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Would You Like to Take Part in a Research Study?

Why We are Interested in Research into Ageing

We have all heard about the changes in our population which mean that there is an increasing proportion of older people. In the past there has been relatively research on the psychology of older people. There has also been relatively little research into the effects of spousal and partner bereavement. We are interested in particular in the way marital status affects our health, wellbeing and social lives.

  • Why is marriage supposed to be good for us?
  • What are the effects of bereavement, and what are the needs of widowed people, and how can we make widowhood more bearable?
  • Similarly, what are the effects of divorce, what do divorced people need, and how can we improve the lives of the divorced?
  • What is it like to never have married, what needs to do older never-married people have, and how can we improve quality of life?
  • How do lives change when people get married or when they choose to live together, or to have a relationship but not live together?
  • What are the challenges of caring for a spouse or partner?

Resilience in Spousal Carers of People with Dementia

We have undertaken much work studying resilience and dementia care. If you are interested in what we have done, please look at our publication pages. From time to time we recruit for new studies. So if you are interested please check this page from time to time. Thank you.

Widowed People

We have undertaken much work studying bereavement and widowhood in older people. If you are interested in what we have done, please look at our publication pages. From time to time we recruit for new studies. So if you are interested please check this page from time to time. Thank you.

Why We are Interested in Infant Feeding

In Liverpool 58% of mothers begin to breastfeed their babies at birth, this figure decreases to just over 20% after 4-6 weeks. Research has shown that many factors can influence whether a mother decides to breastfeed or formula feed her baby. These include: maternal age, education, ethnicity and marital status. We also know where a mother lives can affect whether she chooses to breastfeed or formula feed because of social and cultural factors. Thus, we need to understand more about social and cultural norms to provide effective information and support to a community.

How do mothers make decisions about Infant Feeding?

We are looking at the factors that influence infant feeding decisions for mums-to-be, and new mums, in Liverpool. We want to gain a greater understanding of the experiences new mums have of breastfeeding or bottle feeding their babies. We will be conducting focus groups and interviews with pregnant women and new mums from Liverpool and hope that the findings will make future feeding information and support more appropriate and effective.

If you are interested in taking part send an email by clicking here: Email: psyms@liverpool.ac.uk

How does a mother's mood affect how she feeds her baby?

In the UK less than 1% of mums' breastfeed exclusively for the first six months of life and breastfeeding rates in Liverpool are even lower in comparison to this. It is now well known that having a baby can sometimes negatively affect a mother's mood and recent research has suggested that a mother's mental health can influence how she feeds her baby. These include: whether she breast or bottle feeds, how long she chooses to breastfeed for, how difficult she finds breastfeeding, how confident she is with feeding her baby and how her baby reacts at feeding time. We want to gain a better understanding of how a mother's mood can impact on factors like these and others, so that we can provide appropriate support and advice to expectant and new mothers. We will be conducting questionnaires, observations and interviews with pregnant women and new mums in Liverpool. We hope that our findings will help to develop effective advice on infant feeding as well as raising more awareness of how having a baby can affect our mental health.

If you are interested in taking part send an email by clicking here: Email: psyms@liverpool.ac.uk

Thank You for Your Interest



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