Australian Institute of Family Studies

Recent publications

A group of teenagers sitting in a circle listening to one of the girls speaking

Adolescent help-seeking

LSAC Annual Statistical Report 2017 chapter— Nov 2018

This chapter describes the past help-seeking behaviours and future help-seeking intentions of adolescents, focusing on who adolescents go to for help.

A group of highschool students walking down a corridor

Adolescents’ relationships with their peers

LSAC Annual Statistical Report 2017 chapter— Nov 2018

Examines the peer relationships of Australian Children around mid-adolescence and the influence of these friendships on attitudes and behaviour.

Eating problems in mid adolescence

LSAC Annual Statistical Report 2017 chapter— Oct 2018

This chapter provides a description of how young people are faring in relation to eating problems at 14–15 years of age.

A senior walking his granddaughter to school

Children’s housing experiences

LSAC Annual Statistical Report 2017 chapter— Oct 2018

This chapter describes changes in the housing experiences of children who have moved house and the impact of family separation on housing experiences.

News

Senate enquiry recommends review of in-game gambling features - 27 Nov 2019

A senate committee has identified the potential for gambling-related harms from ‘loot boxes’, chance-based features that appear in some video games. The committee recommended a government review to identify regulatory and policy gaps and potential consumer protection measures. A submission to the inquiry by AIFS’ Australian Gambling Research Centre concluded that loot boxes are a form of gambling and did present a public health risk, and therefore should either be banned or tightly controlled.

Smacking children: ineffective and harmful

The American Academy of Pediatrics now states that adults should 'avoid physical punishment and verbal abuse of children’, citing evidence of ‘negative behavioral, cognitive, psychosocial, and emotional outcomes’. For research on the legal, ethical and behavioural issues surrounding corporal punishment in the Australian context, see CFCA’s resource sheet Corporal punishment: Key issues.