Alexandra Hennessey
Biographic Data
| ID | 326532 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Alexandra Hennessey |
| GIVEN NAMES | Alexandra |
| FAMILY NAME | Hennessey |
| SIGNATURE | HENNESSEY A |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Manchester |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-9341-4709 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 12 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 7 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 12 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2020 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Advocating for a holistic culture of school wellbeing—an evaluation of the Well Schools whole school approach to pupil and teacher wellbeing
Introduction Supporting wellbeing within education settings is vital. Whole school approaches present a holistic and integrated mechanism that recognises school staff, the school community, and pupils. The Well Schools whole school approach to supporting teacher and pupil wellbeing provides a framework that guides planning, policy, and practice while allowing for bespoke and socially valid approaches suitable for each school community. Method A c…
Perceptions of teacher-student relationships predict reductions in adolescent distress via increased trait mindfulness
Equipping adolescents with the skills to reduce distress is a priority in education, because distress is common during this period and often a precursor to serious emotional disorders. Fostering trait mindfulness, which is associated with lower levels of perceived distress, could be an effective way to reduce distress, but little is known about how to maximise trait mindfulness, or the underlying mechanisms by which these abilities help buffer di…
Exploring physical, subjective and psychological wellbeing profile membership in adolescents
The results evidence that physical, subjective and psychological wellbeing are closely inter-related, this finding coupled with increased physical activity in the higher wellbeing group signify physical health and activity are important components of overall wellbeing and should form part of a holistic approach to school wellbeing curriculums
Working memory training
There is promising empirical evidence regarding the effect of working memory training for students’ learning. However, this evidence primarily comes from laboratory contexts, which limits understanding of what this training involves and how such knowledge can have value in education. Further, there is considerable heterogeneity across such studies that make it difficult for researchers to determine optimal conditions for working memory training a…
We want it to be a culture”
Our analysis presents a vision from children and young people of an integrated systems approach to wellbeing provision, with a relational, participatory culture in which wellbeing and student needs are prioritised. However, our participants identified a range of tensions that risk undermining efforts to promote wellbeing. Achieving children and young people's vision for an integrated culture of wellbeing will require critical reflection and chang…
It's scary starting a new school
BackgroundChildren and young people experience various transitions throughout their education. Theory and evidence highlight that these can be complex, and poor experiences of transitions can be associated with worsened outcomes, necessitating a need to develop and implement wellbeing support. However, children and young people's views are lacking in the literature, and studies tend to focus on specific transitions rather than on what matters for…
A Global Longitudinal Study Examining Social Restrictions Severity on Loneliness, Social Anxiety, and Depression
We found evidence that easing social restrictions brought about additional burden to people who experienced higher social anxiety symptoms. As country-mandated lockdown and social restrictions eased, people are more likely report higher social anxiety as they readjust into their social environment. Mental health practitioners are likely to see higher levels of social anxiety in vulnerable communities even as social restrictions ease
Using Creative Approaches and Facilitating Remote Online Focus Groups With Children and Young People
The importance of engaging and involving children and young people (CYP) in research is widely recognised, especially for educational research exploring CYP's perceptions and experiences of school processes. Historically, working with CYP to collect qualitative data has involved face-to-face interactions, however the social distancing requirement during the COVID-19 pandemic meant there was a need to move 'online' and work 'remotely'. In this pap…
The Impact of Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) on Loneliness in Primary School Children
Research suggests that loneliness during childhood is associated with poor well-being and mental ill-health. There is a growing social and educational imperative to explore how school-based interventions can support young children’s social development. The Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) curriculum is a universal school intervention focused on social and emotional learning, and it has a significant evidence based supporting its …
Prevalence and Social Inequality in Youth Loneliness in the UK
Using data from the English arm of the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study, we examined the prevalence of loneliness for school-aged adolescents and how it is linked to social inequalities. The HBSC study collects data from 11-, 13-, and 15-year-olds, and is repeated every four years, allowing the exploration of prevalence rates of loneliness pre COVID-19 pandemic for comparison. We also explored whether loneliness was associate…
A randomised controlled trial of the Nextdoor Kind Challenge
Clinical Trials Registry. NCT04398472 . Registered 21st May 2020
Implementation matters
This cluster randomized trial evaluated the impact of the Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) curriculum on children's psychological wellbeing, peer social support, and school connectedness.Forty-five schools in England were randomly assigned to implement PATHS or continue their usual provision for 2 years.The trial sample was 5,218 students, aged 7-9 at baseline (M ϭ 8.12, SD ϭ .87).Teachers in PATHS schools received initial traini…
It's scary starting a new school
BackgroundChildren and young people experience various transitions throughout their education. Theory and evidence highlight that these can be complex, and poor experiences of transitions can be associated with worsened outcomes, necessitating a need to develop and implement wellbeing support. However, children and young people's views are lacking in the literature, and studies tend to focus on specific transitions rather than on what matters for…
Using Creative Approaches and Facilitating Remote Online Focus Groups With Children and Young People
The importance of engaging and involving children and young people (CYP) in research is widely recognised, especially for educational research exploring CYP's perceptions and experiences of school processes. Historically, working with CYP to collect qualitative data has involved face-to-face interactions, however the social distancing requirement during the COVID-19 pandemic meant there was a need to move 'online' and work 'remotely'. In this pap…
Implementation matters
This cluster randomized trial evaluated the impact of the Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) curriculum on children's psychological wellbeing, peer social support, and school connectedness.Forty-five schools in England were randomly assigned to implement PATHS or continue their usual provision for 2 years.The trial sample was 5,218 students, aged 7-9 at baseline (M ϭ 8.12, SD ϭ .87).Teachers in PATHS schools received initial traini…
The Impact of Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) on Loneliness in Primary School Children
Research suggests that loneliness during childhood is associated with poor well-being and mental ill-health. There is a growing social and educational imperative to explore how school-based interventions can support young children’s social development. The Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) curriculum is a universal school intervention focused on social and emotional learning, and it has a significant evidence based supporting its …
Prevalence and Social Inequality in Youth Loneliness in the UK
Using data from the English arm of the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study, we examined the prevalence of loneliness for school-aged adolescents and how it is linked to social inequalities. The HBSC study collects data from 11-, 13-, and 15-year-olds, and is repeated every four years, allowing the exploration of prevalence rates of loneliness pre COVID-19 pandemic for comparison. We also explored whether loneliness was associate…
A randomised controlled trial of the Nextdoor Kind Challenge
Clinical Trials Registry. NCT04398472 . Registered 21st May 2020
A Global Longitudinal Study Examining Social Restrictions Severity on Loneliness, Social Anxiety, and Depression
We found evidence that easing social restrictions brought about additional burden to people who experienced higher social anxiety symptoms. As country-mandated lockdown and social restrictions eased, people are more likely report higher social anxiety as they readjust into their social environment. Mental health practitioners are likely to see higher levels of social anxiety in vulnerable communities even as social restrictions ease
Using Creative Approaches and Facilitating Remote Online Focus Groups With Children and Young People
The importance of engaging and involving children and young people (CYP) in research is widely recognised, especially for educational research exploring CYP's perceptions and experiences of school processes. Historically, working with CYP to collect qualitative data has involved face-to-face interactions, however the social distancing requirement during the COVID-19 pandemic meant there was a need to move 'online' and work 'remotely'. In this pap…
Working memory training
There is promising empirical evidence regarding the effect of working memory training for students’ learning. However, this evidence primarily comes from laboratory contexts, which limits understanding of what this training involves and how such knowledge can have value in education. Further, there is considerable heterogeneity across such studies that make it difficult for researchers to determine optimal conditions for working memory training a…
We want it to be a culture”
Our analysis presents a vision from children and young people of an integrated systems approach to wellbeing provision, with a relational, participatory culture in which wellbeing and student needs are prioritised. However, our participants identified a range of tensions that risk undermining efforts to promote wellbeing. Achieving children and young people's vision for an integrated culture of wellbeing will require critical reflection and chang…
It's scary starting a new school
BackgroundChildren and young people experience various transitions throughout their education. Theory and evidence highlight that these can be complex, and poor experiences of transitions can be associated with worsened outcomes, necessitating a need to develop and implement wellbeing support. However, children and young people's views are lacking in the literature, and studies tend to focus on specific transitions rather than on what matters for…
Exploring physical, subjective and psychological wellbeing profile membership in adolescents
The results evidence that physical, subjective and psychological wellbeing are closely inter-related, this finding coupled with increased physical activity in the higher wellbeing group signify physical health and activity are important components of overall wellbeing and should form part of a holistic approach to school wellbeing curriculums
Advocating for a holistic culture of school wellbeing—an evaluation of the Well Schools whole school approach to pupil and teacher wellbeing
Introduction Supporting wellbeing within education settings is vital. Whole school approaches present a holistic and integrated mechanism that recognises school staff, the school community, and pupils. The Well Schools whole school approach to supporting teacher and pupil wellbeing provides a framework that guides planning, policy, and practice while allowing for bespoke and socially valid approaches suitable for each school community. Method A c…
Perceptions of teacher-student relationships predict reductions in adolescent distress via increased trait mindfulness
Equipping adolescents with the skills to reduce distress is a priority in education, because distress is common during this period and often a precursor to serious emotional disorders. Fostering trait mindfulness, which is associated with lower levels of perceived distress, could be an effective way to reduce distress, but little is known about how to maximise trait mindfulness, or the underlying mechanisms by which these abilities help buffer di…
Psychology (11 works) · Medicine (6 works) · Social Psychology (6 works) · Psychiatry (5 works) · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development (4 works) · COVID-19 and Mental Health (4 works) · Developmental psychology (4 works) · Loneliness (4 works) · Mental health (4 works) · Perception (4 works)