Research projects
A showcase of current and completed research studies undertaken by our staff and their collaborators.
Current projects
Children, Young People, and Families
The Personalised Programmes for Children (PPC) study is looking at personalised approaches to the treatment of behavioural difficulties in children, funded by the NIHR. In this project we work with families to develop a programme that is tailored to both parents' and children's needs, and find out whether this approach works better than current parent training programmes. More information is available here.
Longitudinal Outcomes of Gender Identity in Children (LOGiC) is a longitudinal study funded by the NIHR that looks at the development of gender identity in children and young people aged between three and 13 years. Conducted in the UK, the study began in 2019 and is following participating families at three time points over a 2-year period. More information is available here.
The Family Nurse Partnership (FNP) is an intensive home visiting programme for first time young mothers and their children, which has been developed in the US over the past 35 years. The programme goals are to improve antenatal health, improve child health and development and economic self-sufficiency. The methods are based on theories of human ecology, self-efficacy and attachment, which are reflected in the programme materials and visit-by-visit guidelines. FNP was introduced to England in 2007. The FNP National Unit have a programme of research and analysis to support the high quality delivery and development of the FNP programme working in collaboration with a range of partners. More information is available here.
Watch Me Play! is an intervention for caregivers with their babies or young children that aims to enhance child development and caregiver-child relationships. Developed to support babies and young children in care, the intervention has also been found helpful in post-adoption and for children returning to live with family members. More information is available here.
This research aims to evaluate a new form of support, called Video-feedback Intervention to promote Positive Parenting (VIPP), which is designed to help foster and kinship carers better understand and respond to their child’s emotions and behaviour. This research is led by Prof. Pasco Fearon at the Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, in partnership with several other universities and five NHS trusts. More information is available here.
The Family Nurse Partnership (FNP) is a home visiting programme designed to improve the outcomes of teenage pregnancies in terms of child health and development. This study aims to improve our understanding of the context in which FNP is currently delivered in the UK, and the factors that influence results, to find out who might benefit most from FNP and how service delivery may be improved. This project, funded by the NIHR, is led by Dr Katie Harron who is based at the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health. More information is available here.
The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust has entered an exciting partnership with Leiden University, Netherlands, to become the UK training centre for Video-feedback Intervention to promote Positive Parenting and Sensitive Discipline (VIPP-SD). It is hoped that this partnership will enable this highly effective and evidence based intervention which was the basis for a nationwide aftercare service available to all adoptive families in the Netherlands to be introduced and used more widely in the UK. More information is available here.
The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust is part of a multi-site interdisciplinary research study “Waiting Times”, led by Exeter University and Birkbeck, University of London. Waiting Times brings together an interdisciplinary team to investigate waiting as a cultural and psychosocial concept, and an embodied and historical experience, in order to analyse and understand the relationship between time and care.
More information is available on the 'Waiting times' area of the Exeter website.
Adult and Forensic Mental Health
A randomised controlled trial known as Mentalization for Offending Adult Males (MOAM), led by Professor Peter Fonagy at the Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London is being implemented across 13 sites. The research trial is a five year project which started in January 2016 and is funded by the National Institute for Health Research. The study aims to establish the usefulness of mentalization-based treatment (MBT) in helping violent men with a diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) to control their aggressive behaviour compared to usual services offered through the National Probation Service. More information is available here.
The Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) Wellbeing Study aims to investigate the impact of Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis, a rare but serious liver condition that increases the chances of developing cancer, on mental health and wellbeing. Our aim is to develop a framework that will help people affected by PSC to get the psychological support they need. The study is run in partnership with and funded by the UK-based charity PSC Support. More information is available here.
In this study funded by Cancer Research UK, the researchers want to find out about the views and experiences of trans men and non-binary people about cervical screening and what factors might stop someone from having cervical screening. It is hoped that a better understanding of these people’s views and experiences can make cervical screening easier and more available to them in future. This might include making changes to the NHS’s policies on screening. More information is available here.
Past projects
A showcase of completed research studies undertaken by our students.
As part of our focus on research our staff body publishes widely. See the collections of their writing in the below venues.