Gerard Leavey
Biographic Data
| ID | 80123 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Gerard Leavey |
| GIVEN NAMES | Gerard |
| FAMILY NAME | Leavey |
| SIGNATURE | LEAVEY G |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Ulster |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-8411-8919 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 45 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 85 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 45 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2004 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Towards a new model of population mental health research and policy translation in the UK: Establishing a National consortium
Does change in area-level deprivation, change health outcomes? A latent class growth analysis of population data
While deprivation is consistently predictive of health, it is typically studied at one point in time in relation to health outcomes. Emerging research indicates that trajectories of social mobility may be a more powerful predictor of health than point-in-time analyses. This study seeks to identify distinct area-level deprivation trajectories within the Northern Ireland (NI) population over multiple time-points and their associations with all-caus…
The relationship between retirement, social isolation and loneliness: A longitudinal analysis using the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing
Our findings suggest there is no immediate or long-term association between retirement and loneliness, but there may be a reduction in social isolation in the short-term. Understanding the role retirement plays in the complex relationship between social connection, loneliness and isolation can be used to inform strategies and policies to improve wellbeing in older age
A social prescribing model for tackling the health and social inequalities of people living with severe mental illness: A protocol paper
Codesigned and community-based participatory interventions may be crucial in tackling the health and social inequalities experienced by people with severe mental illness. However, given the complexity of such interventions, the social prescribing model that we describe in this paper, requires considerable implementation data prior to a full trial
A qualitative exploration of the impact of educational social fields on mental health help-seeking in post-primary schools in Northern Ireland
In a study of post-primary students in Northern Ireland, Bourdieu's concepts of cultural capital, habitus and fields are used to explore attitudes towards help-seeking from general practitioners (GPs). Findings from Grammar and Secondary Modern School students are compared using the role of educational fields in influencing help-seeking behaviours for mental health problems. Focus groups were conducted of 54 students at 10 post-primary schools in…
Do doctors appreciate that social isolation and loneliness are health issues
In 2023, The Lancet published an editorial entitled "Loneliness as a Health Issue," which underscored the complexity of addressing loneliness and emphasized the key role that health professionals can play.i Reports from the US Surgeon Generalii and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicineiii also stress the importance of mobilizing the health sector, recognizing that healthcare professionals have a crucial position in address…
Effectiveness of Intergenerational Exchange Programs Between Adolescents and Older Adults: A Systematic Review
Does depression affect the association between prosocial behavior and anxiety? A cross-sectional study of students in China
Background A growing number of studies have suggested that adolescents’ prosocial behavior can protect against depression and anxiety. It is known that anxiety and depression are often comorbid. However, it remains unclear if when depression is present, prosocial behavior remains protective against anxiety, and if when anxiety is present, prosocial behavior remains protective against depression. The purpose of this study was to determine the asso…
If we don't forgive, it's like holding on to them”: A qualitative study of religious and spiritual coping on psychological recovery in older crime victims
Understanding the psychological impact on older crime victims is enhanced by clarifying the role of S/R. Further research, especially on non-Christian religious victims, is needed. Cultural awareness training for trauma counselors and trauma awareness training for faith leaders is recommended. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Geographical Disparities and Settlement Factors and Mental Health of Refugees Living in Germany
(1) Background: Approximately half of all refugees living in Germany experience discrimination, which may negatively affect their mental health. Moreover, German refugees have experienced hostility, especially in eastern regions. (2) Aims: We examined the effect of perceived discrimination on refugees' mental health in Germany, with a particular focus on possible regional differences of refugee mental health and perceived discrimination. (3) Meth…
Associations between parental bonding, social isolation and loneliness: Do associations persist in later life and is isolation a mediator between parental bonding and loneliness
Associations between parental bonding and loneliness do persist into middle and older adulthood and were in line with hypothesis stronger for more chronic loneliness. Isolation did not explain these associations and those reporting more negative parental bonds were more likely to be lonely regardless of isolation
Prevalence and Risk Factors of Psychiatric Symptoms Among Older People in England During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Latent Class Analysis
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected mental health and social connections. Older people may be disproportionately affected, placing them at increased risk for complex mental ill-health outcomes and quality of life undermined by anxiety and depression. Understanding gender differences in the determinants of anxiety and depression symptoms is crucial to policy and practice. This study aims to examine gender-specific symptom subtypes (and subthreshold…
Managerialism and teacher professional identity: Impact on well-being among teachers in the UK
In Europe, well-being in the workplace has increasing prominence in the policy and research agenda, and education is a key context in which the challenge of occupational stress has been reported. Traditionally, the ethos in school settings could be said to be shaped by the vocational motivation of employees; that is, a commitment to a social benefit through the development, support and improvement of the pupils, and this commitment used to overri…
Loneliness and Healthcare Use in Older Adults: Evidence From a Nationally Representative Cohort in Northern Ireland—A Cross-Sectional Replication Study
Background: Few have explored associations between loneliness and healthcare use independent of health and health behaviors. Recent indication of gender effects also requires validation across health service and cultural settings. We investigated the associations among loneliness, health and healthcare use (HCU) in older adults including stratification to investigate whether associations differed by gender. Methods: Secondary analysis of a nation…
Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Loneliness and Social Isolation: A Multi-Country Study
The COVID-19 global pandemic and subsequent public health social measures have challenged our social and economic life, with increasing concerns around potentially rising levels of social isolation and loneliness. This paper is based on cross-sectional online survey data (available in 10 languages, from 2 June to 16 November 2020) with 20,398 respondents from 101 different countries. It aims to help increase our understanding of the global risk f…
Dramaturgical Accounts of Transgender Individuals: Impression Management in the Presentation of Self to Specialist Gender Services
Demand for gender dysphoria (GD) treatment has increased markedly over the past decade. Access to gender-affirming treatments is challenging for most people. For dysphoric individuals, much is at stake. Little is known about the specific needs, challenges, and coping strategies of this hard-to-reach group. We examined the experiences of treatment-seeking adolescents and adults using in-depth unstructured interviews with 26 people attending specia…
Social Capital and Mental Health Among Black and Minority Ethnic Groups in the UK
Black and minority ethnic communities are at higher risk of mental health problems. We explore differences in mental health and the influence of social capital among ethnic minority groups in Great Britain. Cross-sectional linear and logistic regression analysis of data from Wave 6 (2014-2016) of the Understanding Society databases. In unadjusted models testing the likelihood of reporting psychological distress (i) comparing against a white (Brit…
Feasibility Randomised Trial Comparing Two Forms of Mental Health Supported Accommodation (Supported Housing and Floating Outreach); a Component of the QuEST (Quality and Effectiveness of Supported Te…
Background: Mental health supported accommodation services are implemented across England, usually organised into a 'step-down' care pathway that requires the individual to repeatedly move as they gain skills and confidence for more independent living. There have been no trials comparing the effectiveness of different types of supported accommodation, but two widely used models (supported housing and floating outreach) have been found to provide …
Adapting Digital Social Prescribing for Suicide Bereavement Support: The Findings of a Consultation Exercise to Explore the Acceptability of Implementing Digital Social Prescribing within an Existing …
This paper describes a consultation exercise to explore the acceptability of adapting digital social prescribing (DSP) for suicide bereavement support. Bereavement by suicide increases the risk of suicide and mental health issues. Social prescribing improves connectedness and empowerment and can provide digital outcomes-based reporting to improve the capacity for measuring the effectiveness of interventions. Our aim was to consult on the acceptab…
How data science can advance mental health research
Solitude among contemplative cloistered nuns and monks: Conceptualisation, coping and benefits of spiritually motivated solitude
There are rising perceptions and concerns about social isolation and the prevalence of loneliness in Western societies and their negative impact on people’s psychological well-being. We report on an ethnographic study conducted in two Catholic contemplative monasteries in Spain, focusing on the nuns’ and monks' voluntary search for solitude. Through in-depth interviews we aimed to explore their conceptualisation and experiences of solitude, the m…
Pastoral care of mental illness and the accommodation of African Christian beliefs and practices by UK clergy
Faith-based organisations, especially those related to specific ethnic or migrant groups, are increasingly viewed by secular Western government agencies as potential collaborators in community health and welfare programmes. Although clergy are often called upon to provide mental health pastoral care, their response to such problems remains relatively unexamined. This paper examines how clergy working in multiethnic settings do not always have the…
Locating the Social Origins of Mental Illness: The Explanatory Models of Mental Illness Among Clergy from Different Ethnic and Faith Backgrounds
Clergy have historically provided 'healing' through various spiritual and medical modalities and even in modern, developed welfare economies they may still be an important help-seeking resource. Partnerships between religion and psychiatry are regularly advocated, but there is scant research on clergy explanatory models of illness. This paper aimed to explore their relationship with psychiatry and to examine how clergy in various faith groups con…
An exploration of integrated data on the social dynamics of suicide among women
The gender-based nature of suicide-related behaviour is largely accepted. However, studies that report exclusively on female suicides are rare. Here we demonstrate how female suicide has effectively been 'othered' and appears incidental in studies which compare female and male behaviour. We highlight how recent studies of suicide have tended to be dominated by male-only approaches, which increasingly link issues of masculinity with male death by …
Exploring the Needs of Socially Excluded Young Men
In recent years, social exclusion has gained the attention of governments around the world. This paper reports on a qualitative study involving 27 young men aged 14–19 years experiencing particular forms of exclusion in the context of Northern Irish society. The study used a focus group methodology to elicit their views with the aim of exploring both emotional and psychological needs and the structural factors that may contribute to their experie…
Older Irish migrants living in London: Identity, Loss and Return
More than a quarter of a million people left Ireland for Britain in the 1940s and 1950s. The literature on the Irish experience in Britain reveals high levels of social deprivation and poor health, some of which has been attributed to prejudice and discrimination, the legacy of a colonial relationship. Other commentators have suggested the more interwoven complexities for Irish migrants in Britain of maintaining an authentic identity. In this pap…
Challenges to sanctuary: The clergy as a resource for mental health care in the community
On the front-line: Teachers as active observers of pupils’ mental health
An exploration of integrated data on the social dynamics of suicide among women
The gender-based nature of suicide-related behaviour is largely accepted. However, studies that report exclusively on female suicides are rare. Here we demonstrate how female suicide has effectively been 'othered' and appears incidental in studies which compare female and male behaviour. We highlight how recent studies of suicide have tended to be dominated by male-only approaches, which increasingly link issues of masculinity with male death by …
The Dark Night of the Soul: Causes and Resolution of Emotional Distress Among Contemplative Nuns
An ethnographic study was conducted in the Spanish Monastery of Santa Mónica whose community consists of ten contemplative Augustinian nuns. Through participant observation and interviews the stresses encountered by the nuns and the coping strategies they deployed are explored in depth. It was found that symptoms that otherwise might have been described as evidence of a depressive episode were understood by the nuns within the framework of the so…
Ex-Combatants, Religion, and Peace in Northern Ireland: The Role of Religion in Transitional Justice
Studies of Northern Ireland's ex-combatants ignore religion, while advocates of religious interventions in transitional justice exaggerate its influence. Using interview data with ex-combatants, this
Explanations of depression among Irish migrants in Britain
Integration of sexual trauma in a religious narrative: Transformation, resolution and growth among contemplative nuns
The psychological consequences of sexual abuse are generally serious and enduring, particularly when the perpetrator is known and trusted by the survivor. This paper explores the experiences of five contemplative nuns who were sexually abused by priests and the spiritual journeys that followed. In the context of an ethnographic study of contemplative practice, participant observation and in-depth interviews were used to examine the ways that the …
The Appreciation of the Spiritual in Mental Illness: A Qualitative Study of Beliefs Among Clergy in the UK
Clergy in the UK continue to provide health and social care services. However, collaboration between mental health services and clergy may be problematic, particularly in the resolution of conflicting beliefs and therapeutic modalities. For example, belief in demonic possession and other supernatural causes of mental illness, which are contentious among secular medical practitioners, remain prevalent in many ethnoreligious communities. Thus, inte…
Dramaturgical Accounts of Transgender Individuals: Impression Management in the Presentation of Self to Specialist Gender Services
Demand for gender dysphoria (GD) treatment has increased markedly over the past decade. Access to gender-affirming treatments is challenging for most people. For dysphoric individuals, much is at stake. Little is known about the specific needs, challenges, and coping strategies of this hard-to-reach group. We examined the experiences of treatment-seeking adolescents and adults using in-depth unstructured interviews with 26 people attending specia…
Pastoral care of mental illness and the accommodation of African Christian beliefs and practices by UK clergy
Faith-based organisations, especially those related to specific ethnic or migrant groups, are increasingly viewed by secular Western government agencies as potential collaborators in community health and welfare programmes. Although clergy are often called upon to provide mental health pastoral care, their response to such problems remains relatively unexamined. This paper examines how clergy working in multiethnic settings do not always have the…
Finding Help: Turkish-speaking Refugees and Migrants with a History of Psychosis
There is a large population of Turkish-speaking migrants living in London, many of whom are refugees (Enneli , Modood, & Bradley, 2005). Primary care and secondary mental health services have consistently reported poor continuity of care among patients from this community. The aim of this study was to explore the possible interconnection of causal attributions and pathways into care among Turkish-speaking, mainly Kurdish, patients with a past his…
How data science can advance mental health research
Older Irish migrants living in London: Identity, Loss and Return
More than a quarter of a million people left Ireland for Britain in the 1940s and 1950s. The literature on the Irish experience in Britain reveals high levels of social deprivation and poor health, some of which has been attributed to prejudice and discrimination, the legacy of a colonial relationship. Other commentators have suggested the more interwoven complexities for Irish migrants in Britain of maintaining an authentic identity. In this pap…
Khat use and mental illness: A critical review
On the front-line: Teachers as active observers of pupils’ mental health
Challenges to sanctuary: The clergy as a resource for mental health care in the community
Explanations of depression among Irish migrants in Britain
Finding Help: Turkish-speaking Refugees and Migrants with a History of Psychosis
There is a large population of Turkish-speaking migrants living in London, many of whom are refugees (Enneli , Modood, & Bradley, 2005). Primary care and secondary mental health services have consistently reported poor continuity of care among patients from this community. The aim of this study was to explore the possible interconnection of causal attributions and pathways into care among Turkish-speaking, mainly Kurdish, patients with a past his…
“I will accept whatever is meant for us. I wait for that—day and night”: The search for healing at a Muslim shrine in Pakistan
This paper describes an ethnographic perspective on the role of a Muslim shrine in Pakistan. Most shrines in Muslim countries represent the Sufi tradition in Islam where followers seek healing and fulfilment of their wishes using Sufi saints as intermediaries. In Pakistan, the shrine of Hazrat Abdullah Shah Ashabi provides a significant religious, social, physical, and psychological resource where people engage in religious rituals, community liv…
U.K. Clergy and People in Mental Distress: Community and Patterns of Pastoral Care
Despite the advance of secularizing influences in many western societies, religion and faith-based organizations play a significant role in the lives of many individuals and communities. Despite this, little is known about what clergy do when faced with mental health problems among their communities. Based on an analysis of in-depth interviews with U.K. Christian, Muslim and Jewish clergy this article examines models of pastoral care provided wit…
The Oxford handbook of the sociology of religion, edited by Peter Clarke
The Appreciation of the Spiritual in Mental Illness: A Qualitative Study of Beliefs Among Clergy in the UK
Clergy in the UK continue to provide health and social care services. However, collaboration between mental health services and clergy may be problematic, particularly in the resolution of conflicting beliefs and therapeutic modalities. For example, belief in demonic possession and other supernatural causes of mental illness, which are contentious among secular medical practitioners, remain prevalent in many ethnoreligious communities. Thus, inte…
The Dark Night of the Soul: Causes and Resolution of Emotional Distress Among Contemplative Nuns
An ethnographic study was conducted in the Spanish Monastery of Santa Mónica whose community consists of ten contemplative Augustinian nuns. Through participant observation and interviews the stresses encountered by the nuns and the coping strategies they deployed are explored in depth. It was found that symptoms that otherwise might have been described as evidence of a depressive episode were understood by the nuns within the framework of the so…
Between compassion and condemnation: A qualitative study of clergy views on suicide in Northern Ireland
The suicide rate in Northern Ireland, particularly among young men has grown rapidly in recent years. A relatively religious society, compared to other UK European regions, a needs assessment of clergy's pastoral response to mental illness and suicide was undertaken as part of the suicide prevention strategy. We carried out in-depth interviews with 37 clergy from a range of Christian denominations. While a compassionate response to suicide by cle…
Ethnicity, religion and clinical practice: A qualitative study of beliefs and attitudes of psychiatrists in the United Kingdom
There is growing interest in the relationship between religion and mental health and the need for compassion, empathy and “spiritual competencies” within health services including psychiatry. The nature and the extent of such a relationship are highly vexed and polarising within the psychiatric profession. While the United Kingdom is ostensibly a secular society, a high percentage of NHS clinicians hail from religiously oriented societies; we kno…
Born into adversity; The intergenerational transmission of psychological morbidity in second generation Irish children living in Britain
Objective Despite relative improvements in socioeconomic position across generations, Irish people living in Britain continue to suffer from excess psychological morbidity. This study will aim to elucidate factors relating to the intergenerational transmission of psychological morbidity. Method Data from two birth cohorts; the 1958 National Child Development Survey (NCDS) and the 1970 British Birth Cohort (BCS70) were used. Both surveyed 17,000 b…
Finding common ground: The boundaries and interconnections between faith-based organisations and mental health services
A perennial theme in the literature of religion and mental health is the need for dialogue between psychiatry and faith-based organisations in the care of people with mental health problems. These worlds are often depicted as oppositional and antagonistic; at times the boundaries are so tightly drawn that it is hard to see where they might share values and concerns. This paper examines the interface areas of religion and mental health care in ord…
Migration, social mobility and common mental disorders: Critical review of the literature and meta-analysis
OBJECTIVE: Changes in socio-economic position in people who migrate may have adverse associations with mental health. The main objective of this review was to assess the association of social mobility with common mental disorders in migrant and second-generation groups, to inform future research. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis of English-language studies assessing the association of social mobility in migrant or second-generation gro…
Depression and the medicalization of sadness: Conceptualization and recommended help-seeking
BACKGROUND: Critiques of the validity of the DSM diagnostic criteria for depressive disorder argue that it fails to differentiate between abnormal sadness due to internal dysfunction or depression (sadness without an identifiable cause), and normal sadness (sadness with a clear cause). AIMS: and METHODS: A population survey was undertaken in adult education centres in Spain aiming to explore beliefs about depression and normal sadness. Two hypoth…
Meeting the Needs of Vulnerable Young Men: A Study of Service Provider Views
This article uses a qualitative approach to elicit the views of 31 professionals who provide services to vulnerable young men. The findings reveal six key themes following focus group interviews: (i) the importance of masculinity in explaining problematic behaviour; (ii) the misuse of alcohol and drugs; (iii) alienation and social isolation; (iv) concerns about suicide and self‐harm; (v) the quality of existing services; and (vi) recommendations …
Ex-Combatants, Religion, and Peace in Northern Ireland: The Role of Religion in Transitional Justice
Studies of Northern Ireland's ex-combatants ignore religion, while advocates of religious interventions in transitional justice exaggerate its influence. Using interview data with ex-combatants, this
Integration of sexual trauma in a religious narrative: Transformation, resolution and growth among contemplative nuns
The psychological consequences of sexual abuse are generally serious and enduring, particularly when the perpetrator is known and trusted by the survivor. This paper explores the experiences of five contemplative nuns who were sexually abused by priests and the spiritual journeys that followed. In the context of an ethnographic study of contemplative practice, participant observation and in-depth interviews were used to examine the ways that the …
Exploring the Needs of Socially Excluded Young Men
In recent years, social exclusion has gained the attention of governments around the world. This paper reports on a qualitative study involving 27 young men aged 14–19 years experiencing particular forms of exclusion in the context of Northern Irish society. The study used a focus group methodology to elicit their views with the aim of exploring both emotional and psychological needs and the structural factors that may contribute to their experie…
Locating the Social Origins of Mental Illness: The Explanatory Models of Mental Illness Among Clergy from Different Ethnic and Faith Backgrounds
Clergy have historically provided 'healing' through various spiritual and medical modalities and even in modern, developed welfare economies they may still be an important help-seeking resource. Partnerships between religion and psychiatry are regularly advocated, but there is scant research on clergy explanatory models of illness. This paper aimed to explore their relationship with psychiatry and to examine how clergy in various faith groups con…
An exploration of integrated data on the social dynamics of suicide among women
The gender-based nature of suicide-related behaviour is largely accepted. However, studies that report exclusively on female suicides are rare. Here we demonstrate how female suicide has effectively been 'othered' and appears incidental in studies which compare female and male behaviour. We highlight how recent studies of suicide have tended to be dominated by male-only approaches, which increasingly link issues of masculinity with male death by …
Solitude among contemplative cloistered nuns and monks: Conceptualisation, coping and benefits of spiritually motivated solitude
There are rising perceptions and concerns about social isolation and the prevalence of loneliness in Western societies and their negative impact on people’s psychological well-being. We report on an ethnographic study conducted in two Catholic contemplative monasteries in Spain, focusing on the nuns’ and monks' voluntary search for solitude. Through in-depth interviews we aimed to explore their conceptualisation and experiences of solitude, the m…
Pastoral care of mental illness and the accommodation of African Christian beliefs and practices by UK clergy
Faith-based organisations, especially those related to specific ethnic or migrant groups, are increasingly viewed by secular Western government agencies as potential collaborators in community health and welfare programmes. Although clergy are often called upon to provide mental health pastoral care, their response to such problems remains relatively unexamined. This paper examines how clergy working in multiethnic settings do not always have the…
Psychology (34 works) · Psychiatry (27 works) · Mental health (23 works) · Sociology (23 works) · Medicine (22 works) · Political science (19 works) · Social Psychology (16 works) · Health disparities and outcomes (10 works) · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology (10 works) · Demography (8 works)