Lorraine Swords
Biographic Data
| ID | 5420650 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Lorraine Swords |
| GIVEN NAMES | Lorraine |
| FAMILY NAME | Swords |
| SIGNATURE | SWORDS L |
| AFFILIATIONS | Trinity College Dublin |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-3868-0374 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 19 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 9 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 19 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2015 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
When teachers miss the signs
This study explores whether specific teacher or school factors predict teacher alignment with children's self-reported anxiety. Stratified random sampling was used to select 15 primary schools in the Dublin region. Data were collected from 58 teachers using a binary-response questionnaire and compared to self-reported anxiety scores from children ( n = 912) on the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS-2), which served as the reference …
A Systematic Review of the Psychosocial Mechanism Underlying the Pathway from Intra-Familial Victimization in Childhood to Intimate Relationship Violence in Adolescence and Adulthood
Intra-familial childhood victimization (IF-CV) has been associated with increased involvement in relationship violence in adolescence and adulthood. Drawing from developmental theories by Bowlby on attachment styles, Young on Early Maladaptive Schema (EMS), and Erikson on psychosocial development (i.e., Sense-of-Self), we propose a conceptual model to explain this mechanism. A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review was conducted to synthesize evidence i…
Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE) in Addressing Paediatric Psychological Difficulties and Family Accommodations
Barriers and Enablers
Mental health problems in school‐age children continue to be a major concern internationally. The school setting has increasingly been viewed as having a potential role in supporting the assessment of children's mental health, yet there is a paucity of studies which examine teachers' perceptions of this. There is significant debate regarding whether teachers should be responsible for identifying early signs of mental health difficulties in childr…
The portrayal of mental illness in popular children's programs on Netflix
Depression Literacy and Self-Reported Help-Giving Behaviour in Adolescents in Ireland
This questionnaire-based study aimed to explore depression literacy (DL) and help-giving experiences in 12-18-year-old adolescents (N = 535, M age = 14.9 years, 51.8% male) in Ireland. In response to a vignette depicting a character displaying symptoms of depression, 46.7% labelled these symptoms 'depression', with increasing age and empathy associated with increased likelihood of labelling as such. Almost all (92.1%) believed the character neede…
Professional Burnout as a Mediator in the Relationship Between Pandemic-Related Stress and Social Care Workers’ Mental Health
Understanding pathways between social care workers’ Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19)-related stress and poorer mental health outcomes can inform employers’ efforts to support the well-being of staff. The present study engaged 103 workers at an Irish Non-Government Organisation providing child and family support services. In the initial months following the cessation of pandemic restrictions in 2022, they completed an anonymous online survey th…
I Just Wouldn't Like Him to go Through What I Went Through as a Kid”
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are increasingly being acknowledged as a major risk factor for instigating and sustaining cycles of trauma between mother and child. Recently, the concept of Benevolent Childhood Experiences (BCEs) has been introduced to ACEs research as a buffer against the transmission of ACEs between generations. Positive childhood experiences such as attachment to caregivers, positive peer relations and positive sense of s…
The Refuge-ED Dialogic Co-Creation Process
A growing body of literature suggests that involving end-users in intervention research, including design, implementation, and evaluation, is associated with numerous positive outcomes. These outcomes include improved intervention efficacy, sustainability, and psychological growth among collaborators. The value of this approach and the recommendation for researchers to embrace co-creation in implementation and policies have also been recognised w…
Socio-emotional adjustment in children attending family centres
Family services offer the possibility of producing data sets, capable of primary analyses to measure service efficacy, and secondary analyses to develop nuanced understandings of family needs. In this article, we report secondary analysis of data drawn from 1,151 families elicited upon intake to family centres in Ireland. The aim was to examine correlates of children’s socio-emotional functioning, with focus on the quality of relationships betwee…
Mental health literacy and help-giving responses of Irish primary school teachers
Teachers can play a crucial role in identifying and responding to children’s mental health difficulties. This study explored teachers’ mental health literacy (MHL) and their help-giving responses, a topic which is relatively unexplored, particularly at primary school level. Primary teachers (N = 356) responded to a questionnaire that followed the presentation of each of three vignettes: a non-clinical, control, vignette and two clinical vignettes…
Domestic Violence and Whole Family Interventions
In this article we report the results of the introduction of measures to ascertain the impact of therapeutic services for families where domestic violence has taken place. The setting is a specialist service for families located in Dublin, Ireland. The overall goal of the intervention was the ending of violence. To help achieve this, therapies sought to reduce conflict, promote better parental mental health and improve the quality of relationship…
Establishing outcome measures in practice
Providers of therapeutic services to children and families have, in recent times, been subject to pressure to supplement traditional service output measures with evidence-based measures, which capture outcomes for service users. In this article, we report on the near decade long establishment of a range of standardised measures within an Irish non-governmental agency providing therapeutic help to children and families across two settings, family …
Qualitative methods advancing research into the expression and experience of stigma in childhood and adolescence
I’m still learning
In recent decades, it has become the case that leaving school early may no longer be the conclusion of one’s educational experiences, with more alternative educational spaces for disenfranchised learners becoming accessible. This qualitative study examines the experiences of 14 young adults in Ireland who, having left their mainstream school prior to receiving a higher secondary qualification, returned to education through an alternative facility…
Outcomes for Families Referred to Family Centres
There is growing interest in the development of evidence supporting therapeutic interventions in social work. Few examples, however, exist, of the use of validated instrumentation in measuring the impact of services upon children and families. We report here on the use of a suite of validated instruments to measure the impact of services on children and their parents in receipt of services provided by an Irish Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) …
Adolescent Endorsement of the “Weak-Not-Sick” Stereotype for Generalised Anxiety Disorder
Stigma, comprising negative stereotypes, prejudice (negative affective reactions) and discrimination towards a member of a particular group, is of increasing interest in the context of mental illness. However, studies examining clinical anxiety stigma are lacking, particularly with regard to generalised anxiety disorder (GAD). There is also a lack of research into adolescent anxiety stigma, despite adolescence being a key period for early interve…
Exploring the Appearance Culture in Early Adolescence
Despite the heightened awareness of body image concerns in early adolescence, there has been little research in Ireland regarding young people’s own perspectives on associated factors. Eight focus groups with young adolescents were conducted to explore common perceptions and influential processes occurring within the current Irish appearance culture. Three main themes emerged reflecting (a) appearance-related norms and processes operating in youn…
Mental Health Literacy and Help-Giving Responses in Irish Adolescents
This study assessed mental health literacy in Irish adolescents ( N = 187), and explored participants’ help-giving responses toward hypothetical depressed peers. Participants read five vignettes, each describing an adolescent experiencing a life difficulty; two of the characters met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., DSM-IV) criteria for depression. The majority of participants could not identify depression or potenti…
Establishing outcome measures in practice
Providers of therapeutic services to children and families have, in recent times, been subject to pressure to supplement traditional service output measures with evidence-based measures, which capture outcomes for service users. In this article, we report on the near decade long establishment of a range of standardised measures within an Irish non-governmental agency providing therapeutic help to children and families across two settings, family …
Domestic Violence and Whole Family Interventions
In this article we report the results of the introduction of measures to ascertain the impact of therapeutic services for families where domestic violence has taken place. The setting is a specialist service for families located in Dublin, Ireland. The overall goal of the intervention was the ending of violence. To help achieve this, therapies sought to reduce conflict, promote better parental mental health and improve the quality of relationship…
Outcomes for Families Referred to Family Centres
There is growing interest in the development of evidence supporting therapeutic interventions in social work. Few examples, however, exist, of the use of validated instrumentation in measuring the impact of services upon children and families. We report here on the use of a suite of validated instruments to measure the impact of services on children and their parents in receipt of services provided by an Irish Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) …
Socio-emotional adjustment in children attending family centres
Family services offer the possibility of producing data sets, capable of primary analyses to measure service efficacy, and secondary analyses to develop nuanced understandings of family needs. In this article, we report secondary analysis of data drawn from 1,151 families elicited upon intake to family centres in Ireland. The aim was to examine correlates of children’s socio-emotional functioning, with focus on the quality of relationships betwee…
Mental Health Literacy and Help-Giving Responses in Irish Adolescents
This study assessed mental health literacy in Irish adolescents ( N = 187), and explored participants’ help-giving responses toward hypothetical depressed peers. Participants read five vignettes, each describing an adolescent experiencing a life difficulty; two of the characters met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., DSM-IV) criteria for depression. The majority of participants could not identify depression or potenti…
Exploring the Appearance Culture in Early Adolescence
Despite the heightened awareness of body image concerns in early adolescence, there has been little research in Ireland regarding young people’s own perspectives on associated factors. Eight focus groups with young adolescents were conducted to explore common perceptions and influential processes occurring within the current Irish appearance culture. Three main themes emerged reflecting (a) appearance-related norms and processes operating in youn…
Mental Health Literacy and Help-Giving Responses in Irish Adolescents
This study assessed mental health literacy in Irish adolescents ( N = 187), and explored participants’ help-giving responses toward hypothetical depressed peers. Participants read five vignettes, each describing an adolescent experiencing a life difficulty; two of the characters met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., DSM-IV) criteria for depression. The majority of participants could not identify depression or potenti…
Adolescent Endorsement of the “Weak-Not-Sick” Stereotype for Generalised Anxiety Disorder
Stigma, comprising negative stereotypes, prejudice (negative affective reactions) and discrimination towards a member of a particular group, is of increasing interest in the context of mental illness. However, studies examining clinical anxiety stigma are lacking, particularly with regard to generalised anxiety disorder (GAD). There is also a lack of research into adolescent anxiety stigma, despite adolescence being a key period for early interve…
Qualitative methods advancing research into the expression and experience of stigma in childhood and adolescence
I’m still learning
In recent decades, it has become the case that leaving school early may no longer be the conclusion of one’s educational experiences, with more alternative educational spaces for disenfranchised learners becoming accessible. This qualitative study examines the experiences of 14 young adults in Ireland who, having left their mainstream school prior to receiving a higher secondary qualification, returned to education through an alternative facility…
Outcomes for Families Referred to Family Centres
There is growing interest in the development of evidence supporting therapeutic interventions in social work. Few examples, however, exist, of the use of validated instrumentation in measuring the impact of services upon children and families. We report here on the use of a suite of validated instruments to measure the impact of services on children and their parents in receipt of services provided by an Irish Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) …
Mental health literacy and help-giving responses of Irish primary school teachers
Teachers can play a crucial role in identifying and responding to children’s mental health difficulties. This study explored teachers’ mental health literacy (MHL) and their help-giving responses, a topic which is relatively unexplored, particularly at primary school level. Primary teachers (N = 356) responded to a questionnaire that followed the presentation of each of three vignettes: a non-clinical, control, vignette and two clinical vignettes…
Domestic Violence and Whole Family Interventions
In this article we report the results of the introduction of measures to ascertain the impact of therapeutic services for families where domestic violence has taken place. The setting is a specialist service for families located in Dublin, Ireland. The overall goal of the intervention was the ending of violence. To help achieve this, therapies sought to reduce conflict, promote better parental mental health and improve the quality of relationship…
Establishing outcome measures in practice
Providers of therapeutic services to children and families have, in recent times, been subject to pressure to supplement traditional service output measures with evidence-based measures, which capture outcomes for service users. In this article, we report on the near decade long establishment of a range of standardised measures within an Irish non-governmental agency providing therapeutic help to children and families across two settings, family …
The Refuge-ED Dialogic Co-Creation Process
A growing body of literature suggests that involving end-users in intervention research, including design, implementation, and evaluation, is associated with numerous positive outcomes. These outcomes include improved intervention efficacy, sustainability, and psychological growth among collaborators. The value of this approach and the recommendation for researchers to embrace co-creation in implementation and policies have also been recognised w…
Socio-emotional adjustment in children attending family centres
Family services offer the possibility of producing data sets, capable of primary analyses to measure service efficacy, and secondary analyses to develop nuanced understandings of family needs. In this article, we report secondary analysis of data drawn from 1,151 families elicited upon intake to family centres in Ireland. The aim was to examine correlates of children’s socio-emotional functioning, with focus on the quality of relationships betwee…
The portrayal of mental illness in popular children's programs on Netflix
Depression Literacy and Self-Reported Help-Giving Behaviour in Adolescents in Ireland
This questionnaire-based study aimed to explore depression literacy (DL) and help-giving experiences in 12-18-year-old adolescents (N = 535, M age = 14.9 years, 51.8% male) in Ireland. In response to a vignette depicting a character displaying symptoms of depression, 46.7% labelled these symptoms 'depression', with increasing age and empathy associated with increased likelihood of labelling as such. Almost all (92.1%) believed the character neede…
Professional Burnout as a Mediator in the Relationship Between Pandemic-Related Stress and Social Care Workers’ Mental Health
Understanding pathways between social care workers’ Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19)-related stress and poorer mental health outcomes can inform employers’ efforts to support the well-being of staff. The present study engaged 103 workers at an Irish Non-Government Organisation providing child and family support services. In the initial months following the cessation of pandemic restrictions in 2022, they completed an anonymous online survey th…
I Just Wouldn't Like Him to go Through What I Went Through as a Kid”
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are increasingly being acknowledged as a major risk factor for instigating and sustaining cycles of trauma between mother and child. Recently, the concept of Benevolent Childhood Experiences (BCEs) has been introduced to ACEs research as a buffer against the transmission of ACEs between generations. Positive childhood experiences such as attachment to caregivers, positive peer relations and positive sense of s…
Barriers and Enablers
Mental health problems in school‐age children continue to be a major concern internationally. The school setting has increasingly been viewed as having a potential role in supporting the assessment of children's mental health, yet there is a paucity of studies which examine teachers' perceptions of this. There is significant debate regarding whether teachers should be responsible for identifying early signs of mental health difficulties in childr…
When teachers miss the signs
This study explores whether specific teacher or school factors predict teacher alignment with children's self-reported anxiety. Stratified random sampling was used to select 15 primary schools in the Dublin region. Data were collected from 58 teachers using a binary-response questionnaire and compared to self-reported anxiety scores from children ( n = 912) on the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS-2), which served as the reference …
A Systematic Review of the Psychosocial Mechanism Underlying the Pathway from Intra-Familial Victimization in Childhood to Intimate Relationship Violence in Adolescence and Adulthood
Intra-familial childhood victimization (IF-CV) has been associated with increased involvement in relationship violence in adolescence and adulthood. Drawing from developmental theories by Bowlby on attachment styles, Young on Early Maladaptive Schema (EMS), and Erikson on psychosocial development (i.e., Sense-of-Self), we propose a conceptual model to explain this mechanism. A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review was conducted to synthesize evidence i…
Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE) in Addressing Paediatric Psychological Difficulties and Family Accommodations
Psychology (16 works) · Mental health (12 works) · Psychiatry (12 works) · Developmental psychology (10 works) · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development (8 works) · Clinical Psychology (7 works) · Sociology (7 works) · Medicine (6 works) · Social Psychology (6 works) · Early Childhood Education and Development (5 works)