Research and evaluation
Research and evaluation underpins all of Beyond Blue's work, reflecting our commitment to evidence-based practice and continuous improvement.
Since inception, Beyond Blue has an active role in supporting and generating research and has invested more than $65 million into mental health research in depression, anxiety and suicide prevention.
Our role in mental health research
Beyond Blue is focused on translating research knowledge and insights, and building our data capabilities to amplify community insights, not only to inform our own policy and advocacy positions, but to share and support change across the system.
Beyond Blue is both a funder and a translator of research evidence into; policy, practice and behaviour change through our advocacy, programs and services. This is implemented through complementary mechanisms including:
- Commissioning research and evaluation to support Beyond Blue’s program and service delivery.
- Investment in large scale, collaborative research programs.
- Supporting investigator-led research proposals.
- Knowledge translation activities which support research findings to be applied both within Beyond Blue and by others.
Beyond Blue research priorities
To guide our investment in mental health research, Beyond Blue has developed four research priority areas:
- Understanding depression, anxiety and suicidality
- A holistic approach to prevention
- Better treatments, supports and services
- Achieving equity
Research and evaluation initiatives
The following initiatives are linked to Beyond Blue’s core activities and research priorities.
For more information on any of our existing and prospective initiatives please email us at: research@beyondblue.org.au
Australia's mental health and wellbeing check
Beyond Blue commissions a survey to measure mental health and wellbeing outcomes in the Australian population. A summary of the most recent Australia's Mental Health and Wellbeing report is available.
Independent evaluations
In support of Beyond Blue’s continuous improvement and learning, and as part of our funding agreement with the Commonwealth Department of Health, Beyond Blue commissions an independent evaluation at the end of each funding period.
An evaluation of Beyond Blue's previous strategy period (2020-2023) was completed in December 2023. The summary and full evaluation reports are available below, along with Beyond Blue's response to the evaluation and the opportunities it presented.
Past Independent Evaluation reports:
Collaborative research programs
Centre of Research Excellence in Childhood Adversity and Associated Depression and Anxiety
Beyond Blue has partnered with the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) to jointly fund a $2.5 million Centre of Research Excellence to investigate the prevention of depression, anxiety and suicidality by reducing the occurrence of adverse childhood experiences.
The five-year Centre is being led by Professor Harriet Hiscock from the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne and involves 11 researchers from across Australia including from Monash University, University of Melbourne, and University of New South Wales. It also supports early career researchers to work in this space.
This world-first centre brings together researchers spanning paediatrics, education, psychology, psychiatry, population health, and health services research to look at producing documents for practitioners and policy makers showing which adverse childhood experiences at which development stages are associated with depression, anxiety and suicidality, and which interventions are most likely to be effective in reducing these. It will establish feasible, acceptable, and costed integrated approaches to identifying and reducing adverse childhood experiences from the antenatal period through to the end of primary school.
For more information about this program visit Centre of Research Excellence in Childhood Adversity and Mental Health
Targeted Call for Research into depression, anxiety and suicide among elderly Australians
In 2018, Beyond Blue partnered with the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) to jointly fund a $5 million Targeted Call for Research to explore ways to prevent depression, anxiety and suicide among elderly Australians and on improving the detection and effective management of these conditions through new and existing interventions and models of care. Through this, seven individual projects were selected and Beyond Blue have been working to support each of the research teams.
Beyond Blue Research Partnership Grants Scheme
Through our Research Partnership Grants Scheme, Beyond Blue partners with a selection of research teams on National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Partnership Grants and Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Grants. The following are projects that Beyond Blue are currently working with and supporting under this scheme.
- Addressing inequities in child mental health and development: Establishing the evidence for precision policy responses. This project is led by Professor Sharon Goldfeld from the University of Melbourne.
- Rising Australian Job insecurity and its Consequences for the Mental Health of Workers and their Families. This project is led by Professor David Johnston from Monash University.
- Counting on U: Protecting the mental health of small-medium enterprise owners; evaluating real-world approaches to mental health first aid and client relationship building training for small business owner. The Counting on U project is led by Professor Andrew Noblet from Deakin University.
- Perinatal Identification, Referral and Integrated Management for Improving Depression: The PIRIMID Study is led by Professor Jeannette Milgrom at the Parent-Infant Research Institute.
- Integrating evidence-based eHealth interventions for comorbid mental health and alcohol/other drug use problems into health and community settings. The eCliPSE Project is led by Professor Frances Kay-Lambkin.
- Implementing work-related Mental health guidelines in general PRacticE. The IMPRovE project is led by Professor Danielle Mazza from Monash University.
- The Bridging Study Navicare: Improving mental health care in the Bowen Basin through layered Care Navigation. The Bridging Study is led by Professor Zephanie Tyack from Queensland University of Technology.
- (LYAS) Sleep for Strong Souls: A co-designed sleep health program for better social and emotional wellbeing of First Nations youth. The LYAS project is led by Dr Fatima Yaqoot from the Queensland University.
- Healing Spirit, Healing Minds: A co-designed holistic healing approach to promote social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and adolescents. This is a First Nations Research Led project by Dr Hayley Williams from the Queensland University.