Dr. Caroline Heary

Position: 
Lecturer in Developmental Psychology
Telephone: 
00353 91 49 5059
Email: 
caroline.heary@nuigalway.ie
Address: 
School of Psychology, Room 242, St. Anthony's NUI Galway

Caroline works closely with colleagues in the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre on the cross-institutional PhD programme in Child & Youth Research, in collaboration with Trinity College Dublin.

Within NUI Galway, Caroline is one of the co-Directors of the programme along with Dr. John Canavan (UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre). She is also currently working with colleagues in the Centre on an evaluation of the Triple P Parenting Programme in Longford and Westmeath. Her research activities broadly revolve around children’s health and well-being. Caroline's key research areas are as follows:

  • child health psychology (e.g. healthy lifestyles & factors associated with food consumption, sedentary behaviours and physical activity; psychosocial issues associated with chronic illness during childhood)
  • children’s understanding of mental health issues (as well help-seeking and stigma towards children with mental health difficulties)
  • methodological issues associated with engaging in research with children.
    She also has an emerging interest in positive youth development.

She has been successful in receiving research funding from the Health Research Board, the Irish Research Council for the Humanities & Social Sciences, the Irish Heart Foundation and the OMYCA.