Dr Sarah Olesen
Areas of expertise
- Mental Health 111714
- Epidemiology 111706
- Public Health And Health Services 1117
- Health Promotion 111712
Research interests
- Mental health epidemiology
- Mental health service use
- Community and workforce participation and mental health
- Health program evaluation
- Research translation
Dr Olesen is a member of the Psychiatric Epidemiology and Social Issues team at the Centre for Mental Health Research. Her current and planned research aims to better understand people's use of health services in Australia, and the health outcomes of service use, particularly in the area of mental health. Dr Olesen is also involved in projects that investigate the relationships between community and workforce participation and mental health.
Dr Olesen uses large community and population surveys and epidemiological methods to address these research topics, as well as her knowledge of clinical and psychological models. By combining these perspectives, Dr Olesen seeks to produce research that provides informed, practical recommendations for policy and health-care settings.
Biography
Dr Olesen completed a Bachelor of Arts (Psychology/Criminology) with Honours degree at the University of Melbourne in 2003 before beginning a career in mental health research at The Australian National University. Since 2004 she has undertaken research projects on the topics of workforce and community participation, childhood adversity, and health service use, leading to published work in qualtiy academic journals. This included a PhD entitled: “The transition from work to retirement during later adulthood: Its relationship to mental health and role of alternative forms of participation”. Dr Olesen has completed specialised training in longitudinal data analyses and health program evaluation, and contributed to documents and forums that aim to translate research findings into policy and practice recommendations. She continues to undertake research that tackles current public health issues using methods that maximise the ability of this research to inform mental health service delivery.
Researcher's projects
Dr Olesen's research uses several community and epidemiological surveys to investigate the relationships between personal characteristics, service use, and environmental factors and changes in mental health. These surveys include
- 1997 and 2007 National Surveys of Mental Health and Wellbeing in Australian (NSMHWB)
- Household Income Labour and Dynamics in Australia survey (HILDA)
- Personality and Total Health Through Life survey (PATH)
- Canberra Bushfire Recovery Community Survey
Available student projects
Masters and PhD students who are considering projects in mental health epidemiology, particularly surrounding issues of participation and service use, are welcomed to contact Dr Olesen
Publications
- Kiely, K, Leach, L, Olesen, S et al 2015, 'How financial hardship is associated with the onset of mental health problems over time', Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, vol. 50, no. 6, pp. 909-918.
- Leach, L, Olesen, S, Butterworth, P et al 2014, 'New Fatherhood and Psychological Distress: A Longitudinal Study of Australian Men', American Journal of Epidemiology, vol. 180, no. 6, pp. 582-589.
- Olesen, S & Butterworth, P 2013, Retirement: a trigger for distress or welcome relief from the rat race?.
- Olesen, S, Butterworth, P, Leach, L et al 2013, 'Mental health affects future employment as job loss affects mental health: Findings from a longitudinal population study', BMC Psychiatry, vol. 13.
- Tait, R, George, A & Olesen, S 2013, ''Ecstasy' and the use of sleep medications in a general community sample: a 4-year follow-up', Addiction, vol. 108, no. 9, pp. 1640-1648.
- George, A, Olesen, S & Tait, R 2013, 'Ecstasy use and depression: A 4-year longitudinal study among an Australian general community sample', Psychopharmacology, vol. 229, no. 4, pp. 713-721.
- Leach, L, Butterworth, P, Olesen, S et al 2013, 'Relationship quality and levels of depression and anxiety in a large population-based survey', Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, vol. 48, no. 3, pp. 417-425.
- Butterworth, P, Olesen, S & Leach, L 2013, 'Socioeconomic differences in antidepressant use in the PATH through life study: Evidence of health inequalities, prescribing bias, or an effective social safety net?', Journal of Affective Disorders, vol. 149, no. 1-3, pp. 75-83.
- George, A.M. Olesen, S. & Tait, R.J. (2013). Ecstasy use and depression: A 4-year longitudinal study among an Australian general community sample. Psychopharmacology: 229(4), pp. 713-72.
- Olesen, S, Butterworth, P, Jacomb, P et al. 2012, 'Personal factors influence use of cervical cancer screening services: Epidemiological survey and linked administrative data address the limitations of previous research', BMC Health Services Research, vol. 12, no. 1.
- Olesen, S, Butterworth, P & Rodgers, B 2012, 'Is poor mental health a risk factor for retirement? Findings from a longitudinal population survey', Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, vol. 47, no. 5, pp. 735-744.
- Butterworth, P, Olesen, S & Leach, L 2012, 'The role of hardship in the association between socio-economic position and depression', Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, vol. 46, no. 4, pp. 364-373.
- Butterworth, P, Leach, L & Olesen, S 2012, Feeling safe, stable and secure. Having a home.
- Butterworth, P, Leach, L & Olesen, S 2012, 'mental health in the suburbs: an investigation of differences in the prevalence of depression across Canberra suburbs using data from the PATH through Life Study', Journal of Public Health, pp. 1-7.
- Butterworth, P, Leach, L, Rodgers, B et al 2011, 'Psychosocial job adversity and health in Australia: analysis of data from the HILDA Survey', Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, vol. 35, no. 6, pp. 564-571.
- Butterworth, P, Leach, L, Strazdins, L et al 2011, 'The psychosocial quality of work determines whether employment has benefits for mental health: Results from a longitudinal national household panel survey', Occupational and Environmental Medicine, vol. 68, no. 11, pp. 806-812.
- Olesen, S & Berry, H 2011, 'Community participation and mental health during retirement in community sample of Australians', Aging and Mental Health, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 186-197.
- Leach, L, Butterworth, P, Strazdins, L et al 2010, 'The limitations of employment as a tool for social inclusion', BMC Public Health, vol. 10, no. 621, pp. 1-13.
- Olesen, S, Butterworth, P & Leach, L 2010, 'Prevalence of self-management versus formal service use for common mental disorders in Australia: Findings from the 2007 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing', Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, vol. 44, no. 9, pp. 823-830.
- Olesen, S, MacDonald, E, Raphael, B et al 2010, 'Children's exposure to parental and familial adversities: Findings from a population survey of Australians', Family Matters, vol. 2010, no. 84, pp. 43-52.
- Leach, L, Butterworth, P, Rodgers, B et al. 2010, Pathways to social inclusion: considering the relationship between unemployment, job quality and personal disadvantage.
- Olesen, S.C., Butterworth, P. & Leach, L. (2010). Prevalence of self-management versus formal service use for common mental disorders in Australia: findings from the 2007 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 44(9), 823-830.
- Olesen, S, Butterworth, P, Rodgers, B et al. 2009, Social participation as a strategy to improve mental health: A systematic review of peer-reviewed controlled trials and discussion of key issues for future research and interventions.
- Olesen, S, Butterworth, P, Rodgers, B et al 2007, 'Validity of the mental health component scale of the 12-item Short-Form Health Survey (MCS-12) as measure of common mental disorders in the general population', Psychiatry Research, vol. 152, no. 1, pp. 63-71.
- Olesen, S, Butterworth, P, Rodgers, B et al 2006, 'Mental Health and the timing of men's retirement', Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, vol. 41, no. 7, pp. 515-522.
- Butterworth, P, Olesen, S, Rodgers, B et al 2006, 'Retirement and mental health: Analysis of the Australiannational survey of mental health and well-being', Social Science and Medicine, vol. 62, pp. 1179-1191.
