Senior Research Fellow
Affiliate Senior Fellow
Overview
Dr Rachel Elphinston is a Senior Research Fellow at Recover Injury Research Centre at The University of Queensland and clinical psychologist with more than a decade of industry-related experience. Her research interests focus on the psychological risk factors for pain and disability following injury, integrated pain treatments, pain medicines use, and the influence of social media. She has designed and implemented research projects examining factors associated with perceived injustice following road traffic crashes, psychosocial factors associated with prescription opioid use in individuals with chronic pain, the effectiveness of brief psychological risk-targeted telehealth interventions, and the role of social media messaging in policy implementation following the up-scheduling of codeine. She has received industry funding to co-design, develop and test feasibility of a psychological brief intervention to reduce risk of prescription opioid-related harm in patients with chronic pain. Dr Elphinston has a current appointment with Addiction and Mental Health Services in Metro South Health and has experience in working in multidisciplinary clinical and research teams to translate research into practice and design and implement new models of care. She also has experience in delivering education and training to a wide range of health professionals and supervising undergraduate and postgraduate students.
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland
- Bachelor of Science (Hon), The University of Queensland
- Bachelor of Science, The University of Queensland
Publications
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Journal Article: The promotion of policy changes restricting access to codeine medicines on Twitter: what do national pain organizations say?
Elphinston, Rachel A., Requena, Simone Scotti, Angus, Daniel, de Andrade, Dominique, Freeman, Christopher R. and Day, Melissa A. (2019). The promotion of policy changes restricting access to codeine medicines on Twitter: what do national pain organizations say?. The Journal of Pain doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2019.12.001
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Journal Article: Cross-sectional and prospective correlates of recovery expectancies in the rehabilitation of whiplash injury
Elphinston, Rachel A., Thibault, Pascal, Carriere, Junie S., Rainville, Pierre and Sullivan, Michael J. (2018). Cross-sectional and prospective correlates of recovery expectancies in the rehabilitation of whiplash injury. Clinical Journal of Pain, 34 (4) 0542, 306-312. doi: 10.1097/AJP.0000000000000542
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Journal Article: Time to face it! Facebook intrusion and the implications for romantic jealousy and relation
Elphinston, Rachel A. and Noller, Patricia (2011). Time to face it! Facebook intrusion and the implications for romantic jealousy and relation. CyberPsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 14 (11), 631-635. doi: 10.1089/cyber.2010.0318
Grants
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(2019–2020) Australian Rotary Health Research Fund
Available Projects
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Designing and evaluating integrated physical and psychological interventions for people at risk of pain medicine-related harm
Our research has shown that there is lack of integrated treatment options for people with pain who are at risk of medicine-related harm. This program of research will partner with patients to design interventions that are fit-for-purpose. It will test effectiveness in an RCT to reduce the unintended harms of pain medications.
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How to combat online health misinformation
Online misinformation and fake news present a challenge to effective communication in pain and injury care. We have commenced development of a brief tool which could be used by patients to critique pain-related information. This program of research will develop assessment tools and examine how to empower patients and the public to critically analyse pain-related information.
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Developing a public health approach to injury and pain care
Our research suggests that online Twitter messaging by pain organisations about policy decisions can reach large audiences. This program of research will develop and evaluate a campaign to promote improved recovery following injury in road traffic crashes.
Publications
Featured Publications
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Elphinston, Rachel A., Requena, Simone Scotti, Angus, Daniel, de Andrade, Dominique, Freeman, Christopher R. and Day, Melissa A. (2019). The promotion of policy changes restricting access to codeine medicines on Twitter: what do national pain organizations say?. The Journal of Pain doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2019.12.001
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Elphinston, Rachel A., Thibault, Pascal, Carriere, Junie S., Rainville, Pierre and Sullivan, Michael J. (2018). Cross-sectional and prospective correlates of recovery expectancies in the rehabilitation of whiplash injury. Clinical Journal of Pain, 34 (4) 0542, 306-312. doi: 10.1097/AJP.0000000000000542
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Time to face it! Facebook intrusion and the implications for romantic jealousy and relation
Elphinston, Rachel A. and Noller, Patricia (2011). Time to face it! Facebook intrusion and the implications for romantic jealousy and relation. CyberPsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 14 (11), 631-635. doi: 10.1089/cyber.2010.0318
Journal Article
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Fowler, James, Gullo, Matthew J. and Elphinston, Rachel A. (2020). Impulsivity traits and Facebook addiction in young people and the potential mediating role of coping styles. Personality and Individual Differences, 161 109965, 109965. doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2020.109965
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Elphinston, Rachel A., Requena, Simone Scotti, Angus, Daniel, de Andrade, Dominique, Freeman, Christopher R. and Day, Melissa A. (2019). The promotion of policy changes restricting access to codeine medicines on Twitter: what do national pain organizations say?. The Journal of Pain doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2019.12.001
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de Andrade, Dominique, Elphinston, Rachel A., Quinn, Catherine, Allan, Julaine and Hides, Leanne (2019). The effectiveness of residential treatment services for individuals with substance use disorders: a systematic review. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 201, 227-235. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2019.03.031
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O'Donovan, Julie, Russell, Karen, Kuipers, Pim, Siskind, Dan and Elphinston, Rachel A. (2019). A place to call home: hearing the perspectives of people living with homelessness and mental illness through service evaluation. Community Mental Health Journal, 55 (7), 1218-1225. doi: 10.1007/s10597-019-00406-8
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Validation of an index of Sensitivity to Movement-Evoked Pain in patients with whiplash injuries
Wan, Alan K., Rainville, Pierre, O'Leary, Shaun, Elphinston, Rachel A., Sterling, Michele, Larivière, Christian and Sullivan, Michael J. L. (2018). Validation of an index of Sensitivity to Movement-Evoked Pain in patients with whiplash injuries. Pain Reports, 3 (4) e661, e661. doi: 10.1097/PR9.0000000000000661
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Elphinston, Rachel A., Thibault, Pascal, Carriere, Junie S., Rainville, Pierre and Sullivan, Michael J. (2018). Cross-sectional and prospective correlates of recovery expectancies in the rehabilitation of whiplash injury. Clinical Journal of Pain, 34 (4) 0542, 306-312. doi: 10.1097/AJP.0000000000000542
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Ward, Elizabeth C., Elphinston, Rachel A., Wall, Laurelie R., Schwarz, Maria and Gordon, Gail E. (2018). Research engagement and activity in an allied health workforce insights into departmental and organisational strategies. Journal of Allied Health, 47 (4), 265-271.
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Untapped potential: psychologists leading research in clinical practice
Elphinston, Rachel A. and Pager, Susan (2015). Untapped potential: psychologists leading research in clinical practice. Australian Psychologist, 50 (2), 115-121. doi: 10.1111/ap.12102
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Romantic jealousy and relationship satisfaction: the costs of rumination
Elphinston, Rachel A., Feeney, Judith A., Noller, Patricia, Connor, Jason P. and Fitzgerald, Jennifer (2013). Romantic jealousy and relationship satisfaction: the costs of rumination. Western Journal of Communication, 77 (3), 293-304. doi: 10.1080/10570314.2013.770161
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Measuring romantic jealousy: Validation of the Multidimensional Jealousy Scale in Australian samples
Elphinston, Rachel A., Feeney, Judith A. and Noller, Patricia (2011). Measuring romantic jealousy: Validation of the Multidimensional Jealousy Scale in Australian samples. Australian Journal of Psychology, 63 (4), 243-251. doi: 10.1111/j.1742-9536.2011.00026.x
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Time to face it! Facebook intrusion and the implications for romantic jealousy and relation
Elphinston, Rachel A. and Noller, Patricia (2011). Time to face it! Facebook intrusion and the implications for romantic jealousy and relation. CyberPsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 14 (11), 631-635. doi: 10.1089/cyber.2010.0318
Conference Publication
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Quinn, Catherine, Hides, Leanne, De Andrade, Dominique, Elphinston, Rachel, Wilson, Megan and Kavanagh, David (2018). Impact of brief psychoeducational interventions for reducing alcohol use and related harm in school leavers. Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and Other Drugs (APSAD), Auckland, New Zealand, 4-7 November, 2018. Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing. doi: 10.1111/dar.12862
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De Andrade, Dominique, Hides, Leanne, Quinn, Catherine, Elphinston, Rachel and Allan, Julaine (2018). The effectiveness of residential treatment services for individuals with substance use disorders: A review of recent evidence. Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and Other Drugs (APSAD), Auckland, New Zealand, 4-7 November 2018. Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing. doi: 10.1111/dar.12862
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Hides, Leanne, Elphinston, Rachel and Quinn, Catherine (2018). Workshop: QuikFix: A new risk-targeted brief intervention for young people at risk of substance-related harm. Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and Other Drugs (APSAD), Auckland, New Zealand, 4-7 November, 2018. Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing. doi: 10.1111/dar.12862
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Robinson, A. and Elphinston, R. A. (2015). The customer’s always right: first insights into recruitment and selection practices across allied health. APS 11th Industrial and Organisational Psychology Conference, Melbourne, VIC, Australia, 2-7 July 2015.
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Elphinston, R. A. and Feeney, J. A. (2006). An attachment perspective on romantic jealousy: examining person and situational determinants and their interactive effects.. Conference of the Interpersonal Association for Relationships, Crete, Greece, 6-10 July 2006.
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Elphinston, R. A. and Feeney, J. A. (2005). The dark side of romantic relationships: The role of person and situational variable in the experience and expression of jealousy. the 40th Annual Conference of the Australian Psychological Society, Crown Promenade Hotel, Melbourne, Victoria, 28 September - 2 October 2005. Basingstoke, UK: Taylor & Francis.
Other Outputs
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Rachel Elphinston (2010). UNDERSTANDING JEALOUSY IN ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS: LINKS TO ATTACHMENT, FACEBOOK INVOLVEMENT, AND RELATIONAL OUTCOMES. PhD Thesis, School of Psychology, The University of Queensland.
Grants (Administered at UQ)
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(2019–2020) Australian Rotary Health Research Fund
Possible Research Projects
Note for students: The possible research projects listed on this page may not be comprehensive or up to date. Always feel free to contact the staff for more information, and also with your own research ideas.
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Designing and evaluating integrated physical and psychological interventions for people at risk of pain medicine-related harm
Our research has shown that there is lack of integrated treatment options for people with pain who are at risk of medicine-related harm. This program of research will partner with patients to design interventions that are fit-for-purpose. It will test effectiveness in an RCT to reduce the unintended harms of pain medications.
-
How to combat online health misinformation
Online misinformation and fake news present a challenge to effective communication in pain and injury care. We have commenced development of a brief tool which could be used by patients to critique pain-related information. This program of research will develop assessment tools and examine how to empower patients and the public to critically analyse pain-related information.
-
Developing a public health approach to injury and pain care
Our research suggests that online Twitter messaging by pain organisations about policy decisions can reach large audiences. This program of research will develop and evaluate a campaign to promote improved recovery following injury in road traffic crashes.
-
Designing and evaluating intensive psychological interventions targeted to pain-related psychosocial risk factors
There is a need to develop best practice psychological treatments that prevent and reduce chronic pain following road traffic accidents. This program of research will develop risk-targeted interventions and test effectiveness in a controlled trial.
