Research showcase

research

Research in its broadest sense is a contribution to knowledge. The purpose of this bibliography is to showcase the significant contributions to knowledge being made within and across our sectors by members of the Network of Alcohol and Other Drugs Agencies (NADA) and the Mental Health Coordinating Council (MHCC).

In community settings, and perhaps particularly where co-existing mental health and AOD issues are core business, research is often regarded as a luxury that time poor, resource constrained organisations can ill afford. We need to draw into question the logic of this reticence. The sustainability and longevity of the community sector depend on innovation, knowledge creation and sharing.

Research in mental health and AOD has the potential to improve services, practices, and people’s lives. What little we know about the nexus between mental health and AOD is in need of our attention. What we learn from research should be translated into better practices that are shared across projects, programs and between the mental health and AOD sectors, so that communities of practice emerge and the potential of all new knowledge is maximised.

Building research capacity involves showcasing research engagement and successes. This document aims to share research developed by, and with, the mental health and AOD non-government sectors.

Research Showcase provides a bibliography of largely peer-reviewed research published by MHCC and NADA member organisations and CMHDARN members covering a range of areas of practice. The bibliography is organised into the following thematic areas, although there is often considerable overlap between these areas:
– co-existing issues
– AOD
– mental health
– Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
– homelessness
– LGBTIQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning and intersex communities)
– people from non-English speaking backgrounds
– rural and remote communities
– young people
– conference papers and reports that are not yet peer-reviewed but may well result in peer-reviewed publication in the future.