Dr Robert Dempsey

Senior Lecturer

My profile

Biography

I am a Senior Lecturer in Psychology in the Department of Psychology, an Associate Fellow and a Chartered Psychologist with the British Psychological Society. I consider myself to be an Applied Social Psychologist with interests in understanding how social influence factors and individual differences constructs influence health and wellbeing.

I joined MMU in November 2019 after holding previous lecturing and research positions at Staffordshire University and the University of Bradford. I completed my undergraduate BSc (Hons) in Psychology and PhD in Psychology at the University of Manchester. At MMU, I am Deputy Head of Research Ethics and Governance for the Faculty of Health and Education. I am research-focused academic and I place particular focus on research-informed teaching in my practice.

My research attempts to address three key questions:

1. How do social norms influence health behaviours and outcomes?

2. How do social norms influence suicidality related experiences and outcomes?

3. How can social norms feedback be used to improve health outcomes?

My research aims to generally understand the role of social norms (typically perceived norms of unwritten rules or expectations which guide or restrict behaviour) in health-related behaviours and outcomes, including risky and protective health behaviours, help-seeking, and suicidality. I have particular expertise in using the Social Norms Approach as a means of positive health behaviour change and in understanding health-related behaviours.

I also have broader research interests in terms of understanding the lived experience and role of psychological factors in suicidality, dispositional/trait authenticity and its applications to specific groups (e.g. neurodiversity, autism), suicide prevention, university student mental health, and health psychology more broadly. More details about my research can be found via the Projects and Research Output tabs above.

Academic and Professional Qualifications

  • Postgraduate Certificate in Higher and Professional Education (Staffordshire University)
  • PhD in Psychology (The University of Manchester)
  • BSc (Hons) Psychology (The University of Manchester)

I am also a member of the following organisations and professional bodies

  • Associate Fellow, British Psychological Society
  • Chartered Psychologist, British Psychological Society
  • General Member, Division of Health Psychology, British Psychological Society.
  • Senior Fellow, Advance HE

External Examiner roles

External Examiner, Undergraduate Psychology Programme, Department of Psychology, University of Bath (2019-2022).

Expert Reviewer

I am a peer reviewer for a number of international journals across various disciplines, including Mental Health, Health Psychology, Behavioural Medicine, Substance Use/Abuse, Public Health, Clinical Psychology, and Psychiatry. In terms of grant reviewing, I am a member of the college of reviewers for various NIHR funding schemes.

Prizes and awards

  • I’m A Scientist… Get Me Out of Here – Mental Health Zone (winner). Prize based on nominations from primary and high school students as part of the IAS two week public engagement event (£500 public engagement), June 2019.
  • Innovative and Applied Learning Prize (winner), Staffordshire University Celebrating Staff Success Awards Ceremony, 4th October 2017.
  • ‘Best Clinical Poster’ Prize. Healthcare Research in Staffordshire – Strengthening Partnerships Research Conference, Wade Hall, North Staffordshire Medical Institute, 12th October 2016

Get in touch

Brooks Building

Projects

Social Norms & Health Behaviours

My main area of research activity is focused on understanding the role of social norms in health-related behaviours and outcomes. I am interested in understanding the types of social norms associated with protective and risky behaviours, how social norms influence health outcomes, and whether/how changing social norms can promote health and healthier behaviours. 

I have particular interest and expertise in the Social Norms Approach (SNA) as a means of health promotion and positive behaviour change. Based on this approach, I am particularly interested in understanding how, why, and when, individuals over/under-estimate the social behaviours and attitudes of their peers and how these ‘misperceptions’ influence behaviour. I am especially interested in understanding the nature of these perceptions, why some people accurately perceive what others do/think, and in developing a clearer testable theory underpinning the SNA.

Current projects include:

  • Understanding the role of perceived social norms in suicidal thoughts, feelings and behaviours.
  • Understanding the influence of perceived peer social norms in students’ health behaviours and sustainability-related behaviours.
  • Understanding the role of perceived social norms relating to mental health help-seeking amongst professional sports teams.

Previously completed projects in this area have included: the EC-funded SNIPE study focusing on university students’ perceived social norms of peer substance use and testing the feasibility of social normative feedback; developing and testing a co-produced SNA intervention to reduce unhealthy snacking behaviours in high school students; understanding the role of social norms in cancer-screening behaviours; understanding the role of perceived social norms in anti-vaccination conspiracy beliefs and developing an SNA feedback intervention to challenge such beliefs.

Suicidality

I have a broad interest in understanding people’s lived experience of suicidality (thoughts, feelings, behaviours), understanding the influence of psychological factors in suicide-related outcomes (including perceived social norms), and in suicide prevention amongst high-risk groups (especially university students).

Current projects include:

  • Testing the ‘eusociality’ hypothesis of suicidality.
  • Understanding the role of prosociality (prosocial orientations, behaviours, norms, self- and other-kindness) in suicidality.
  • Understanding the lived experience of suicide risk assessments in primary care (PhD Student Project led by Sophia Fedorowicz)
  • Editing a special issue on “Bipolar Disorder and Suicide” (IJERPH) and a systematic review of the psychosocial factors implicated in the experiences of suicidality amongst people with a bipolar spectrum diagnosis.

Authenticity

I am working with several external colleagues on various projects on dispositional or trait authenticity, including understanding the factor structure of authenticity and the role of (in)authenticity in relation to mental health/wellbeing and neurodiversity.

Other work

I am generally interested in mental health, especially university student mental health and wellbeing, the influence of psychological factors in the lived experience of Bipolar Spectrum conditions (i.e. “Bipolar Disorder”) and the vulnerability to these experiences, and in health psychology more generally (e.g., chronic health conditions, using photo-elicitation approaches to understand experiences of chronic health conditions).

Teaching

Undergraduate courses

I contribute to a range of Undergraduate Psychology units including:

  • Clinical Issues in Psychology (Unit Lead)
  • Critical and Social Psychology
  • Contemporary Issues in Psychology
  • Difference and Diversity in Psychology
  • Dissertation
  • Preparing For Your Dissertation

Postgraduate courses

I contribute teaching on the following unit on the MSc in Health Psychology:

  • Understanding and Changing Health Behaviour

Supervision

I supervise a number of Final Year Undergraduate Dissertation Projects each year as well as a number of PhD students.

Doctoral Supervision

In Progress:

  • Sophie Lea (PhD Student, Manchester Metropolitan University, 2024-present). Co-supervisor with Dr Neil Dagnall and Dr Ken Drinkwater (MMU).
  • Jude Amos (PhD Student, Manchester Metropolitan University, 2022-present). Principal Supervisor with co-supervisors Dr Jennifer McGahan, Dr Jez Oldfield (MMU) & Dr Jenny Cole (Keele University).
  • Sophia Fedorowicz (PhD Student, Staffordshire University, 2019-present). Co-supervisor with Prof. Chris Gidlow and Dr Naomi Ellis (Centre for Health and Development, Staffordshire University). Project titled: Suicide risk assessment in primary and secondary health care settings: Guidelines for improvement co-produced with service-users and service-providers.

Completed:

  • Dr Darel Cookson (PhD in Psychology, Staffordshire University, Completed 2022). Co-supervisor with Dr Daniel Jolley (University of Nottingham) and Dr Rachel Povey (Staffordshire University). Thesis titled: The role of social norms in reducing belief in conspiracy theories.
  • Dr Sian Calvert (PhD in Psychology, Staffordshire University, Completed 2022). Principal Supervisor with Dr Rachel Povey (Staffordshire University). Thesis titled: “Applying the Social Norms Approach to Improve Dietary Behaviours amongst High School Students”.
  • Dr Tina Hamilton (PhD in Health Studies, Staffordshire University, Completed 2021). Principal Supervisor with Professor Eleanor Bradley (University of Worcester). Thesis titled: “A critical analysis of adult safeguarding practices in NHS mental health trusts”.
  • Dr Craig Burman (DClinPsy, Staffordshire University, Completed 2020). Principal Supervisor with Dr Helena Priest (Staffordshire University). Thesis titled: “Exploring the nature of self and identity amongst men living with bipolar disorder”.
  • Dr Rebecca Owen (PhD in Clinical Psychology, University of Manchester, Completed 2017). Co-supervisor with Dr Patricia Gooding (University of Manchester) and Prof Steven Jones (Lancaster University). Thesis titled “The role of appraisals of factors related to social communication in the suicidal thoughts and acts of people who experience bipolar disorder“.

Research outputs

Press and media

Media Appearances

  • June 2019: I’m a Scientist… Get Me Out of Here! Two week-long online public engagement event with secondary school and college students. Invited Psychologist in the British Psychological Society’s Mental Health Zone: https://mentalhealthj19.imascientist.org.uk/
  • March 2017: Recorded interview with BBC Radio Stoke about World Bipolar Day 2017 and my
    research into understanding the experiences of suicidality amongst people living with bipolar.
    • Excerpts of the interview were featured on various BBC Radio Stoke news bulletins
      throughout 30th March 2017.