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Quantitative Social Psychology

Health and Well-being: Thriving People and Communities

* Image generated using AI

Promoting and maintaining health and well-being has become increasingly important, especially in the wake of the recent global pandemic. The research we conduct at Durham aims not only to understand the risk factors for poor physical and mental health, but also to take a strengths-based approach to understanding, fostering and empowering positive physical and mental health. Our work spans a variety of contexts and vulnerable populations. For example, we investigate health and well-being outcomes in those with and without chronic physical and/or mental health conditions and in health-care workers, students, working adults, and forensic populations, among others. Our expertise extends to testing among large representative samples of the population. We have particular strengths in topics of health promotion, stress and coping, positive psychological approaches, psychopathology, personality and health, health policy, risk perceptions and health behaviour change, as well as in designing and evaluating health and well-being interventions. Our research takes a rigorous, evidence-based approach that is underpinned by expertise in randomised controlled trials, experimental and observational research, research syntheses and measurement of health and well-being factors. The real-world applications of our work are reflected in our collaborations with the NHS, local and regional government, industry partners, and national and international academic institutions and research centres.

Theme Leads

For all queries regarding our work on health and well-being, please contact our theme leads below.

Name Research Keywords
Leanne Trick Mental health; physical health; addiction; comorbidity
Fuschia Sirois Self-regulation; health behaviours; personality and health; positive psychological approaches to health and well-being; adjustment to chronic health conditions; health-care use and delivery

Staff

Here are some of our members who work on health and well-being

Name Research Keywords

Kathleen Carswell

Romantic relationship quality and well-being; relational goal-pursuit; self-expansion; passion; love
Niklas Ihssen Social media; alcohol; food reward; addiction
Michael Lengieza Nature connectedness; eudaimonia; self-expansion; self-transcendence
Thuy-Vy Nguyen Rest; well-being; loneliness; emotion regulation; self-determination theory
Karolina Nieberle Health and well-being at work, leadership, workplace loneliness
Milica Vasiljevic Health promotion, and policy; social determinants of mental health and wellbeing
Tammi Walker Mental health, physical health, women, forensic populations, self-harm, addiction
Mario Weick Social determinants of mental health and wellbeing; self-regulation

Junior Researchers

Name Research Keywords

Fabienne Andres

Mental health interventions; sociocultural influences on body image; cross-cultural psychology

Paul Burgum

Self-determination theory; resilience, well-being, extreme environments
Lucy Edgar Food reward; emotions; affect; snacking; eating
Zhaochen Meng Loneliness; meaningful relationships
Gloria Roden-Lui Health Inequalities and Serious Mental Illness; Sexual Violence and Misconduct; Cultural and Ethnic Diversity; Mental Health Act; Criminal Justice System; Hate Crimes and Inequalities. 
Chenruisi Xu Romantic relationship certainty, Cross-cultural Comparison, mate-selection, attraction
Wenjing Zheng mental health, harassment, bullying, support services

Other Research Areas

Find out more about our other research areas.

Intergroup Relations

Diverse societies pose significant challenges in today’s society, like racism, sexism, nationalism, and other forms of prejudice, but also confer societal advantages.

Workplace and Organisations

Creating inclusive work environments, supporting occupational health and well-being, and developing effective leadership are major challenges in today's workplaces.

Basic Mechanisms

Emotions, desires, and motivation are fundamental components of everyday human experience and behaviour.

Behavioural Change

We investigate factors that drive behaviour, with a particular focus on risk perception, social influence, and decision-making in a variety of applied settings

Environmental Psychology

Some of our research focuses on topics such as; pro-environmental behaviour, collective action, and policy support.

* The illustrations above have been generated using AI