Impact & Research

True strives to ensure that all staff are research aware (understand and apply the foundations of research and evidence) or research active (engage as participants, researchers or chief investigators in research and evidence-to-action projects).

The Impact and Innovation unit at True is responsible for building the evidence base and staff research capacity at True. Research occurs through internal data collection, analysis, evaluation and action and through external research partnerships. All programs and projects at True apply some form of research, evaluation and public reporting.

Partnerships with academic institutions, non-government, corporate and philanthropic organisations are essential to impact and research at True.

 

Internal Research

Staff in all programs review, critically reflect or evaluate programs. Staff are encouraged to keep up to date with research and apply this to their work.

Current internal projects:

  • Health in My Language (HIML): In HIML bi-lingual educators deliver education sessions in language to better inform people of diverse culturally backgrounds about COVID safety and a range of health needs. Using an impact case study method, HIML staff are evaluating and critically reflecting on their work. Stage 2 of HIML ends June 30 2023. Contact Co-ordinator Sarai Tafa. 

External Projects

Partnership projects with universities include the following:

  • PhD Partnerships: Current PhD partnership projects with universities:
  • An evaluation of two relationships and sexuality education courses in Queensland schools Supervisors: Dr Claire Moran, True, Professor Kerryann Walsh and Dr Lisa van Leent, Queensland University of Technology
  • Adolescent sexual health:Predictors, measurement and intervention Supervisors: Dr Claire Moran, True, Associate Professor Matthew Gullo and Associate Professor Genevieve Dingle, University of Queensland.

Research Grant Partnerships

Sexual Health Research Fund: Sexual and Reproductive Health Literacy of Young Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Queenslanders Research Partners: University of Queensland, University of Southern Queensland, Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland.

Student research projects

We also engage in student projects and internships which see students assisting in research activities or resource development and can take a number of forms:

  • Work placement, fulfilling a requirement for undergraduate or master’s degree across a range of disciplines including public health and social sciences;
  • Career development, as part of a PhD program;
  • Internship (independent of a university program);
  • and Industry partner research project.

Engagement

True staff welcome collaborative research partnerships and engagement with other researchers. We can also provide guest lectures, talks and presentations on a range of sexual and reproductive health topics and contemporary research in this field.

If you would like more information or to discuss potential partnership or engagement opportunities, please contact Alisa Cork at hello@true.org.au

Projects and Publications

Grants

  Status Outputs
 

SHRF 2020-2021

Project will conclude June 2023. Lead from True, Consultant Dr Claire Moore

Wagstaff, R., Daken, K., Moran, C., Mullens, A., Gud, Z., Assefaa, Y., & Dean, J. (in preparation). Evaluating the Content and Resources in Sexual Health Literacy for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Young Adults in UK, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia.

Liriosa, A., Daken, K., Moran, C., Mullens, A., Gud, Z., Assefaa, Y., & Dean, J. (under review).  Sexual and Reproductive Health Literacy of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Young People in Australia: A Systematic Review.

 

SHRF 2022-2023

 Project will run form 2023-2024 has recently commenced. Lead from True, Consultant Dr Claire Moore

 Forthcoming

 

PhD supervision

  Status Outputs
 

Dr Laura Anderson

Supervision Team Dr Claire Moran.

PhD awarded, December 2022

PhD Thesis: Communication, context and critique: understanding sexual behaviours in children and young people. PhD Thesis, School of Psychology, The University of Queensland. doi: 10.14264/47f9934

Publications:

Anderson, L. E., Dingle, G. A., Moran, C., & Gullo, M. J. (2022). Testing a psychosocial model of sexual communication and sexual risk-taking: A cross-sectional, online survey study of Australian university students. Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare, 100788.

Anderson, L. E., Moran, C., Dingle, G. A., & Gullo, M. J. (under review). Identifying sexual behaviours in children and young people – the efficacy of child-centred, sex-positive, strengths-based training.

 

Roxana Aguilar Alonsoa

 

PhD partnership – True and QUT. 

Submission due July 2023. Joint Supervisor Dr Claire Moran.

PhD Thesis:

An evaluation of two relationships and sexuality education courses in Queensland schools.  

Publications:

Alonso, A. A., Walsh, K., Van Leent, L., & Moran, C. (2023).  School-Based Relationships and Sexuality Education Programmes in Primary Schools: Contexts, Mechanisms, and Outcomes. Sex Education

 

Research partnership projects

 

Status

Outputs

 

Sexual activity and intimacy after heart attack- 

Partnership project with the Heart Foundation and USC.  Questionnaire asking health care professional how they talk to their patients about sexual activity and intimacy after a heart attack. 

Moran, C., Lilly, K., Walsh, A. L., Foreman, R., & Taylor, J. (in preparation).  Australian health professionals’ perspectives on discussing sexual activity and intimacy with people who have had a heart attack: a qualitative study.

Lilly, K., Walsh, A. L., Foreman, R., & Taylor, J., C. Moran. (under review).  Communicating about sexual activity and intimacy after a heart attack: a cross-sectional survey of Australian health professionals (in preparation).  

 

Analysis of freely available menstrual education in Australia

Partnership with UQ. Dr Claire Moran.

 Moran, C., Blackmore, B., Wigginton, B. (in preparation).  A content analysis of freely available menstrual education in Australia.

Parents perspectives on RSE in primary school.

 Data was from a partnership project between UQ and True 

Moran, C., & Van Leent, L. (2022). Primary school parents’ perspectives on relationships and sexuality education in Queensland, Australia. Sex Education, 22(2), 184-197.

van Leent, L. & Moran., C. (under review).  “Healthy and Normal”: Parents’ Perspectives on Gender and Sexual Diversity in Elementary Relationships and Sexuality Education.

 Traffic Lights evaluation 

This project is a research partnership with UQ, with two students taking the lead on the paper and being supervised by the three academics. 

Gregory, G., Malaweera, S., Moran, C., Gullo, M., Anderson, L (under review). Understanding and Responding to Sexual Behaviours in Children and Young People.

Breaking the Stigma: Let's talk about sex  

Research project led by Queensland University of Technology with True and other partners (2023-2025)

 

 

Industry partnership research projects

Status Outputs
 Bachelor of Social Science: Applied Research Project

True has partnered on the Bachelor of Social Science: Applied Research Project three times -2018, 2019, 2022.

2019 - More than a ‘Yes’: Exploring How Students Understand Consent at the University of Queensland

2022- Cultural Conceptions of Sexual Consent

and Sexual Consent Education: Understanding the needs and preferences of Chinese and Chinese-Australian young people