Antony David Kidman (10 December 1938 – 12 September 2014) was an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and explanation, interpretatio ...

and academic. He was the father of actress

Nicole Kidman Nicole Mary Kidman (born 20 June 1967) is an Australian and American actress and producer. Known for Nicole Kidman on screen and stage, her work in film and television productions across many genres, she has consistently ranked among the world ...

and journalist Antonia Kidman.

Early life and education

Kidman was born in

Randwick Randwick is a suburb in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Randwick is located 6 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government ar ...

and grew up in

North Sydney North Sydney is a suburb and commercial district on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. And is the administrative centre for the local government area of North Sydney Council. History The Indigenous people on the s ...

, the oldest of four children, to Margaret Emily Mary (née Callachor) and Arthur David Kidman. He was of Scottish descent. Kidman attended St Aloysius' College and then completed a Bachelor of Science at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...

and a Master of Science at the

University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW) is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was established in 1949. The university comprises seven faculties, through which it offers bachelor's, master's and docto ...

. He accepted an

American Cancer Society The American Cancer Society (ACS) is a nationwide non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating cancer. The ACS publishes the journals ''Cancer'', '' CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians'' and '' Cancer Cytopathology''. History The society w ...

Scholarship and undertook a PhD in biochemistry at the

University of Hawaii at Manoa A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...

Career

In the late 1960s, Kidman moved to

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, to work at the

National Institute of Mental Health The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is one of 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH, in turn, is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and is the primar ...

at St. Elizabeth Psychiatric Hospital. He returned to Australia in the early 1970s to take up a position as a lecturer in biochemistry at

Monash University Monash University () is a public university, public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. Named after World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the ...

. He moved to the

University of Technology Sydney The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) is a public university, public research university located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The university was founded in its current form in 1988, though its origins as a Institute of technology, ...

in 1972 and worked there until his death. In 1977, Kidman established the Foundation for Life Sciences, a non-profit organisation focused on youth mental illness. It was renamed the Antony Kidman Foundation after his death. After his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer in the 1980s, Kidman trained in

cognitive behavioural therapy Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of psychotherapy that aims to reduce symptoms of various mental health conditions, primarily depression, PTSD, and anxiety disorders. Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on challenging and chang ...

and became a

clinical psychologist Clinical psychology is an integration of human science, behavioral science, theory, and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically-based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well ...

. In 1985, he established the Health Psychology Unit at the University of Technology, from where he conducted research into the biological and psychological aspects of cancer. He wrote over 150 journal articles and nine books.

Personal life

Kidman married Janelle Glenny, then a student nurse, in 1963. They had two daughters:

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

-winning actress

(born 1967) and journalist and television presenter Antonia Kidman (born 1970).

Death

Kidman died from a heart attack on 12 September 2014 in Singapore, aged 75.

Awards and honours

In 2005, Kidman was made a

Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...

for his contribution to clinical psychology.

Selected bibliography

Books

* A. D. Kidman, ''How to Change Your Life: Tactics for Moving from Thought to Action'' (London: Kogan Page, 1996) * A. D. Kidman, ''Stress, Coping and Social Support in the Age of Anxiety'' (Sydney: Foundation for Life Sciences, 2005) * A. D. Kidman, ''Schizophrenia: A Guide for Families'' (Sydney: Biochemical and General Services, 2007) * A. D. Kidman, ''Staying Sane in the Fast Lane: A Guide to Emotional Health'' (Epping: Delphian Books, 2011)

Journal articles

* Kathryn I. Cocker, David R. Bell and Antony D. Kidman, "Cognitive behaviour therapy with advanced breast cancer patients: A brief report of a pilot study" 3 (3) ''Psycho-Oncoloy'' (1994): 233–237 * Sarah Edelman and Antony D. Kidman, "Mind and Cancer: Is There a Relationship?— A Review of Evidence" 32 (2) ''Australian Psychologist'' (1997): 79–85 * Sarah Edelman, David R. Bell and Antony D. Kidman, "A group cognitive behaviour therapy programme with metastatic breast cancer patients" 8 (4) ''Psycho-Oncology'' (1999): 295–305 * Sarah Edelman, Jim Lemon, David R. Bell and Antony D. Kidman, "Effects of group CBT on the survival time of patients with metastatic breast cancer" 8 (6) ''Psycho-Oncology'' (1999): 474–481 * Shane Pascoe, Sarah Edelman and Antony D. Kidman, "Prevalence of psychological distress and use of support services by cancer patients at Sydney hospitals" 34 (5) ''Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry'' (2000): 785–791

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kidman, Antony 1938 births 2014 deaths Australian biochemists Australian people of Scottish descent Australian psychologists Antony Kidman Members of the Order of Australia University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa alumni Academic staff of the University of Technology Sydney People educated at St Aloysius' College (Sydney) Australian lecturers