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Research Themes and Scholarly Interests

My research interests broadly fit into the areas of Health Psychology, Psychobiology and Applied Mental Health research. My PhD focused on the effects of individual differences (i.e., Type D personality) on stress reactivity and associated health outcomes and my post-doc work involved the development of interventions for somatic symptom disorders.

More recently the focus of my research has involved the exploration of factors underpinning the development of mental health issues in students, particularly with regards to previous trauma and sleep health. I am also interested in the bidirectional relationship between poor sleep and mental health disorders as well as the use of creative and compassionate interventions for improving psychological well-being.

Key Publications

  • Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
  • Author Correction: Internet memes related to the COVID-19 pandemic as a potential coping mechanism for anxiety, Akram, U., Irvine, K., Allen, S., Stevenson, J., Ellis, J., Drabble, J. 21 Jun 2023, In: Scientific Reports
  • Exercise referral scheme participant characteristics, referral mode and completion status, Portman, R., Levy, A., Allen, S., Fairclough, S. 1 Apr 2023, In: Health Education Journal
  • Exploring the effects of written emotional disclosures (WED) on healthcare workers' (HCWs) mental health symptoms in the UK: A feasibility study, Kilvington, A., Allen, S., Kyriakopoulos, A. 27 Nov 2023, In: Counselling and Psychotherapy Research
  • Personality and insomnia: A systematic review and narrative synthesis, Akram, U., Stevenson, J., Gardani, M., Allen, S., Johann, A. 1 Dec 2023, In: Journal of Sleep Research
  • Prevalence of anxiety, depression, mania, insomnia, stress, suicidal ideation, psychotic experiences, & loneliness in UK university students, Akram, U., Irvine, K., Gardani, M., Allen, S., Akram, A., Stevenson, J. 13 Sep 2023, In: Scientific data
  • The associations among childhood trauma, loneliness, mental health symptoms, and indicators of social exclusion in adulthood: A UK Biobank study, Allen, S., Gilbody, S., Atkin, K., van der Feltz-Cornelis, C. 1 Apr 2023, In: Brain and Behavior
  • Diurnal Preference and Correlates of Multidimensional Perfectionism, Type-D Personality, and Big Five Personality Traits, Stevenson, J., Johann, A., Akram, A., Allen, S., Akram, U. 14 Sep 2022, In: Clocks & Sleep
  • Interventions to promote physical distancing behaviour during infectious disease pandemics or epidemics: A systematic review, Epton, T., Ghio, D., Ballard, L., Allen, S., Kassianos, A., Hewitt, R., Swainston, K., Fynn, W., Rowland, V., Westbrook, J., Jenkinson, E., Morrow, A., McGeechan, G., Stanescu, S., Yousuf, A., Sharma, N., Begum, S., Karasouli, E., Scanlan, D., Shorter, G., Arden, M., Armitage, C., O'Connor, D., Kamal, A., McBride, E., Swanson, V., Hart, J., Byrne-Davis, L., Chater, A., Drury, J. 1 Jun 2022, In: Social Science and Medicine
  • Self-disgust as a potential mechanism underlying the association between body image disturbance and suicidal thoughts and behaviours, Akram, U., Allen, S., Stevenson, J., Lazarus, L., Ypsilanti, A., Ackroyd, M., Chester, J., Longden, J., Peters, C., Irvine, K. 15 Jan 2022, In: Journal of Affective Disorders
  • The role of the COVID-19 pandemic in altered psychological well-being, mental health and sleep: an online cross-sectional study, Allen, S., Stevenson, J., Lazuras, L., Akram, U. 7 Feb 2022, In: Psychology, Health & Medicine

Qualifications

  • Psychology PhD March 26 2018
  • Chartered Psychologist C. Psychol
  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy FHEA

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