ADHD is a common, impairing and stigmatising condition that typically first presents in early childhood. Many, but not all individuals with ADHD also develop mental health problems such as anxiety and depression as they grow older. It is not clear why children with ADHD are at high risk of later mental health problems nor why some children with ADHD fare better than others when they grow older. Understanding risk and resilience mechanisms is essential for informing future prevention and intervention programmes.
The PhD will address these questions using new data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). The study includes repeated assessments of ADHD, co-occurring “neurodevelopmental” problems (such as autistic spectrum difficulties) and mental health problems (depression, anxiety, antisocial behaviour) from ages 4 to 25 years. The longitudinal design allows us to chart ADHD and mental health symptom trajectories over time, to examine direction of associations between ADHD and mental health over development, and to test the role of hypothesised social and genetic risk and resilience mechanisms.
This PhD project provides a unique opportunity to develop advanced methodological and analytic skills in the field of developmental psychopathology. The student will join a well-established collaboration between experienced researchers in world-leading Neuroscience and Mental Health research centres at Cardiff and Bristol.
This studentship is funded through GW4 BioMed MRC Doctoral Training Partnership. It consists of full UK/EU tuition fees, as well as Doctoral Stipend matching UK Research Council National Minimum (£14,777 p.a. for 2018/19, updated each year).
Additional research and training funding is available over the course of the programme. This will covers costs such as courses, conferences and travel, and research consumables. Additional competitive funds are available for high-cost or exceptional training.
The research projects listed are in competition with the 69 others - only 18 projects will be taken up as they will be awarded to the best students.
UK Research Council eligibility conditions apply (Full awards (fees plus maintenance stipend) are open to UK Nationals and EU students who can satisfy UK residency requirements. To be eligible for the full award, EU Nationals must have been in the UK for at least 3 years prior to the start of the course for which they are seeking funding, including for the purposes of full-time education. EU Nationals who do not meet the above residency requirement are eligible for a fees only award, provided that they have been ordinarily resident in the EU for at least 3 years prior to the start of their proposed programme of study.)
For DTP enquiries please contact the DTP Administrator, Keighley Perkins at GW4BioMed@Cardiff.ac.uk
For enquiries about your University application, please contact the Postgraduate Administrator PGRmedic@cardiff.ac.uk
For more information and to apply, click here
Keighley Perkins: GW4BioMed@Cardiff.ac.uk
Postgraduate Administrator: PGRmedic@cardiff.ac.uk
