Skip to main content
School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences

Breadcrumb

  1. School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences
  2. Postgraduate
  3. PhD programmes
  4. Projects

Loss of Trust: investigating the relationship between traumatic events, trust and social functioning in refugees and asylum seekers using mixed methods

Download this document for further details, eligibility criteria and how to apply. [PDF 95KB]

Project Overview

In this proposed project, we will work with some of the most vulnerable people in the UK, refugees and asylum seekers in the Kent area who have experienced diverse traumatic events that severely impact their mental health. It is an unique opportunity to bring together experts in psychology, mental health, medical anthropology and social science to partner with the Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT), to understand the relationship between trust / distrust, mental health and social function in refugees and asylum seekers suffering from Trauma and PTSD. We anticipate that the results arising from this project could guide the development of more targeted psychological interventions.  

Aims of the PhD: Apply insights from social science (with focus on medical anthropology) psychology and psychiatry to examine the relationship between trauma exposure, PTSD, mental health and social functioning.

  1. To identify key factors in social function that are affected by trauma and PTSD, stratified by types of traumatic events experienced
  2. To explore notions of trust and threat perception and socialisation in PTSD with refugees and asylum seekers using mixed methods.
  3. To examine the role of cultural factors in the construction of (dis)trust through use of participatory, visual creative methods.

For more information on the project, please visit the LISS DTP website. Informal enquiries about the project can be sent to Prof Isabelle Mareschal at i.mareschal@qmul.ac.uk. 

Eligibility Criteria

We are looking for candidates to have or expecting to receive a first or upper-second class honours degree in a relevant discipline, notable in Psychology, or Biology. It would be beneficial to have some experience of behavioural testing and knowledge of statistics. Any knowledge of programming languages (e.g.) Matlab, Python) is desirable. 

Applicants applying to this CASE studentship, must meet ESRC eligibility guidelines in terms of residency and academic qualifications. They must also demonstrate that they specifically meet the core social science research methods training through their Master’s degree.

If you do not have a Master’s degree, then you can apply for a ‘1+3’ award, where the first year will be taking a Masters programme at a LISS institution. Further guidance about the core training requirements and the studentship awards can be found here.

Funding

This studentship will cover home tuition fees, and provide an annual tax-free maintenance allowance for 3 years at the UKRI rate (£20,622 in 2023/24).

International students will need to cover the difference in fees between the home and overseas basic rate from external sources. Further details can be found on our PhD Tuition Fees page.

Please note the LISS DTP will only award 30% of our total CASE Studentships for 2024 Entry. Due to this cap, we are unable to guarantee places to any/all international applicants.

How to Apply

Formal applications must be submitted through our online form by the stated deadline for consideration.

Applicants are required to submit the following documents:

Applicants should also complete the online LISS-DTP Diversity monitoring form which is available only to LISS DTP for reporting purposes.

Guidelines on eligibility and details on how to apply can be found on the LISS DTP website.

Informal enquiries about the project can be sent to Prof Isabelle Mareschal at i.mareschal@qmul.ac.uk. Admissions-related queries can be sent to sbbs-pgadmissions@qmul.ac.uk

Further details can be downloaded here: Mareschal_LISS DTP Case_Studentship Details [PDF 95KB]

Apply Online

References

(1) Bell, V., et al. (2019). When trust is lost: The impact of interpersonal trauma on social interactions. Psychological medicine, 49(6), 1041-1046.

(2) Todorov, A., Baron, S.G., & Oosterhof, N.N.  (2008) “Evaluating face trustworthiness: a model based approach.” SCAN vol. 3,2: 119-27.

(3) Ehlers A, Clark DM. (2000) A cognitive model of posttraumatic stress disorder. Behav Res Ther.;38(4):319–45.

Back to top