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Erin Lawrence

Erin

Email: e.g.lawrence@qmul.ac.uk

Profile

PhD title: Understanding the Psychosocial Risk Factors for Physical Multimorbidity in Psychosis: A Mixed-Method Approach

I am a PhD student in the Unit for Psychological Medicine at the Centre for Psychiatry and Mental Health, Queen Mary University of London. My PhD project focuses on understanding the psychosocial risk factors for physical multimorbidity among individuals with psychosis, using both quantitative and qualitative methods. I was awarded funding by the London Interdisciplinary Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership (LISS DTP) from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) in 2022 to complete this project.

My primary research interests lie in the field of psychosis, particularly in the identification of risk factors for health outcomes and disease progression. Specifically, my interests lie in understanding how psychosocial factors, such as stress and adverse life events, can detrimentally impact health outcomes, such as the onset of psychotic symptoms or comorbid physical conditions, and how such psychosocial factors can be explained through syndemic frameworks.

My previous studies include an MSc in Psychiatric Research (awarded distinction) from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London and a first-class honours BSc in Psychology from the University of Southampton. Previous research posts include being a Research Assistant at the Academic Department of Military Mental Health at the IoPPN, King’s College London, where I worked across multiple epidemiological research studies to understand the risk factors for mental health outcomes among military personnel. I also worked in industry-based dementia prevention research and helped to develop and test the utility of a digital health application to predict the 10-year risk of dementia using machine learning, in collaboration with the University of Oxford.

Supervisory team: Dr Georgina Hosang, Prof Mark Freestone, Prof Kam Bhui, and Dr Brent Elliott.

Postgraduate Teaching

I teach on the Applied Research Method's course for Mental Health: Psychological Therapies MSc.

Research

Publications

  • Zahid, U., Lawrence, E. G., … et al. (2023). Understanding Psychosis Complexity Through a Syndemic Framework: A Systematic Review. In prep.
  • Lawrence, E. G., … Shakoor, S., et al. (2023). An investigation into specific genetic and environmental factors underlying the relationship between bullying victimisation and paranoia as a precursor for psychosis. In prep.
  • Lawrence, E. G., …Hosang, G. M, et al. (2023). Understanding the demographic and psychosocial risk factors physical multimorbidity in psychosis: A Systematic Review. In prep.
  • Dukelow, T. Lawrence E.G., et al. (2023). Modifiable risk factors for dementia, awareness, and barriers to brain health behaviours: Results from the Five Lives Brain Health Ireland Survey (FLBHIS). Frontiers in Psychology. DOI: 
  • Dukelow, T., Vassilev, P., Lawrence, E.G., et al. (2023). Barriers to brain health behaviours: Results from the Five Lives Brain Health Ireland Survey (FLBHIS). Frontiers in Psychology.
  • Serfioti, D, Chang-Tave, A., Gribble, R., Lawrence, E.G., Fear, N.T., Burdett, H. (2022). Change in socioeconomic status and the role of transition among those who have left the UK Armed Forces, Forces in Mind Trust.
  • Lawrence, E.G., Jones N., Greenberg N., et al. (2021). Mental well-being interventions in the military: The ten key principles. BMJ Mil Health. 
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