Our School of Psychology is a great place to do research that matters. We conduct high-quality, collaborative, and interdisciplinary research that spans the full spectrum of psychological science from basic to applied research. We adopt a translational perspective aimed at understanding problems of social importance, which then promotes behaviour change and informs policy debate. Our research has led to empirical insights into complex psychological processes and these insights have been extrapolated to address significant social challenges.
We are proud of strong collaborative links including those with our faculty’s Research Institutes, which further enriches our research environment and facilitates collaboration beyond and between disciplines. These multidisciplinary collaborations enhance the breadth of our research capabilities and fosters an expanded, supportive network for our researchers.
We are committed to the principles of equality, diversity, and inclusivity, ensuring that our research addresses diverse perspectives and benefits all segments of society. Additionally, we are committed to supporting our staff at all career levels, especially our early career researchers and mid-career researchers, recognising their vital contributions to our dynamic research environment. The impact of our research activities was rated as internationally excellent in the REF2021 assessment.
Improving Outcome Assessment in Acquired Brain Injury
Over 1.3million people in the UK are living with the long-term effects of acquired brain injury (ABI). ABI is an injury to the brain which has occurred since birth whether a road traffic incident or a fall or stroke. This research aimed to ensure that health professionals have the tools to reliably detect neurobehavioural disability. This tool (The St Andrew's - Swansea Neurobehavioral Outcome Scale) has seen wide spread national and international adoption and is now emended into electronic patient record systems.
Improving Psychological Support for Health Related Stress
Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) is defined by fatal or potentially fatal blood clots through the body. The experience of a VTE has the hallmarks of an event likely to cause significant psychological distress. This research was approach in two distinct strands, the first focussing on identifying the scope of the problem the second examining the psychological impacts of VTE. Professor Bennett's work has been recognised as needing to be central to developing standards of care for VTE patients, and healthboards have implemented psychological provision for patients as a direct result of this research.
Psychological Support to Promote Physiotherapy for Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
Pelvic Floor Dysfunction (PFD) affects 25% of women Worldwide. Physiotherapy Pelvic Floor Muscle Training (PFMT) is an effective, safe, and cost efficient treatment, yet many women do not attend or complete their sessions. Professor Reed found that 50% PFD sufferers were not attending for treatment. Patients who also had depression and anxiety (around 30% of this patient group) were even more likely not to complete treatment, and would have poorer PFMT outcomes even after the had completed treatment.
Gambling Harmless Fun?
Gambling (which may be defined as wagering on an uncertain outcome, usually for money) is as old as time itself. While most people can enjoy an occasional bet on the football or a trip to the casino without developing a problem, a significant minority find it difficult to limit their gambling.
Our research aims to identify those who may be at risk of gambling related harm, to investigate the neuro-behavioural mechanisms underlying the onset and maintenance of gambling problems, and to develop innovative forms of clinical treatment. We adopt a basic-applied translational perspective in which gambling problems or specific features of gambling games are modelled experimentally in the basic science lab before translational application to real world gambling.
Anxiety and Avoidance: Safe from Harm?
Learning about what does and does not predict threat clearly aids our survival. Confronted with new situations, experience with similar threats guides us. People vulnerable to anxiety may, however, come to overly rely on just one unpleasant experience when reacting to different situations.
‘Living in fear’ prevents disconfirming opportunities; rather than wait and find out if something bad will happen, we opt for a “better safe than sorry” approach. As a result, our quality of life is impaired and mental health suffers. Overcoming this avoidance tendency is a common feature of behavioural therapy and is a core characteristic of disorders such as anxiety related disorders, obsessive compulsive disorders, and PTSD.
Join Our Research Community
The research work we do is in support of an ethos underpinned by a culture of connectedness from the research we carry out through to the opportunities we build for early career researchers. Our research has worldwide impact and is an ideal platform from which to launch a research career. Integral throughout all of this is the involvement of patients and care providers in our work, ensuring it remains relevant to the challenges facing our society.
Our research degree programmes will help you to; pursue a career in academia, improve your employment prospects, develop your skills in a chosen professional career or simply want to follow a programme of research based on your own personal interests.
