Dr Maria Dempsey and Dr Raegan Murphy

Dr Maria Dempsey and Dr Raegan Murphy are investigating the lived experiences of individuals whose partners are experiencing depression. The study is on-going and commenced with qualitative interviewing of individuals who live with a partner suffering from depression (both clinically and self-diagnosed). The themes highlighted in the qualitative research investigation provided the content for items which are currently being piloted. The aim is to develop a psychometric tool which will serve to identify salient features of the lived experiences of individuals living with depressed partners. A novel feature of this tool is the use of face-based Likert scales. The tool uses two types of response scales and one of the aims to see if there is any impact on response choice between the face-based Likert scale and the more conventional narrative Likert scale. To date, four MA students have and are working with the researchers to pilot test, develop and refine the tool further.

Dr Christopher McCusker

Involving children with congenital heart disease, epilepsy, brain injury and cancer, our work has elucidated behavioural and neurodevelopmental phenotypes associated with such diseases. It has highlighted an often greater role for family functioning in determining outcomes for children than disease factors and severity.

Involving children with congenital heart disease, epilepsy, brain injury and cancer, our work has elucidated behavioural and neurodevelopmental phenotypes associated with such diseases. It has highlighted an often greater role for family functioning in determining outcomes for children than disease factors and severity.

We are translating findings regarding protective and risk factors in family focused interventions and testing the efficacy of such in feasibility and controlled trials.

Collaborators include Cork University Hospital, INFANT centre, Epilepsy Ireland, HSE mental health services, Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children, Northern Ireland Children’s Heart Trust and Erasmus University Rotterdam.

Dr Audrey Dunn Galvin, Dr Gabriel Coelho and Lisa Forristal

Funded by The National Children’s Research Centre, under the aegis of the Children’s Medical and Research Foundation (CMRF) This study is based on a novel disease specific developmental model which I first published in 2008 and validated in 2017 across six countries. 

The primary aim of the study is the development and validation of five age appropriate questionnaires to evaluate emotions and coping in food allergy (parent all years; parent proxy 0-12 years; children 8-12 years; adolescents 13-17 years; late adolescence 18 –25 years), The Food Allergy Coping and Emotions Scale (FACES). The secondary aim is to determine the associations between coping and emotions and health related quality of life (HRQL).