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Course Outline

MHN707 Stress-related Disorders

Course Coordinator:Bonnie Quigley (bonnie.quigley@usc.edu.au) School:School of Health - Psychology

2026Trimester 1

Online

 Online You can do this course without coming onto campus, unless your program has specified a mandatory onsite requirement.

Please go to unisc.edu.au for up to date information on the
teaching sessions and campuses where this course is usually offered.

What is this course about?

Description

Stress promotes vulnerability to, or exacerbates symptoms of, most mental illnesses. Stress-related disorders result from an atypical response to anxiety due to physical, mental or emotional stress. Post-traumatic stress disorder can develop if feelings of fear, anger and depressed mood persist after exposure to a traumatic event. You will explore how atypical responses to trauma lead to disorders and how brain changes manifest into debilitating symptoms. For most, current treatments are not effective, so you’ll also explore emerging evidence behind novel therapies.

How will this course be delivered?

Activity Hours Beginning Week Frequency
Online
Online – The online activities will include a variety of asynchronous, interactive learning materials, and options for lecturer and peer to peer collaborations, and lecturer and peer zoom drop-ins. 3hrs Week 1 12 times

Course Topics

  • Stress: From a normal physiological response to chronic problems (Adult themes)
  • The neurobiology of stress-related disorders (Adult themes)
  • Stress-related disorders and existing treatments with a focus on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Adult themes)
  • The importance of preclinical and translational research with respect to stress-related disorders (Adult themes)
  • The role of communities and those with lived experience (Adult themes)
  • Novel treatments for stress-related disorders with a focus on PTSD (Adult themes)

Mature Content

Adult themes

What level is this course?

700 Level (Specialised)

Demonstrating a specialised body of knowledge and set of skills for professional practice or further learning. Advanced application of knowledge and skills in unfamiliar contexts.

What is the unit value of this course?

12 units

How does this course contribute to my learning?

Course Learning Outcomes On successful completion of this course, you should be able to... Graduate Qualities Completing these tasks successfully will contribute to you becoming...
1 Build an advanced understanding of neurological evidence associated with the development and treatment of stress-related mental health disorders. Knowledgeable
2 Assess and articulate, from an ethical perspective, the complexities of addressing stress-related disorders in the community and its impacts. Ethical
3 Appraise traditional approaches in addressing stress-related disorders and review current evidence of novel therapies utilised in treatment or community care. Sustainability-focussed
4 Evaluate current and novel approaches to treating a stress-related disorder to develop research questions and future directions based on neuroscientific evidence. Engaged

Am I eligible to enrol in this course?

Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.

Pre-requisites

Enrolled in Program AR602 or AR706

Co-requisites

Not applicable

Anti-requisites

Not applicable

Specific assumed prior knowledge and skills (where applicable)

Not applicable

Microcredential Information

Not applicable

How am I going to be assessed?

Grading Scale

Standard Grading (GRD)

High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL).

Details of early feedback on progress

You will be provided with multiple opportunities to gain early formative feedback relevant to your first assessment task, by completing the interactive self-check questions incorporated into your weekly online modules and learning materials.

Assessment tasks

Delivery mode Task No. Assessment Product Individual or Group Weighting % What is the duration / length? When should I submit? Where should I submit it?
All 1 Portfolio Individual 50% 
Maximum 40 questions plus 1000-2000 words
 Refer to Format Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All 2 Written Piece Individual 50% 
3500 words
 Exam Period Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All - Assessment Task 1:Learning Portfolio
Goal: 
The goal of this task is to build an advanced understanding of neurological evidence associated with the development of stress-related mental health disorders, to then assess and articulate, from an ethical perspective, the complexities of addressing stress-related disorders in the community and its impacts.
Product: Portfolio
Authorship Statement:
Format: 
Submit Weeks 4, 7 & 9. You will respond to a series of activities throughout the first half of the course. You will submit these according to the guidelines provided at the timepoints of Week 4, 7 and 9. The activities will progress from quiz style questions to short answers and discussion posts in Parts A & B. Your final submission will build on your foundational knowledge gained, to provide a response to an ethical question,  according to the guidelines provided, with the general public as your target audience. Full details provided in Canvas.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1 
Demonstration of building an advanced understanding of neurological evidence associated with the development of stress related disorders.
 1
2 
Assessment of the complexities of addressing stress-related disorders from an ethical perspective.
 2
3 
Articulation of the complexities of addressing stress-related disorders from an ethical perspective.
 2
4 
Articulation of ethical perspective by incorporating both own viewpoint and acknowledgement of views held by others.
 2
Generic Skills: 
Communication, Problem solving
All - Assessment Task 2:Position paper
Goal: 
The goal is to critically appraise the recent evidence base regarding current and novel approaches for treating a stress-related disorder.
Product: Written Piece
Authorship Statement:
Format: 
You will critically appraise recent literature to prepare a Position paper, following the relevant article guidelines and targeted at the journal’s audience. Your position paper will appraise traditional approaches to treating a stress-related disorder. You will then evaluate a novel approach, based on current evidence, to draw conclusions, pose future research directions and potential research questions.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1 
Appraisal of traditional approaches in addressing stress-related disorders.
 3
2 
Review of current evidence of novel therapies utilised in treatment or community care of stress-related disorders.
 3
3 
Evaluation of current and novel approaches to treating stress-related disorders.
 4
4 
Development of research questions to address a novel approaches to treating stress-related disorders.
 4
5 
Development of future directions to address novel approaches to treating stress-related disorders.
 4
Generic Skills: 
Communication, Problem solving

Directed study hours

A 12-unit course will have total of 150 learning hours which will include directed study hours (including online if required), self-directed learning and completion of assessable tasks. Student workload is calculated at 12.5 learning hours per one unit.

What resources do I need to undertake this course?

Please note: Course information, including specific information of recommended readings, learning activities, resources, weekly readings, etc. are available on the course Canvas site– Please log in as soon as possible.

Prescribed text(s) or course reader

There are no required/recommended resources for this course.

Specific requirements

All work submitted for assessment is to be word processed and submitted electronically. It is expected that

students will have ready access to a computer with common productivity software and reliable Internet access. Students will be able to participate in video conferencing, and therefore it is recommended to have computer capabilities to join these sessions (e.g. webcam, microphone).

How are risks managed in this course?

Health and safety risks for this course have been assessed as low. It is your responsibility to review course material, search online, discuss with lecturers and peers and understand the health and safety risks associated with your specific course of study and to familiarise yourself with the University’s general health and safety principles by reviewing the online induction training for students, and following the instructions of the University staff.

What administrative information is relevant to this course?

Assessment: Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is the ethical standard of university participation. It ensures that students graduate as a result of proving they are competent in their discipline. This is integral in maintaining the value of academic qualifications. Each industry has expectations and standards of the skills and knowledge within that discipline and these are reflected in assessment.

Academic integrity means that you do not engage in any activity that is considered to be academic fraud; including plagiarism, collusion or outsourcing any part of any assessment item to any other person. You are expected to be honest and ethical by completing all work yourself and indicating in your work which ideas and information were developed by you and which were taken from others. You cannot provide your assessment work to others. You are also expected to provide evidence of wide and critical reading, usually by using appropriate academic references.

In order to minimise incidents of academic fraud, this course may require that some of its assessment tasks, when submitted to Canvas, are electronically checked through Turnitin. This software allows for text comparisons to be made between your submitted assessment item and all other work to which Turnitin has access.

Assessment: Additional Requirements

Eligibility for Supplementary Assessment

Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying:
(a) The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4%; and
(b) The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale

Assessment: Submission penalties

Late submissions may be penalised up to and including the following maximum percentage of the assessment task’s identified value, with weekdays and weekends included in the calculation of days late:
(a) One day: deduct 5%;
(b) Two days: deduct 10%;
(c) Three days: deduct 20%;
(d) Four days: deduct 40%;
(e) Five days: deduct 60%;
(f) Six days: deduct 80%;
(g) Seven days: A result of zero is awarded for the assessment task.

The following penalties will apply for a late submission for an online examination:
Less than 15 minutes: No penalty
From 15 minutes to 30 minutes: 20% penalty
More than 30 minutes: 100% penalty

Links to relevant University policy and procedures

For more information on Academic Learning & Teaching categories including:

  • Assessment: Courses and Coursework Programs
  • Review of Assessment and Final Grades
  • Supplementary Assessment
  • Central Examinations
  • Deferred Examinations
  • Student Conduct
  • Students with a Disability

For more information, visit https://www.usc.edu.au/explore/policies-and-procedures#academic-learning-and-teaching

Student Charter

UniSC is committed to excellence in teaching, research and engagement in an environment that is inclusive, inspiring, safe and respectful. The Student Charter sets out what students can expect from the University, and what in turn is expected of students, to achieve these outcomes.

General Enquiries

  • In person:
    • UniSC Sunshine Coast - Student Central, Ground Floor, Building C, 90 Sippy Downs Drive, Sippy Downs
    • UniSC Moreton Bay - Service Centre, Ground Floor, Foundation Building, Gympie Road, Petrie
    • UniSC SouthBank - Student Central, Building A4 (SW1), 52 Merivale Street, South Brisbane
    • UniSC Gympie - Student Central, 71 Cartwright Road, Gympie
    • UniSC Fraser Coast - Student Central, Student Central, Building A, 161 Old Maryborough Rd, Hervey Bay
    • UniSC Caboolture - Student Central, Level 1 Building J, Cnr Manley and Tallon Street, Caboolture
  • Tel:+61 7 5430 2890
  • Email:studentcentral@usc.edu.au
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