Alumni profile: Hiroko Fujimoto
Discover Hiroko's insights and experiences from our programs. Published on the 16 August 2024 by Alex Speed
Investigating adolescent mental health: how Hiroko began a research career from the Master of Public Health
Hiroko Fujimoto knows all about the importance of living life on her own terms, and that freedom of choice and connectedness to others, are integral to young peoples鈥 mental and physical health.
Hiroko, a policy research officer at the Black Dog Institute,听is an听alumna of UNSW鈥檚 School of Population Health. She completed her Masters of Public Health听in 2023. As part of her Masters, Hiroko conducted a research project investigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of adolescents. Her findings became the basis for a co-authored paper entitled:听鈥淲hat aspects of the pandemic had the greatest impact on adolescent mental health: duration of lockdown or subjective experience?鈥 She completed this paper听with supervisors,听Associate听Professor Anita Heywood from UNSW鈥檚 School of Public Health and Professor Phillip Batterham听from听Australian National University鈥檚 Centre of Mental Health Research,听as well as other academics at the Black Dog Institute.
Hiroko says听she was thrilled听听in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health Journal.
The research found that longer lockdowns were not associated with a longer-term deterioration in mental health among Australian adolescents. It revealed, however, that adolescents who reported听negative experience of the pandemic on their learning and social connections听had greater mental health symptoms a year after the lockdowns were lifted, compared to those who reported that the pandemic positively affected or did not affect their learning and social connections.
Hiroko says, 鈥渢his is significant because it indicates that, to听protect young people鈥檚 mental health in future public health emergencies requiring lockdowns, it is vital to provide them听with听equitable access to essential resources for engaging with online learning,听and听for听building and maintaining social connections.鈥澨
Hiroko moved to Australia in 2013听from her hometown听Tokyo,听Japan as a听20听year old.听She had听been听studying听International听Relations at听a university听in听Tokyo for a year but found it wasn鈥檛 for her. Unsure of her path forward, Hiroko听took the advice of her听English teacher听who听suggested she visit Sydney to improve her understanding of the English language and Australian culture.听
鈥淚 came to Sydney for a short period of time听during my university summer holidays, and I found I really听liked being here,听and the听different听ways that听people interacted,鈥 explains Hiroko.
鈥淎lso,听I was really bored at university in Japan. People听in Japan听study hard听to get into a university, but听very few seem to听get excited about learning.听I found people here were keen to share ideas and learn new things,听and that inspired me to move to Australia.鈥
For her first two years in Sydney, as she refined her English, Hiroko mulled over听the听direction she wanted to听take听professionally.
鈥淎fter I moved to听Australia, my English wasn鈥檛 good enough to go straight to听university,听so I听spent听a couple of years learning English听and completing a bridging course,听but also thinking through what I wanted to do. My听parents听who have听always been incredibly supportive of my choices were听helping support me financially and I听had a part time job tutoring Japanese.鈥澨
Hiroko says the freedom she found in Sydney, coupled with new friendships and experiences, helped her decide听to enrol in,听and complete,听a three-year Bachelor of Health Sciences degree at The University of Sydney.听
鈥淭he听main听reason听I chose Health Sciences 鈥 and听it sounds听a bit听weird to say听this - but when听I听moved听away from听my home听and started听living听independently,听I听had听a lot of freedom and options on how听to听structure听my听life in terms of diet, exercise and various activities. With the new life I established,听I was feeling听better and听healthier,鈥 says Hiroko.
听鈥淭his personal experience and process of engaging with health and lifestyle choices made me interested in learning more about it. I chose psychology as a major as听I became听particularly听fascinated听with听learning about听how mental health is integral to individuals鈥 health and wellbeing.鈥澨
This interest is also what led Hiroko to the Black Dog Institute where, in 2018, she began working on the Future Proofing Study, the institute鈥檚 flagship study of adolescent mental health.
The Future Proofing Study has been collecting comprehensive mental health听data from more than 6,000 adolescents听every year since 2019.
Hiroko then听started听her听Masters of Public Health at UNSW in the middle of lockdown in June 2021.
鈥淢y Master鈥檚 project used data from the Future Proofing Study and听aimed听to address research gaps听that existed about听adolescents and the pandemic lockdown. Specifically, I听investigated both objectively and subjectively measured impacts of the pandemic restrictions on adolescents鈥 wellbeing,听internalising symptoms听(i.e., symptoms related to emotional and relational difficulties such as depression and anxiety), and externalising symptoms听(i.e., symptoms related to behavioural difficulties e.g., hyperactivity and conduct problems)听in the short- and longer-term,鈥 says Hiroko.
Hiroko鈥檚 study analysed data from 1,000 adolescents听who lived through the lockdowns in NSW and Victoria, some of the longest in the world.听Counter to public concern about the toll of prolonged lockdowns on mental health, the study听found that the amount of time that adolescents spent in lockdown was not associated with higher levels of听internalising symptoms, and externalising symptoms; rather听their negative experience of the pandemic related specifically to social connection and learning.听These findings highlight the importance of young people鈥檚 subjective experiences of pandemic restrictions in relation to their mental health.
鈥淭he听overarching听aim听of the study,鈥澨齭ays Hiroko,听鈥渨as to understand both risk and the protective factors associated with adolescents鈥櫶齧ental health听to help future proof our young people听from听impending pandemics.
Hiroko recently moved to the policy research team听at听the Black Dog Institute where she hopes to help move the needle on getting Australian mental health policy and practice formulated, based on research evidence.
鈥淚 like听working in听research听because听we are trying to make sense of the world scientifically听and听to translate findings into real world changes.
鈥淲hen I was visiting schools and meeting students and teachers, as part of my work on the Future Proofing Study,听I learnt there is a lot of inequity in health, wellbeing and听more broadly听in听the听Australian education听system. Those fundamental听issues need to be addressed to improve adolescent mental health听at the population level.鈥
Hiroko says the听next step听for听this听study听is to听widely communicate the findings to听ensure听that听they can be part of an evidence-base in forming public health policy and, advocating for integrating mental health care听for the next pandemic听and public health emergencies.
鈥淲e should learn from what we went through and actually apply that learning to make听things听better for the future especially for our young people,鈥 says Hiroko.