Dr. Margaret Lawler

Dr Margaret Lawler is an Assistant Professor of Psychology in the School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, and a Charted Health Psychologist of the Psychological Society of Ireland. She co-ordinates and teaches four undergraduate psychology modules in the Discipline of Occupational Therapy and contributes to teaching on the MSc in Cancer Survivorship. Her research focuses on adolescents' health and wellbeing. She is particularly interested in understanding the psychological and social factors that underpin health behaviours during adolescence and applying novel interventions (e.g. mindfulness, social prescribing) to promote health behaviour change and psychological wellbeing among youth. Margaret received a BSc. (Hons) in Sport Science and Health (1st Class Honours) from Dublin City University and holds a Higher Diploma in Psychology (1st Class Honours), Post-graduate Diploma in Statistics, and a PhD (Psychology) from Trinity College Dublin. Her doctoral research, funded by a competitive Postgraduate Irish Research Council Scholarship, explored adolescents' physical activity patterns and psychosocial predictors of physical activity maintenance and behaviour change over twelve months. Prior to taking up her academic post, Margaret completed a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in the School of Psychology, TCD, where she managed a trial jointly funded by Health Research Charities Ireland and the Health Research Board, which examined the feasibility of a novel peer-led motivational interviewing intervention for health behaviour change (smoking, alcohol, physical activity) among at-risk adolescents from low socioeconomic status communities. Margaret was recently awarded a TCD School of Medicine Research Seed Award (2022) and an IRC New Foundations Award (2022) for her novel research exploring social prescribing as a potential mechanism for supporting adolescents' and young adults' health and wellbeing. In addition, she is currently collaborating with the Gaelic Athletic Association, Camogie Association, Ladies Gaelic Football Association and several academic institutions across Ireland and Northern Ireland on The Gaelic Games Youth Participation Study, which is the first all-island study to explore adolescents' experiences of, and participation rates in Gaelic games. Dr Lawler has published qualitative and quantitative research papers in Q1 journals within her field (e.g. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health; Journal of Youth and Adolescence) and has presented her research nationally and internationally. She is an editorial board member for the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity and an active peer reviewer for several international journals within the area of Psychology and Health (e.g. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, International Journal of Sport and Exercise, Health Education and Behavior). Margaret has also served as an expert reviewer for ReThink Ireland evaluating grants targeted at improving positive mental health outcomes for adolescents and young adults.

  Applied Psychology   Behaviour Change   BODY IMAGE   CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE   Developmental Psychology   Health Psychology   Latent Class Analysis   Mindfulness   MOTIVATION   motivational interview   PHYSICAL ACTIVITY   SELF-DETERMINATION THEORY   SPORT