PhD in Psychology Project title: Using Real-time Emotional Readings to Characterise Parent-child Relationships and Understand Mental Health

Project advert

There is a growing crisis in child and adolescent mental health with parents and professionals not knowing how to respond. Understanding young peoples interactions with their parents and identifying key features which can be used to support positive interactions has major implications for supporting young people.  

This PhD will conduct innovative work to uniquely quantify supportive parent-child interactions from > 400 observed video interactions in infancy, childhood and adolescence. The PhD will use rich existing longitudinal datasets from both the UK and Brazil to establish the long-term associations between features of interactions and mental health. The project uses novel application of artificial intelligence (AI) coding of behaviour in synchronised videos, such as emotion reading software and co-production with families alongside support from a psychology academic, statistical and clinical supervisory/ advisory team in MMU , KCL, University of Oxford and Brazil and NIH to generate findings which are translatable to interventions such as Family Therapy and Video Interaction Guidance.   

Project aims and objectives

The project aims to:

• Identify individual emotional signatures in children and mothers that relate to their personality characteristics and later mental health?
• Identify key relational parameters that predict individual (personality and mental health) and relationship (report of relationship quality) outcomes
• Identify whether associations are consistent across development and which are developmental stage specific (to infant/child/adolescents)
• Develop protocols for using AI to operationalise behaviour 
• Translate findings into family interventions 

Entry Requirements

Essential:

• Quantitative data analysis skills

Desirable:

• Experience applying standardised coding systems to observed behaviour
• Experience using statistical analysis programmes such as R, Stata or Mplus
• Experience of machine learning analysis 

Funding

The studentship provides an annual stipend at the UKRI standard rate (£19,237 per year for 2024-2025).

Please note, this project is only available to Home students only due to the nature of the funding source.

How to apply

To apply you will need to complete the online application form for a full-time PhD in Psychology (or download the PGR application form).

You should also complete the Narrative CV) form addressing the project’s aims and objectives, demonstrating how the skills you have maps to the area of research and why you see this area as being of importance and interest. 

If applying online, you will need to upload your statement in the supporting documents section, or email the application form and statement to PGRAdmissions@mmu.ac.uk. 

Expected start date: October 2025

Please quote the reference: H&E_Psych_NW_2025_Parent-Child 

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