PhD student position in U-CARE, Perinatal depression

Uppsala University, Department of Women's and Children's Health

Uppsala University is a comprehensive research-intensive university with a strong international standing. Our mission is to pursue top-quality research and education and to interact constructively with society. Our most important assets are all the individuals whose curiosity and dedication make Uppsala University one of Sweden’s most exciting workplaces. Uppsala University has 40,000 students, 7,000 employees and a turnover of SEK 6.5 billion.

Description

This PhD position is within the research group Clinical Psychology in Healthcare and the interdisciplinary research program U-CARE at the Department of Women’s and Children’s Health.

Our research interests are primarily focused on i) identifying psychological predictors for somatic disease, ii) studying psychological consequences of somatic disease for both afflicted individuals and caregivers/significant others, and iii) developing and evaluating psychological interventions and instruments. Our studies are diverse in methodology, encompassing feasibility/piloting trials, randomized controlled efficacy/effectiveness trials, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, qualitative techniques, and observational cohort designs. As such, we apply both qualitative and quantitative methods. The research group has several international collaborations and our competence within research methodology has been acknowledged in the latest evaluation of research conducted at Uppsala University.

In addition to this PhD position being based within the U-CARE research group, the PhD student will also be supervised by academics from the Reproductive Health research group (Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Uppsala University) and the Mood Disorders Centre (University of Exeter, United Kingdom).

Projects

The present PhD position focuses on perinatal mental health and the mother-infant relationship. The PhD position will comprise of a series of studies including:

1. The adaptation of an existing internet-administered psychological intervention for perinatal depression, based on behavioural activation and developed in the UK and Japan, to: (i) include treatment components targeting mother-infant interaction, and (ii) fit the Swedish context.
2. The conduct of a feasibility randomized controlled trial to examine clinical, procedural, and methodological uncertainties.
3. The experimental investigation of the impact of the intervention on maternal anhedonia and the mother-infant interaction.

Other required qualifications

The successful applicant will be educated to at least MSc level in Clinical Psychology, Health Care Sciences, Behavioural Sciences, or a related area, and able to demonstrate knowledge of psychological and behavioural change theory. Experience of working within a psychological/behavioural healthcare setting is desirable. The applicant must be both self-sufficient and a team player, possess excellent analytical skills, and be fluent in English.

You are welcome to submit your application no later than 2018-01-07 UFV-PA 2017/4320