Programme Students

Programme Students from NUI Galway are:

Anne Cassidy

Anne Cassidy

PhD Supervisor: Dr. Brian McGrath (NUIG)

PhD Title: Transitions to Adulthood: Farm Youth and the Future

This thesis explores the life path of young people who grow up on farms in Ireland. It looks at how their transition to adulthood takes place, whether the societal shift towards individualised biographies impacts on their choices and how indeed these transitions take place. It examines questions surrounding farm youths’ identity, how it is created and how it is likely to have changed as a result of shifting societal values and goals. Farming families typically followed a patriarchal model whose values seem to be at odds with those of late modernity. This potential dichotomy between the traditional way families were organised and their modern day counterpart is crucial to our understanding of the topic. Growing up on a farm brings with it a unique set of considerations and experiences that can set individuals apart from other youth who grow up in a non-farm rural or urban setting. Traditionally there has been a differentiated set of expectations for both genders in the farm family. This thesis looks at how and why these differentiations occur and whether given the current crisis in the farming community they still hold true and the impact that it has on the ability and way that transitions to adulthood take place.

 

Ronan Conway

Ronan Conway

PhD Supervisors: Dr Caroline Heary (NUIG) & Dr Michael Hogan (NUIG)

PhD Topic: The Development of Adolescent Self-Regulatory and Psychosocial Capacities and their Impact on Positive Youth Development and Risk-Taking: A 12-month longitudinal Study.

This project will examine cognitive, psychosocial and ecological aspects of adolescence, and examine how this developmental-systems model informs positive youth development and risk-taking behaviour. This research will use SEM statistical analyses to assess the relationships between self-regulation and psychosocial capacities of peer influence, emotional regulation, and social prototypes, and illustrate the influence of intentional self-regulation and psychosocial capacities on Positive Youth Development and Risk-taking in early- and late-adolescence over a 12 month period.

 

Sheila Garrity

Sheila Garrity

PhD Supervisor: Dr. John Canavan (NUIG)

PhD Title: Exploratory Study of Relationships between Parents and Providers of Childcare Services in Ireland

This research seeks to explore the complex and intertwined relationships between parents and child care providers that often exist on the ‘threshold’ between the community at large and the ‘cloistered’ hidden realm of the childcare environment, in its many forms. The ethic of care as an approach to understanding relationships will be used as an underpinning theoretical framework to analyse and interpret these connections, which this researcher contends is intricate and multi-directional, complex and multi-layered, with enigmas of competition and collaboration as well as conflict and support deeply enmeshed within.

 

Helen Gleeson

PhD Supervisors: Dr. Molly Byrne (NUIG) & Dr. Caroline Heary (NUIG)

PhD Title: An exploration of the factors that influence young people’s attitudes toward Gardai in Ireland. A Mixed Methods study.

Summary: The purpose of this study is to investigate the attitudes of Irish young people toward the Gardai. As very little research exists in this area regarding Irish populations, this study aims to give an overall view of Irish young people’s attitudes and to then test a model of attitude influences on a larger sample. This is a mixed methods study where qualitative data is collected first through semi-structured interviews to be followed up by a larger scale quantitative questionnaire based on both the interview data and relevant variables identified from the literature. Participants are young people aged between 12 and 18 years old.

 

Maire Hanniffy

PhD Supervisor: Dr Michelle Millar (NUIG)

PhD Title: An Exploration of a Community's Impact on Children's School Readiness in Galway.

This research intends to explore a disadvantaged community in Galway, and identify the level of school readiness in that area as a function of the community and the parents, who together share the responsibility of preparing the three- to four-year-old population for entering primary school. Beliefs about school readiness are locally determined. Exploring community factors and promoting the voice of parents should facilitate a bottom-up approach, where the actual experiences of preparing children for starting primary school are made known. This is essential in informing the design of effective evidence-based interventions and policies, in addition to the identification of the roles that people and organisations can play at the local grassroots level.

 

Marcella Horrigan-Kelly

PhD Supervisor: Dr. Michelle Millar (NUIG)

PhD Title: Connecting with Families: Exploring Teenage Parent Service Users Perceptions of Universal Primary Health Care Child and Family Health Services in the Community Setting

The primary aim of this study is to explore teenage parent perceptions as service users’ of universal primary health care children and family health services in the community setting. In exploring these perceptions impetus is placed on what receiving these services mean for the participants and if the services are meeting the unique needs of teenagers as parents. International and Irish health policy highlight the importance of service user involvement in contributing to the development of appropriate services acknowledging the user as an ‘expert’ contributor to the planning, development and evaluation of services (World Health Organization, 2010, DoH&C, 2006; HeBe, 2002; HSE, 2005; 2007; DoH&C and HSE, 2008). Within this study the teenager as parent is viewed as expert contributing to a deeper understanding of how these services address their health needs.

 

 

Siobhan Kavanagh

PhD Supervisor: Dr Padraig MacNeela (NUIG)

PhD Title: An Exploratory Study of Positive Interventions for Mental Health.

My research is exploring the benefits of adapting a positive psychology approach to the construction of interventions which will impact upon the mental health and subjective wellbeing of young adults. Previous research examining the benefits of smiling, humour and laughter have provided some insight into the importance of utilising intrinsically positive behaviours. However, the development of such interventions needs further research to identify how these naturally occurring responses can be targeted to improve mental health. This study will contribute to the understanding of the meaning of humour for young adults and its relationship to subjective well-being, and will test relevant interventions, which are contextualised to this population.

 

Lisa Ann Kennedy

Lisa Ann Kennedy

PhD Supervisor: Dr. Padraig MacNeela (NUIG)

PhD Title: Ethnic Identity and Acculturation among Adolescent Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Ireland: A Qualitative Exploration

Summary of Research: This qualitative research investigates the experience of acculturation and ethnic identity development among adolescent refugees and asylum-seekers in Ireland. Adopting an interpretative phenomenological approach, this research explores the lived experience of the acculturation process. To gain a holistic perspective, the views and experiences of parents of adolescent refugees and asylum seekers are also incorporated. This research augments the scant psychological research on ethnic minority adolescents in Ireland.

 

Tanja Kovacic

Tanja Kovacic

PhD Supervisors: Prof. Pat Dolan (NUIG) & Dr. Anne Byrne (NUIG)

PhD Title: Social Construction of Resilience and Civic Participation: Contextual, Historical, Cultural and Generational Attitudes of Slovenian Youth and Adults.

Current understanding of the notion of resilience emphasizes the importance of contextual and cultural specifics for studying the phenomenon (Ungar, M. & Liebenberg, L., 2008). Furthermore, several studies claim that resilience processes depend on civic participatory practices (Evans, S. & Prilleltensky, I., 2005, p. 405; Dolan, 2010). However, the connection has to be approached with cautions and researched in different socio-cultural, political and historical contexts. According to this, the aim of the study is to explore the connection between civic participation and resilience in Slovenian cultural setting, explored through the narratives of young people and adults.

 

Claire O’ Driscoll

Claire O'Driscoll

PhD Supervisors: Dr. Caroline Heary (NUIG) & Dr Eilis Hennessy (UCD)

PhD Title: ‘Peer stigmatization of psychological difficulties in childhood and adolescence: An investigation into implicit and explicit public stigma towards peers with ADHD and depression’.

This research is funded by the Health Research Board (HRB)

This research explores stigma towards peers with mental health problems in middle childhood and adolescence. The first part of this research explores implicit and explicit stigma towards peers with ADHD and depression. Implicit stigma is assessed using a child friendly Implicit Association Test (IAT) that was specifically designed for this study. The second part of this research focuses on two specific aspects of stigma; stereotypes and discrimination. In doing this, the study explores justification for excluding peers with ADHD and depression. Together these two studies aim to provide a thorough insight into the stigmatization of peers with mental health problems.

 

Anne O'Kelly

PhD Supervisors: Dr Bernadine Brady (NUIG) and Professor Chris Curtin (NUIG)

PhD Title: Hearing Children’s Direct Views about being Consulted During their Parents’ Separation and Divorce Process: the Implications for Children, the Challenges and Opportunities for Parents, Family Support Services and Family Law Services in Ireland.

 

Rebecca O'Shaughnessy

PhD Supervisor:

PhD Title: To Examine the Wellbeing of Children Living with Parental Mental Illness in Ireland.

This research proposes to provide an in-depth examination of the wellbeing of children in families where parental mental illness is a factor. Moreover, it will examine the causal relationship between parental mental illness and child well-being outcomes, using a structural equation modelling approach. The research will be firmly embedded in the theoretical framework of the ‘new sociology of childhood’. It will argue that the wellbeing of children living with parental mental illness needs to be understood within the current context of children’s daily lives. By examining the experiences of children living with parental mental illness through a dialectical perspective will allow for a more comprehensive illustration of children’s experiences within this context

 

Leonor Rodriguez Estrada

PhD Supervisors: Dr Annmarie Groarke (NUIG) and Prof. Pat Dolan (NUIG)

PhD Title: Adolescent Adjustment to a Mother's Breast Cancer Diagnosis: The Role of Coping Styles, Personality, Social Support, Resilience and the Parent's Adaptation to the Disease.

Adolescents who have a mother diagnosed with breast cancer experience many changes and threats to their way of life. These changes can result in anxiety and depression that cause difficulties in their home, school, and social lives (Stiffler D., Baranda, B., Hosei, B., Haase, J., 2008). This may also have an impact on their needs and the resources available to them. This research will therefore describe the way in which an adolescent manages to adapt to the mother's breast cancer, by looking at the resources and strategies available to them, taking into account their personal resources and those in their family and community. Data collection with children and their families will determine the quantity and quality of these resources, as well as identify those needs that are not being properly resolved.

 

Charlotte Silke

PhD Supervisor: Dr Caroline Heary (NUIG)

PhD Title: An Investigation into How Children Discriminate against Peers with Mental Health Problems.

 

Programme Students from TCD are:

Kate Babineau

Kate Babineau

PhD Supervisor: Dr Philip Curry (TCD)

PhD Title: Different Worlds: A Quantitative Study of Children’s Perceptions of Peer Relations in Multi-Cultural Primary Schools (working title).

Operating from a theoretical recognition of the significance of the child as a social actor, this study aims to address a gap in quantitative data on children’s perspectives on peer relations in multi-ethnic primary schools. Specifically, the study will investigate children’s ethnic attitudes, peer relationships, the influence of negative ethnic attitude on peer relations, and the mental health outcomes of negative peer relations and perceived discrimination.

 

Katie Cremin

PhD Supervisors: Dr Michael Gordon (TCD) and Dr Kristen Maglieri (TCD)

PhD Title: The Transition from Primary to Post-Primary Schools for Students with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Ireland.

The transition to post-primary education will be a significant change and life event for a student with ASD. Their experience of the transition and post-primary education will not only impact on their academic outcomes, but also social participation and self-perception. It is known that many barriers exist to participation in mainstream education for students with ASD. Social isolation, bullying and anxiety commonly feature in a student with ASD experience of school (Humphrey & Lewis, 2008 and Carrington & Graham, 2001). This study proposes to explore the transition from primary to the end of the 1st year in post-primary education for students with ASD attending mainstream secondary schools in Ireland. The study aims to focus on the students' experience. It will also append these accounts with views and experiences from other key stakeholders in the students' education i.e. parents, educators and relevant health professionals, and examine contexts and social constructs which influence the transition experience.

 

Emily Dillon

PhD Supervisor: Dr Jean Quigley (TCD)

PhD Title: A Prospective Case Study of Mono-Zygotic Twin Infants at Risk for Autism; Exploration of Twin Dyadic and Familial Language from Infancy to 3 Years.

Autism is a developmental disorder characterised by impairments in social behaviours and language. While the exact causes of autism are unknown, the genetic factors of the disorder place siblings of children with autism at a greater risk for a diagnosis than the general population. This project particularly follows the development of mono-zygotic twin girls at risk for autism from 4-36 months. Twins are at increased risk for language delay, and have been found to display unique language development from their singleton peers. The case study will therefore have the dual aspects of examining prospectively the language and behaiours of children at risk for autism, with the influence of being a twin. To this end, we will have standard measures of language and cognitive development, mother-child interactions and parental report for each child, each month for 4-18 months, 24 months, and 36 months, to be compared with a larger sample of developing infants.

 

Bronagh Flynn

PhD Supervisor: Dr Charlotte Emma Wilson (TCD)

PhD Title: How Anxiety is Expressed in Males and Females with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Anxiety is pervasive and prevalent in people with Autism (Skokeuskas & Gallagher, 2010), without being one of the defining diagnostic criteria in the DSM IV-TR. Anxiety seems to be a common feature in Autistic Spectrum Disorder, a disorder that is now believed to affect approximately 1 in 100 children (UK statistics). This study aims to look at gender differences in how anxiety is expressed within ASD through a comparison of children with autism, with typically developing children who present a similar anxiety disorder.

 

Elke Hayes

PhD Supervisor: Dr Liz Nixon (TCD)

PhD Title: The Differential Experiences of Siblings within Families Following Parental Separation.

While numerous studies have examined the connection between divorce and children's adjustment, it is only recently that research has considered how this association may vary among children in the same family (Conger, Stocker & McGuire, 2009). Individual siblings may experience and perceive parental separation and divorce differently, leading to differential adjustment to the separation (Richmond & Stocker, 2006). The sibling bond may also be affected, resulting in increased conflict and less supportive relationships between siblings (Milevsky, 2004; Poortman & Voorpostel, 2009). But this bond can also have a protective effect by acting as a buffer during the stress of parental separation (Jenkins, 1992; Bush & Ehrenburg, 2011). The present study aims to examine the adjustment and experiences of individual siblings in an Irish context following parental separation, using a mixed methods approach.

 

Maria Jordan-O'Reilly

PhD Supervisors: Prof. Sheila Greene (TCD) & Dr. Lorraine Swords (TCD)

PhD Title: Listening to children's experiences of negotiating disparities in values and expectations between their home and school environments.

I aim to explore children's experiences in relation to conflicts between their home and school environments through the use of observation within the school setting. Interviews based on the child's knowledge of rules and consequences in both home and school contexts are also proposed. The rationale is to identify which children are having difficulties in negotiating different contexts, and also gain an insight into the child's methods of coping with such conflicting expectations when they arise.

Evanna Keaveney

PhD Supervisor: Dr Patricia Walsh (TCD)

PhD Title: Navigating through the Landscapes of Young Lives

This research study sets out to invert the dominant focus of current discourse of young adolescence from a system of adult-focused perspective, and provide an examination of young adolescents' experience in Irish society from the perspective of the young. The research will examine how young adolescents position themselves and how they create meaning. The research will investigate biographical interaction between respondents and partners, and the web of relationships between the interview subjects and protagonists.

 

Susan Kent

PhD Supervisor: Professor Virpi Timonen (TCD)

PhD Title: Grandfathers as Carers of Children.

The research will explore the presence of grandfathers as carers of children, particularly when they were absent as fathers. The role of grandfathers is becoming visible in the unavailability of the grandmother to care. This is evident in child protection and relative fostering placements. Men are also becoming grandfathers at a younger age, and many in second relationships now experience caring for their grandchildren and similar-aged children at the same time. Enquiry will be through mixed methods (Grounded theory and Quantitative) from the intergenerational participants of the grandfather, middle parent, and the child.

 

Joanne Kierans

Joanne Kierans

PhD Supervisors: Dr. Tim Trimble (TCD) & Dr. Lorraine Swords (TCD)

PhD Title: Integrating elements of theoretical aetiological models of disordered eating in early adolescence: a focus on the role of cognitive processes.

This study aims to develop an expanded theoretical model for predicting disordered eating in a cohort of young adolescents, focusing on the role of cognitions using both direct and indirect cognitive processing measures. The views of young Irish adolescents will supplement the research rendering it appropriate for an Irish context.

 

Kimberley Kong

PhD Supervisor: Dr Charlotte Emma Wilson (TCD)

PhD Title: Investigation on Systemic Aspects of Resilience among Socio-economically Disadvantaged Children in Ireland.

Nearly every child faces occasional adversity, and many experience chronic stressors such as abuse, poverty or disease. There is a wide variation of outcomes for populations of children who will experience powerful predictive risks for behavorial and emotional problems. Some will succumb to the vicissitudes of life but many will thrive despite them. Resilience typically refers to a pattern of positive adaptation in the context of past or present adversity. This research hopes to portray resiliences in research questions that shift from the "what" questions of descriptions, to "how" questions underlying the processes that influence adaptation (Masten, 1990). Theoretical framework based on transactional and ecological perspectives on human development is used to understand the ways which conditions such as poverty and correlated social and economic disadvantage (e.g. parental educational and occupational attainment) can impact adaptational outcomes in children. This study will incorporate design and analytic techniques and strategies that allow detection of multi-level influences.

 

Margaret Lawler

Margaret Lawler
PhD Supervisors: Dr Liz Nixon (TCD) & Dr Caroline Heary (NUIG)

Exploring physical activity patterns among Irish adolescents (working title).
This research is funded by the Irish Research Council for Humanities and Social Sciences (IRCHSS)

The present study aims to develop a theoretical model that can predict transitions in physical activity across adolescence. In particular, the research will explore the processes underpinning maintenance or drop out from physical activity over a twelve-month period and evaluate the moderating role of gender and weight status. Qualitative focus groups and quantitative surveys will be employed to address these aims.

 

Karen Mahony

Karen Mahony

PhD Supervisor: Dr. Stephanie Holt (TCD)

PhD Title: Understanding Children’s Participation in the Primary School Context: A Case Study of Two Limerick City Schools.

How do education stakeholders (including: primary school children, school management and staff (principals and teachers), and statutory and voluntary groups with a key role in primary education) understand children’s participation in the primary school context and how does that understanding translate in to practice?

The main objectives of the study are to:

  • Explore stakeholders’ understandings of children’s participation in the primary school context and assess how that translates in reality.
  • Examine the processes and most appropriate methodologies to translating those understandings in to practice.
  • Identify any challenges and/or benefits of translating stakeholders’ understandings of children’s participation in the primary school context.

 

Tara O'Leary

PhD Supervisors: Dr Liz Nixon (TCD) and Dr Charlotte Emma Wilson (TCD)

PhD Title: Parenting and its Relationship to Anxiety in Children with Chronic Illness

The purpose of this study will be to examine lives of children living with chronic illness in Ireland. I will seek to explore levels of anxiety, resilience factors and coping mechanisms experienced by children suffering from chronic physical illness, and examine how parenting influences this. Chronic illness affects the entire family and this research will seek to explore the interaction between parenting and mental health outcomes in children across the multiple stages of their illness.

 

 

Dovile Vildaite

PhD Supervisor: Professor Robbie Gilligan (TCD)

PhD Title: Living in the ‘In-between’: Exploring Transnational Lives of Young Lithuanians in Ireland

The purpose of the present study is to explore transnational lives and the manifestations of ‘in-betweenness’ experienced by the 1.5 generation Lithuanian migrant adolescents in Ireland. This qualitative study is concerned with the following three aspects of their lives: (1) Transnational identity formation and representation; (2) Transnational social networks and ties with extended family members and Lithuanian friends; (3) Managing time and space: living and travelling between two countries.