Salud y Psicología

Psychology: tools, interventions and practices for health

Within this line of research, we are working on psychological interventions for the prevention and promotion of health and well-being in different contexts (face-to-face vs. online environments, schools, organizations, etc) and conditions (health, illness, disabilities, psychological disorders, stages and vital moments, interpersonal relationships, etc). We also investigate psychological aspects related to the use of ICT for health.

Specific thesis projects offered inside of this line of research include the following:

Thesis Proposals

Researchers

Research Group

Artificial intelligence and persuasive design
 
This research line explores the confluence of artificial intelligence (AI), generative models, and persuasive and behavioural design, with a specific focus on enhancing health outcomes. Our primary objective is to investigate how generative AI technologies can be harnessed within the framework of persuasive design to shape human behaviour and decision-making and promote health and well-being. This interdisciplinary pursuit not only pushes the boundaries of AI, but also illuminates its profound implications for designing systems that effectively influence user behaviour and promote health.
AI-enhanced persuasive strategies for health: Highly personalized persuasive interventions that address individual health needs, resonate with users, and offer in-depth guidance and support.
 
Influencing large population groups: In the field of psychology and behavioural sciences, our research meticulously dissects the use of persuasive design in AI to influence attitudes and beliefs about health on a societal scale and to promote health promotion across the population.
 
IA and ontologies in behavioural sciences: The foundation of our research lies in ontologies applied to behavioural sciences. This structured framework provides a thorough understanding of human behaviour and psychological processes, facilitating the creation of precise and effective persuasive interventions that are deeply rooted in psychological insights.
 
We are interested in facilitating the participation of PhD students in the Government of Catalonia's Industrial PhD programme (signing a MOU with a company) and helping them to apply for additional funding.
Dr Manuel Armayones Ruiz
Mail: marmayones@uoc.edu
 
Mail: bgomezz@uoc.edu
Behavioural Design Lab

Behavioural Design in Public Health

How do we help people change their behaviour or daily routines? How do we design behavioural solutions for controlling a chronic condition, getting back in shape or any other need or interest? How do we increase engagement and adherence to clinical guides between health professionals? In sum, how do we develop effective behavioural design to help public health administration to design, implement and evaluate  health interventions in the field of health promotion?

Behavioural design refers to the specific theoretical models and applied strategies used in interventions and its aim is to:

  • Understand how the mind makes decisions;
  • Describe the key factors (barriers and facilitators) that must converge in order for action to be taken; and
  • Develop strategies for changing behaviour.

Behavioural change techniques are one of the most important factors in determining the success or failure of online interventions (e-health).

Research topics:

  • The design of eHealth intervention to «desimplement »low value clinical practices.
  • Personal motivation and decision-making processes and their role in starting and sustaining changes in behaviour.
  • Persuasive systems design for online interventions aimed at disease prevention or health promotion.
  • Theoretical models (Behaviour Change Wheel, Persuasive System Design, Behavior Fogg Model) and their application in Health Promotion.

Further information: 

In this research line, we have been working funded both by public and private partners. 

We are interested in facilitating the participation of PhD students in "Industrial Doctoral Programs of the Government of Catalonia (MOU with a company) as the request for additional funds.

Dr Manuel Armayones Ruiz
Mail: marmayones@uoc.edu

Dr Beni Gómez-Zúñiga 
Mail: bgomezz@uoc.edu

Dr Modesta Pousada Fernández
Mail: mpousada@uoc.edu

Behavioural Design Lab

(Digital) Health Literacy (dHL)

How does (d)HL help people make better decisions about health? How do social networks further the reach of health messages and ultimately improve health?

What skills are needed by people (professionals and the public) to navigate digital healthcare services?

Health literacy is an issue on the global agenda and one of the three pillars of health promotion.

Health literacy means more than simply being able to 'read pamphlets', 'make appointments', 'understand food labels' or 'comply with prescribed actions' from a doctor.

It is not just a personal skill. Rather, it depends on individual skills, community resources, and the complexity and demands of the health system.

Health literacy aims to:

  • Improve health and quality of life from a public health perspective; and
  • Support informed and efficient decision-making around health.

Research topics:

  • Learning ecologies in digital mental health in adolescents through social networks.
  • Assessing and promoting health literacy and digital health literacy among health professionals, patients and the wider public.
  • Health interventions through social networks.

 

Within this research line, we are now working with public and private funds, and together with mental health institutions and the Spanish Network for Health Literacy.

We are interested in admitting PhD students to apply for "Industrial Doctoral Programs of the Government of Catalonia" (implying a memorandum of understanding with a company), as well as the application for additional funds.

Mail: mboixados@uoc.edu
 
Mail: ehernandez@uoc.edu
Behavioural Design Lab
 
Human sexuality
 
Our main goal is to investigate different areas of human sexuality, in order to improve the discipline of sexology. This line is geared towards sexual health; hence, we are interested in understanding the components that impact sexual health from different perspectives. We are especially interested in psychological assessment, new psychological therapies for sexual dysfunctions, the promotion of sexual health among young people, the implication of sexism in sexuality and the prevention of sexual violence. 
Broadly speaking, we have three main research lines: sexual function, sexual health promotion and sexual victimization. Above all, we are interested in the interactions between these three areas. 
 
Research topics:
 
Sexual function: We would like to explore new ways of assessment (AI included), test new treatment effectiveness and gain deeper insight into the conditioning factors of sexual (dys-)functions.
 
Sexual health promotion: This line focuses on adolescents and young adults. We not only search for strategies to increase condom use and reduce unplanned pregnancies, but we also extend our research to all aspects of comprehensive sexual health (homophobia, transphobia, sexism, pleasure, etc.).
 
Sexual victimization: In this last topic, we focus mainly on sexual violence by men against women. Thus, knowing the reality of women, understanding the contexts of violence and being able to design interventions aimed at reducing sexual violence are some of this line's sub-objectives.
 

Dr Adrián Montesano del Campo
Mail: amontesano@uoc.edu

Intervention in Clinical and Health Psychology

Interpersonal Relationships and Psychotherapy

Our research seeks to contribute to enhancement of the quality of psychological interventions in both individual and in couple and family therapy from an integrative perspective. Within this field, we pay special attention to the following topics: self-identity and change; relational welfare; narrative change; systemic therapy; grief therapy; couple and sexual therapy; patterns of interpersonal interaction.

We aim at developing applied research projects focused on the improvement of the socio-sanitary response to participants with different health problems, as well as the promotion of psychological and relational welfare in the community. 

Research topics:

  • Focused on the development of innovative methodologies of constructivist assessment of change, relational dynamics or personal identity, especially through the use of ICT (Virtual/Mixed Reality and Health).
  • Focused on the study of the role of relational welfare in psychological and physical health.
  • Focused on the effectiveness of individual, family and couple psychotherapy, from a practitioner-oriented approach.
Dr Adrián Montesano del Campo
Mail: amontesano@uoc.edu
Intervention in Clinical and Health Psychology

Loneliness: behavioural insights into experience, cognitive processes and mediating social resources

Unwanted loneliness is an interdisciplinary topic for which a psychological perspective is especially important, regardless of the group being studied (e.g. the elderly, people with disabilities or parents of children with chronic illnesses). This research line focuses on:

  • Approaching loneliness interventions from behavioural design (both in public policies and individual or group technology-based interventions);
  • Analysing factors that mediate loneliness in different social groups, with a special focus on disabled people; and
  • Studying the effectiveness of public policies in terms of the perception of loneliness among specific groups.

Further information:


Our research in this line has been funded by both public and private partners. We are therefore interested in admitting PhD students who are involved in the Government of Catalonia's industrial doctoral programmes (memorandum of understanding with a company).

Dr Manuel Armayones Ruiz
Mail: marmayones@uoc.edu
 
Mail: bgomezz@uoc.edu
 
Mail: mpousada@uoc.edu
 
 
Behavioural Design Lab

Psychopathology, Adaptation Processes and Resilience 

Our research starts from the study of psychopathology and clinical psychology to better understand certain clinical disorders, their risk and protection factors and the processes of adaptation to adversity. Thus, some of the topics addressed are the evaluation and diagnosis of psychopathological conditions, the assessment of psychotherapy outcomes and processes, routine monitoring, the psychopathology of trauma, victimization and resilience processes, and response to psychosocial stressors (grief and loss, crisis intervention, care responsabilities, etc.)

Research topics:
 
  • Focused on the psychology of bond and affective relationships: stress management, grief and loss, adaptation processes, separations/divorces, psychosocial stressors, etc.
  • Focused on the field of emergency psychology: study of the benefits of early crisis intervention, communication of bad news, needs of victims and social support, effectiveness of interventions in trauma, care for vulnerable groups (evictions, immigration, etc.).
  • Focused on victimization: forms, risk and protective factors, intervention programs with victims, child abuse, sexual abuse/assault, partner violence, workplace/school harassment, etc.
Dr Alba Pérez González
Mail: albaperezgonzalez@uoc.edu
Quantitative Psychology

Research in legal psychology

Can psychological research favour criminal investigation? Is it possible to determine the mental processes of an individual who has committed a crime? Can we improve police and judicial intervention in victims and mitigate the effects caused by the experience of a traumatic process? Our purpose is to develope research projects that answer these questions and, with them, contribute and promotes the excercise of psychology in the legal system.

 
Research topics:
 
  • Design and evaluation of techniques that improve the recall of witnesses who saw a criminal act.
  • Study and evaluation of psychological phenomena, behavioural and relational, that have an impact on criminal behaviour.
  • Improvement of the victim's situation and their interaction with the legal system, and intervention and developing prevention programs for secondary victimization.
Dr Modesta Pousada Fernández
Mail: mpousada@uoc.edu
Behavioural Design Lab
Virtual Communities of Practice for caregivers: a psychological approach
 
Caring for a person with a long-term condition impacts caregivers' health and deteriorates their quality of life.  Virtual communities of practice for caregivers can provide them with knowledge, social support and coping strategies.
 
Are virtual communities of practice a goog structure for health?
 
How is an online intervention based on virtual communities designed?
 
How are interactions in these communities promoted?
 
How is a powerful environment for caregivers stimulated?
 
Virtual communities of practice can be built intentionally to promote knowledge to help with quality care. 
 
Mail: bgomezz@uoc.edu
 
Mail: mpousada@uoc.edu
Behavioural Design Lab
Virtual reality for psychological interventions
 
Our research seeks to enhance the quality of psychologically informed virtual, augmented and mixed reality interventions in psychotherapy and clinical psychology.
 
Virtual, augmented and mixed reality is an emerging field within psychotherapy and human-computer interaction that seeks to understand how immersive and interactive technologies can be used in evidence-based well-being interventions. Our research focus is twofold:
 
1. Basic experimental research: We aim to develop conceptual frameworks and experimental designs to understand how virtual reality can be used effectively to influence the identity and well-being of individuals, families and communities.
2. Application: We focus on the development and validation of virtual reality experiences to promote psychological and relational well-being in a variety of clinical and non-clinical settings.
Research topics:
Virtual reality in psychotherapy for the treatment of psychological problems.
Virtual reality to promote relational well-being in couples and families.
Virtual reality for the training of psychotherapists.
 

Dr Adrián Montesano del Campo
Mail: amontesano@uoc.edu

 

Intervention in Clinical and Health Psychology