Despina Laparidou joined the Community and Health Research Unit this August 2014 as a research assistant.
After finishing her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at the University of Lincoln, Despina completed an MSc in Health Psychology at the University of Kent and an MSc in Research Methods in Psychology at the University of Surrey. Her last research project prior to joining CaHRU was an exploratory study investigating the extent to which intrusive thinking, intrusion appraisals and illness perceptions affect the psychological adjustment and well-being of cancer patients, as measured through their anxiety and depression levels.
Despina is currently working with Dr. Jo Middlemass, Prof Terence Karran and a multidisciplinary research team on the “Carers of Dementia Sufferers: Empowerment and Efficacy via Education (CADS: E3)” project, which aims to improve carer and patient outcomes through a psychoeducational intervention for carers of people with dementia.