NIHR-funded PhD Studentship: ‘Investigating pathways through the healthcare system for children and young people with neurodevelopmental conditions and externalising disorders’

Funding amount: ‘Home’ tuition fees, a doctoral stipend (£19,237 per year) and research funding.

The Bath Mental Health Research Group, a major new initiative funded by the NIHR, aims to improve care for the most vulnerable children and young people in the Bath, Swindon and Wiltshire region by enhancing the identification, prevention, and treatment of mental health disorders. We will work in partnership with young people, alongside their families and key community stakeholders including schools, NHS services, and charities.  This PhD will involve raising awareness and improving the recognition and treatment of the mental health needs of children and young people with neurodevelopmental conditions and externalising disorders.  We will map the needs of children with these conditions and track their care pathways (e.g., who receives mental health support, and what support do they receive?).  We will also assess the economic costs of failing to support these children. 

This PhD will involve working on a major longitudinal study following children and young people with suspected neurodevelopmental conditions or externalising disorders such as Conduct Disorder or ADHD over a 3-year period.  You will have opportunities to help develop and refine the study design and analysis plan and will be supported to develop your own line of research within the broader project.  You will also be able to contribute to diagnostic interviews, help to collect outcome data from children & parents/carers, and establish Patient and Public Involvement groups to ensure that children and families’ views are represented. You will write up your findings for publication and disseminate them at scientific conferences and stakeholder meetings.  You will be supported to develop a personalised training plan and will receive training and supervision from experts in quantitative and qualitative approaches.  You will also gain experience of working with longitudinal data and health economic analyses. 

PhD Objectives:

1. To investigate children with neurodevelopmental conditions and externalising disorders’ pathways through the healthcare system and identify predictors of treatment access. 
2. To assess the outcomes of children not being able to access mental health support (e.g., deteriorating mental health, increased caregiver burden, school exclusion/non-attendance).
3. To help document the individual and economic impact of failing to provide mental health support for these groups. 

The successful applicant will join a thriving team of PhD students, postdocs and academics at the University of Bath and will collaborate with colleagues in the ChYMe research group (https://medicine.exeter.ac.uk/phss/research/chyme/), and the Science of ADHD and Neurodevelopment collaboration at Exeter (https://sites.exeter.ac.uk/adhdresearch/).   

Candidate Requirements:

Undergraduate qualifications – a 1^st or 2:1 Honours degree in Psychology or equivalent.

Postgraduate qualifications – a relevant MSc or appropriate research training (e.g., working as a Research Assistant) is desirable, but not essential.

Essential: skills in quantitative research methods; interest in clinically-applied research and PPI/co-production.

Desirable: experience of working with children/young people; a driving license and access to a car.

The successful applicant will need to have an enhanced DBS check.

Enquiries and Applications:

Prospective applicants are welcome to email Professor Graeme Fairchild with questions or to hear more about the project: gf353@bath.ac.uk  

Applications should be submitted via the University of Bath’s online system for a PhD in Psychology by the 21^st April, by clicking the 'Apply' button, above.

Please specify ‘Other’ and ‘NIHR Mental Health Research Group’ in the Funding your studies section and the project title in the Your PhD project section and upload a personal statement.  

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