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. Her research focuses on the psychosocial factors that support health and wellbeing among youth and the application of novel interventions (e.g. mindfulness, social prescribing) to promote health behaviour change. Margaret's PhD 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. She also holds a Higher Diploma in Psychology (1st Class Hons) and Post-graduate Diploma in Statistics from Trinity College Dublin, and a BSc. Sport Science and Health (1st Class Hons) from Dublin City University. Prior to taking up her academic post, Margaret completed a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in the School of Psychology, TCD on a HRCI-HRB funded trial, 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. Her current research projects, supported by a TCD School of Medicine Research Seed Award (2022) and an IRC New Foundations Award (2022), are investigating social prescribing as a potential mechanism for supporting adolescents' and young adults' health and wellbeing. More recently she received a TCD Research Boost Award (2024) for her research exploring the effects of social connection and physical activity on university students' perceived stress, coping, and wellbeing. Margaret also collaborated on the first all-Island study exploring adolescents' experiences of, and participation rates in Gaelic games in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Dr Lawler 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). She also serves as an expert reviewer for ReThink Ireland evaluating grants targeted at improving mental health and social inclusion for adolescents and adults. Margaret co-ordinates and teaches four undergraduate psychology modules in the Discipline of Occupational Therapy and contributes to teaching on the MSc in Cancer Survivorship.

  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