, Canada, 3-5 February 2016.
2015
Journal Article
Conductas del estilo de vida del hijo relacionadas con el peso y autoeficacia materna para manejarlas
Flores-Pena, Yolanda, Rocha-Aguirre, Lourdes L., Cardenas-Villarreal, Velia M., Haslam, Divna, Mejia, Anilena and Sanders, Matt (2015). Conductas del estilo de vida del hijo relacionadas con el peso y autoeficacia materna para manejarlas. Nutricion Hospitalaria, 32 (1), 144-150. doi: 10.3305/nh.2015.32.1.8855
2014
Journal Article
Giving voice to working mothers: a consumer informed study to program design for working mothers
Haslam, Divna M., Patrick, Pamela and Kirby, James N. (2014). Giving voice to working mothers: a consumer informed study to program design for working mothers. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 24 (8), 2463-2473. doi: 10.1007/s10826-014-0049-7
2014
Journal Article
Child adjustment and parent efficacy scale: development and initial validation of a parent report measure
Morawska, Alina, Sanders, Matthew R., Haslam, Divna, Filus, Ania and Fletcher, Renee (2014). Child adjustment and parent efficacy scale: development and initial validation of a parent report measure. Australian Psychologist, 49 (4), 241-252. doi: 10.1111/ap.12057
2014
Journal Article
The Work-Family Conflict Scale (WAFCS): development and initial validation of a self-report measure of work-family conflict for use with parents
Haslam, Divna, Filus, Ania, Morawska, Alina, Sanders, Matthew R. and Fletcher, Renee (2014). The Work-Family Conflict Scale (WAFCS): development and initial validation of a self-report measure of work-family conflict for use with parents. Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 46 (3), 346-357. doi: 10.1007/s10578-014-0476-0
2014
Journal Article
Parenting and Family Adjustment Scale (PAFAS): validation of a brief parent-report measure for use in assessment of parenting skills and family relationships
Sanders, Matthew R., Morawska, Alina, Haslam, Divna M., Filus, Ania and Fletcher, Renee (2014). Parenting and Family Adjustment Scale (PAFAS): validation of a brief parent-report measure for use in assessment of parenting skills and family relationships. Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 45 (3), 255-272. doi: 10.1007/s10578-013-0397-3
2013
Journal Article
Reducing work and family conflict in teachers: a randomized controlled trial of Workplace Triple P.
Haslam, Divna M., Sanders, Matthew R. and Sofronoff, Kate (2013). Reducing work and family conflict in teachers: a randomized controlled trial of Workplace Triple P.. School Mental Health, 5 (2), 70-82. doi: 10.1007/s12310-012-9091-z
2011
Journal Article
Evaluation of a brief parenting discussion group for parents of young children
Morawska, Alina, Haslam, Divna, Milne, Danielle and Sanders, Matthew R. (2011). Evaluation of a brief parenting discussion group for parents of young children. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 31 (8), 136-145. doi: 10.1097/DBP.0b013e3181f17a28
2011
Journal Article
Designing effective interventions for working parents: A web-based survey of parents in the UK workforce
Sanders, Matthew R., Haslam, Divna M., Calam, Rachel, Southwell, Clare and Stallman, Helen M. (2011). Designing effective interventions for working parents: A web-based survey of parents in the UK workforce. Journal of Children's Services, 6 (3), 186-200. doi: 10.1108/17466661111176042
2008
Other Outputs
Teachers as Parents Project: Examining the work-family interface and the efficacy of a workplace parenting intervention targeting work and family conflict
Divna Haslam (2008). Teachers as Parents Project: Examining the work-family interface and the efficacy of a workplace parenting intervention targeting work and family conflict. PhD Thesis, School of Psychology, The University of Queensland. doi: 10.14264/178867
2006
Journal Article
Social support and postpartum depressive symptomatology: The mediating role of maternal self-efficacy
Haslam, D. M., Pakenham, K. I. and Smith, A. (2006). Social support and postpartum depressive symptomatology: The mediating role of maternal self-efficacy. Infant Mental Health Journal, 27 (3), 276-291. doi: 10.1002/imhj.20092
Funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Dr Divna Haslam is:
- Available for supervision
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Supervision history
Current supervision
-
Doctor Philosophy
Parenting after migration exploration of the unique parenting needs of migrant parents to australia
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Alina Morawska
-
Doctor Philosophy
The efficacy of Triple P with Deaf children in Indonesia
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Alina Morawska
Completed supervision
-
2021
Doctor Philosophy
Understanding and increasing father involvement in Mainland China
Principal Advisor
-
2020
Doctor Philosophy
Understanding the role of parental attributions in parenting interventions
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Alina Morawska
-
2023
Doctor Philosophy
Efficacy of parenting interventions for maternal perinatal depression and infant developmental outcomes
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Amy Mitchell, Associate Professor Alina Morawska
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2021
Doctor Philosophy
Bridging the gap between parents and parenting interventions: A model of initial parental engagement
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Alina Morawska
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2021
Doctor Philosophy
The Efficacy of Triple P Plus Compassion in Promoting Co-parenting Relationship Between Parents and Grandparents in Vietnam
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor James Kirby, Professor Matthew Sanders
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2019
Doctor Philosophy
The Effect of Work and Family Conflict on Quality of Life of Parents and Children: An Investigation in the Context of Child Chronic Illness
Associate Advisor
Media
Enquiries
Contact Dr Divna Haslam directly for media enquiries about:
- adverse childhood experiences
- child abuse
- child anxiety
- child behaviour
- child maltreatment
- child mental health
- children
- family
- parenting
- parenting programs
- triple p
- work life balance
- work-family conflict
- work-life balance
- working parents
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