Honorary Associate Professor Samara McPhedran has a strong interest in multidisciplinary and applied research that sits at the intersection of law, psychology, and public policy. She holds qualifications in law and psychology, and her work has been published widely in both academic and mainstream media outlets. She has produced over 100 scholarly journal articles, book chapters, reports and presentations, in areas including mental health, gender-based and other violence, homicide, suicide, and gun control. She has worked extensively in legislative and policy evaluation in criminology and public health.
She has held research, policy, and program management positions within government and academia, as well as in the private sector. She currently runs her own consultancy business. Prior to that, she was the Founding Director of the Griffith University Homicide Research Unit. She has also served as the Deputy Director of the Griffith University Violence Research and Prevention Program, and was a Senior Research Fellow with the Australian Institute of Suicide Research and Prevention. She has held Honorary title with the Department of Economics, University of Otago (New Zealand).
She is a member of the Editorial Board for the top-ranking journal Trauma, Violence, & Abuse and a reviewer for over 40 international journals. She has received funding from sources including the Australian Research Council, Australian Institute of Criminology, Queensland Corrective Services, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
Dr McPhedran has a track record of providing evidence-based recommendations to decision-makers to guide legislative and policy change. She has served on a number of high-level advisory groups, including state and federal Ministerial panels. She is actively involved in professional and community organisations, including as the current Treasurer of the QLD Branch of the Australian and New Zealand Association for Psychiatry, Psychology and Law (ANZAPPL) and the current Chairperson of the Queensland Homicide Victims’ Support Group (QHVSG).
Journal Article: Gendered Entitlement or Generally Violent? Sociodemographic, Developmental, and Gender-Based Attitudinal Characteristics of Men Who Commit Homicide
Eriksson, Li, McPhedran, Samara, Mazerolle, Paul and Wortley, Richard (2022). Gendered Entitlement or Generally Violent? Sociodemographic, Developmental, and Gender-Based Attitudinal Characteristics of Men Who Commit Homicide. Homicide Studies, 27 (3), 108876792210798-402. doi: 10.1177/10887679221079801
Journal Article: Giving voice to the silenced victims: a qualitative study of intimate partner femicide
Eriksson, Li, Mazerolle, Paul and McPhedran, Samara (2022). Giving voice to the silenced victims: a qualitative study of intimate partner femicide. Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice (645) 645, 1-13. doi: 10.52922/ti78498
Journal Article: Psychological Autopsy: A Method to Assist in the Identification of Risk and Protective Factors for Intimate Partner Femicide
McPhedran, Samara, Eriksson, Li, Arnautovska, Urska, Mazerolle, Paul and Johnson, Holly (2021). Psychological Autopsy: A Method to Assist in the Identification of Risk and Protective Factors for Intimate Partner Femicide. Violence Against Women, 28 (5) 107780122110582, 1-17. doi: 10.1177/10778012211058214
Selected readings in suicide research
Barker, E., Houweling, H., McPhedran, S. and De Leo, D. (2014). Selected readings in suicide research. Brisbane, QLD Australia: Australian Academic Press.
Selected readings in suicide research
Barker, E., Snider, A.-M., McPhedran, S. and De Leo, D. (2013). Selected readings in suicide research. Brisbane, QLD Australia: Australian Academic Press.
McPhedran, Samara and De Leo, Diego (2013). Pathways to Care: to examine the mechanisms in place across Australia to respond to and provide care to people at imminent risk of suicide. Sydney, NSW Australia: Longueville Media.
Specialization and versatility in offending
Mazerolle, Paul and McPhedran, Samara (2018). Specialization and versatility in offending. The Oxford handbook of developmental and life-course criminology. (pp. 48-69) edited by David P. Farrington, Lila Kazemian and Alex R. Piquero. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190201371.013.4
Exploring imprisonment across cross-national contexts
Mazerolle, Paul, Rynne, John and McPhedran, Samara (2016). Exploring imprisonment across cross-national contexts. The Oxford handbook of prisons and imprisonment. (pp. 1-37) edited by John Wooldredge and Paula Smith. New York, NY, United States: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199948154.013.4
Urbanization and animal cruelty: what role does Utilitarianism play?
McPhedran, Samara (2011). Urbanization and animal cruelty: what role does Utilitarianism play?. The Psychology of the Human-Animal Bond. (pp. 263-273) New York, NY USA: Springer New York. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4419-9761-6_15
McPhedran, Samara (2010). Misinterpretation, missing interpretation: understanding the relationship between animal cruelty and interpersonal violence. Advances in Psychology Research . (pp. 75-98) New York, NY USA: Nova.
Australia’s gun control experiment: a decade down the track
Baker, Jeanine and McPhedran, Samara (2008). Australia’s gun control experiment: a decade down the track. Shooting sports survey: conservation and sport. (pp. 5-9) Washington, DC USA: Merril Press.
Eriksson, Li, McPhedran, Samara, Mazerolle, Paul and Wortley, Richard (2022). Gendered Entitlement or Generally Violent? Sociodemographic, Developmental, and Gender-Based Attitudinal Characteristics of Men Who Commit Homicide. Homicide Studies, 27 (3), 108876792210798-402. doi: 10.1177/10887679221079801
Giving voice to the silenced victims: a qualitative study of intimate partner femicide
Eriksson, Li, Mazerolle, Paul and McPhedran, Samara (2022). Giving voice to the silenced victims: a qualitative study of intimate partner femicide. Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice (645) 645, 1-13. doi: 10.52922/ti78498
McPhedran, Samara, Eriksson, Li, Arnautovska, Urska, Mazerolle, Paul and Johnson, Holly (2021). Psychological Autopsy: A Method to Assist in the Identification of Risk and Protective Factors for Intimate Partner Femicide. Violence Against Women, 28 (5) 107780122110582, 1-17. doi: 10.1177/10778012211058214
Criminal careers among female perpetrators of family and nonfamily homicide in Australia
Eriksson, Li, McPhedran, Samara, Caman, Shilan, Mazerolle, Paul, Wortley, Richard and Johnson, Holly (2021). Criminal careers among female perpetrators of family and nonfamily homicide in Australia. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 36 (5-6), NP2551-NP2575. doi: 10.1177/0886260518760007
Eriksson, L., Arnautovska, U., McPhedran, S., Mazerolle, P. and Wortley, R. (2020). Child and adult attachment styles among individuals who have committed filicide: the case for examining attachment by gender. International Journal of Forensic Mental Health, 20 (1), 63-79. doi: 10.1080/14999013.2020.1821128
Australian Mass Shootings: An Analysis of Incidents and Offenders
McPhedran, Samara (2020). Australian Mass Shootings: An Analysis of Incidents and Offenders. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 35 (19-20), 3939-3962. doi: 10.1177/0886260517713226
Baguley, Chantelle, McPhedran, Samara, Eriksson, Li and Mazerolle, Paul (2020). How do different case conclusions impact on survivors of homicide?: developing and applying a conceptual framework to organize current empirical knowledge. Journal of Victimology and Victim Justice, 3 (1), 57-71. doi: 10.1177/2516606920927293
Alcohol and drug problems among Australian homicide offenders
Eriksson, Li, Bryant, Sarah, McPhedran, Samara, Mazerolle, Paul and Wortley, Richard (2020). Alcohol and drug problems among Australian homicide offenders. Addiction, 116 (3) add.15169, 618-631. doi: 10.1111/add.15169
Eriksson, Li, Mazerolle, Paul, Wortley, Richard, Johnson, Holly and McPhedran, Samara (2019). The offending histories of homicide offenders: Are men who kill intimate partners distinct from men who kill other men?. Psychology of Violence, 9 (4), 471-480. doi: 10.1037/vio0000214
McPhedran, Samara, Eriksson, Li, Mazerolle, Paul, De Leo, Diego, Johnson, Holly and Wortley, Richard (2018). Characteristics of Homicide-Suicide in Australia: A Comparison With Homicide-Only and Suicide-Only Cases. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 33 (11), 1805-1829. doi: 10.1177/0886260515619172
McPhedran, Samara (2018). An Evaluation of the Impacts of Changing Firearms Legislation on Australian Female Firearm Homicide Victimization Rates. Violence Against Women, 24 (7), 798-815. doi: 10.1177/1077801217724450
McPhedran, S., Eriksson, L., Mazerolle, P. and Johnson, H. (2018). Victim-focussed studies of intimate partner femicide: A critique of methodological challenges and limitations in current research. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 39, 61-66. doi: 10.1016/j.avb.2018.02.005
The sentencing and supervision of individuals convicted of sexual offences in Australia
Harris, Danielle Arlanda and McPhedran, Samara (2018). The sentencing and supervision of individuals convicted of sexual offences in Australia. Sexual Offender Treatment, 13 (1/2).
A cross-national comparison of police attitudes about domestic violence: a focus on gender
McPhedran, Samara, Gover, Angela R. and Mazerolle, Paul (2017). A cross-national comparison of police attitudes about domestic violence: a focus on gender. Policing, 40 (2), 214-227. doi: 10.1108/PIJPSM-06-2016-0083
McPhedran, Samara (2016). A systematic review of quantitative evidence about the impacts of Australian legislative reform on firearm homicide. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 28, 64-72. doi: 10.1016/j.avb.2016.03.012
Arnautovska, Urska, McPhedran, S., Kelly, B., Reddy, P. and De Leo, D. (2016). Geographic variation in suicide rates in Australian farmers: why is the problem more frequent in Queensland than in New South Wales?. Death Studies, 40 (6), 367-372. doi: 10.1080/07481187.2016.1153007
Arnautovska, U., McPhedran, S. and De Leo, D. (2015). Differences in characteristics between suicide cases of farm managers compared to those of farm labourers in Queensland, Australia. Rural and Remote Health, 15 (3).
McPhedran, Samara (2015). Does the resources sector have higher suicide rates? A comparative analysis of suicide rates among men in the mining industry and other occupations, in Queensland (Australia). Work, 51 (2), 255-260. doi: 10.3233/WOR-152019
Kavalidou, Katerina, McPhedran, Samara and De Leo, Diego (2015). Farmers' contact with health care services prior to suicide: Evidence for the role of general practitioners as an intervention point. Australian Journal of Primary Health, 21 (1), 102-105. doi: 10.1071/PY13077
A regional approach to understanding farmer suicide rates in Queensland
Arnautovska, Urska, McPhedran, Samara and De Leo, Diego (2014). A regional approach to understanding farmer suicide rates in Queensland. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 49 (4), 593-599. doi: 10.1007/s00127-013-0777-9
McPhedran, Samara and De Leo, Diego (2014). Relationship Quality, Work-Family Stress, and Mental Health Among Australian Male Mining Industry Employees. Journal of Relationships Research, 5 e3, 1-9. doi: 10.1017/jrr.2014.3
Snider, Anne-Marie and McPhedran, Samara (2014). Religiosity, spirituality, mental health, and mental health treatment outcomes in Australia: a systematic literature review. Mental Health, Religion and Culture, 17 (6), 568-581. doi: 10.1080/13674676.2013.871240
McPhedran, Samara and De Leo, Diego (2013). Miseries suffered, unvoiced, unknown? Communication of suicidal intent by men in "rural" Queensland, Australia. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 43 (6), 589-597. doi: 10.1111/sltb.12041
McPhedran, Samara and De Leo, Diego (2013). Suicide among miners in Queensland, Australia: A comparative analysis of demographics, Psychiatric history, And stressful life events. SAGE Open, 3 (4), 215824401351126. doi: 10.1177/2158244013511262
Risk factors for suicide among rural men: Are farmers more socially isolated?
McPhedran, Samara and de Leo, Diego (2013). Risk factors for suicide among rural men: Are farmers more socially isolated?. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 33 (11-12), 762-772. doi: 10.1108/IJSSP-03-2013-0038
Ending the silence on gun violence. or silencing the debate?
McPhedran, Samara and Baker, Jeanine (2013). Ending the silence on gun violence. or silencing the debate?. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 52 (10), 1092-1093. doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2013.06.017
Shooting the Messenger: Authors' Response
McPhedran, Samara and Baker, Jeanine (2013). Shooting the Messenger: Authors' Response. Archives of Suicide Research, 17 (3), 321-322. doi: 10.1080/13811118.2013.805634
More guns... more or less crime? An Australian perspective on an international question
McPhedran, Samara (2013). More guns... more or less crime? An Australian perspective on an international question. Crime Prevention and Community Safety, 15 (2), 127-133. doi: 10.1057/cpcs.2012.17
Sveticic, Jerneja, McPhedran, Samara and De Leo, Diego (2013). Reviewing the revisions: What are the Australian bureau of statistics suicide figures really telling us?. Medical Journal of Australia, 198 (9), 478-478. doi: 10.5694/mja13.10203
Mcphedran, Samara and Mauser, Gary (2013). Lethal firearm-related violence against canadian women: Did tightening gun laws have an impact on women's health and safety. Violence and Victims, 28 (5), 875-883. doi: 10.1891/0886-6708.VV-D-12-00145
McPhedran, Samara and Baker, Jeanine (2012). Lethal and Non-Lethal Violence Against Women in Australia: Measurement Challenges, Conceptual Frameworks, and Limitations in Knowledge. Violence Against Women, 18 (8), 958-972. doi: 10.1177/1077801212456755
McPhedran, Samara and Baker, Jeanine (2012). Suicide prevention and method restriction: Evaluating the impact of limiting access to lethal means among young Australians. Archives of Suicide Research, 16 (2), 135-146. doi: 10.1080/13811118.2012.667330
McPhedran, Samara (2012). The labor of a lifetime?: Health and occupation type as predictors of workforce exit among older Australians. Journal of Aging and Health, 24 (2), 345-360. doi: 10.1177/0898264311423704
Interpreting risk factors for violence in Australia
McPhedran, Samara and Singh, Pooja (2011). Interpreting risk factors for violence in Australia. Psychiatric Services, 62 (11). doi: 10.1176/ps.62.11.pss6211_1393
McPhedran, Samara and Baker, Jeanine (2011). An econometric evaluation of the impact of method restriction on suicide rates among Australians aged 45 and over. Journal on Firearms and Public Policy, 23, 96-113.
Disability and community life: Does regional living enhance social participation?
McPhedran, Samara (2011). Disability and community life: Does regional living enhance social participation?. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 22 (1), 40-54. doi: 10.1177/1044207310394448
McPhedran, Samara, Baker, Jeanine and Singh, Pooja (2011). Firearm homicide in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand: What can we learn from long-term international comparisons?. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 26 (2), 348-359. doi: 10.1177/0886260510362893
Mass shootings in Australia and New Zealand: a descriptive study of incidence
Samara McPhedran and Jeanine Baker (2011). Mass shootings in Australia and New Zealand: a descriptive study of incidence. Justice Policy Journal, 8 (1), 67-88.
Regional living and social participation: are people with disability at a disadvantage?
McPhedran, Samara (2010). Regional living and social participation: are people with disability at a disadvantage?. Australian Social Policy, 9, 111-135.
A review of the evidence for associations between empathy, violence, and animal cruelty
McPhedran, Samara (2009). A review of the evidence for associations between empathy, violence, and animal cruelty. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 14 (1), 1-4. doi: 10.1016/j.avb.2008.07.005
Animal abuse, family violence, and child wellbeing: A review
McPhedran, Samara (2009). Animal abuse, family violence, and child wellbeing: A review. Journal of Family Violence, 24 (1), 41-52. doi: 10.1007/s10896-008-9206-3
McPhedran, Samara and Baker, Jeanine (2008). Enhancing Evidence-Based Policy: Principles and Practice from a Case Study of Australian Firearms Legislation. Current Issues in Criminal Justice, 20 (2), 163-172. doi: 10.1080/10345329.2008.12035802
McPhedran, Samara and Baker, Jeanine (2008). Recent Australian suicide trends for males and females at the national level: Has the rate of decline differed?. Health Policy, 87 (3), 350-358. doi: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2008.01.009
McPhedran, Samara and Baker, Jeanine (2008). Australian firearms legislation and unintentional firearm deaths: a theoretical explanation for the absence of decline following the 1996 gun laws. Public Health, 122 (3), 297-299. doi: 10.1016/j.puhe.2007.05.012
Calls for legislative change must rest on facts
McPhedran, Samara (2008). Calls for legislative change must rest on facts. Environmental and Planning Law Journal, 25 (2).
Australian homicide: No significant impact of gun laws
McPhedran, Samara and Baker, Jeanine (2008). Australian homicide: No significant impact of gun laws. Medicine, Science and the Law, 48 (3), 270-270. doi: 10.1258/rsmmsl.48.3.270
Gun laws and sudden death: Did the Australian firearms legislation of 1996 make a difference?
Baker, Jeanine and McPhedran, Samara (2007). Gun laws and sudden death: Did the Australian firearms legislation of 1996 make a difference?. British Journal of Criminology, 47 (3), 455-469. doi: 10.1093/bjc/azl084
Curthoys, Ian S., Kim, Juno, McPhedran, Samara K. and Camp, Aaron J. (2006). Bone conducted vibration selectively activates irregular primary otolithic vestibular neurons in the guinea pig. Experimental Brain Research, 175 (2), 256-267. doi: 10.1007/s00221-006-0544-1
Chronotype and depression: an experimental investigation
Mcphedran, S. and Roberts, R. D. (2001). Chronotype and depression: an experimental investigation. Unknown, Unknown, Unknown. Abingdon, United Kingdom: Taylor & Francis.