Exposure to childhood trauma and mental health resilience in adulthood: identifying protective mechanisms

About the Project

The studentship will be based at the University of Bristol’s Medical School, in Population Health Sciences.

The student will be part of the Centre for Academic Mental Health with access to a wide range of seminars and research meetings, internationally renowned population health experts and an extensive short course programme. This PhD project is embedded within an NIHR funded Mental Health Research Group at Bath University (with University of Bristol and Exeter University as collaborators).

Funding

The studentship is fully funded for three years. The funding covers tuition fees for home students, a stipend of £21,169 per annum, and a total of £3,000 to cover training and research costs. This project is available for both home and international students, but international students will need to pay the difference between home and overseas fees through other mechanisms.

Background

Exposure to trauma in childhood is a major contributor to poor mental health across adolescence and early adulthood. However, mental health problems are not inevitable in young people exposed to trauma, many exhibit remarkable resilience. Identifying modifiable protective factors that can prevent mental health problems in young people exposed to trauma is critical.

Aims

The overarching goal of this PhD is to identify psychological, social, and environmental mechanisms that can prevent the long-term poor mental health consequences of childhood trauma using population-based cohorts in the UK.

Possible methods

This project will use existing longitudinal population-based cohorts in the UK which have data available on childhood trauma, protective mechanisms in adolescence and mental health across adolescence and early adulthood.

Candidate requirements

Applications are sought from high-performing individuals who have, or are expected to obtain, a good degree (UK 2.1 or equivalent) in a relevant quantitative Science or Social Science subject, with a demonstrable interest in the topic.