BSc Psychology; PhD Psychology
Research Fellow
Room: 29.3.2.12

Tel: 028 9097 3603
E-mail: nuala.livingstone@qub.ac.uk
Twitter: Nuala_ICCR

Biography

I graduated from Queen’s University Belfast in 2006 with a BSc (Hons) in Psychology, and again in 2010 with a PhD in Psychology. My PhD research was entitled “Motor deficits in children with partial hearing”.

I joined the Institute of Child Care Research in October 2009 as a Research Fellow, focusing primarily on Systematic Reviews. Since joining, I have completed and published a Cochrane systematic review entitled “Restorative justice conferencing for reducing recidivism in young offenders”. I have also assisted in a number of other reviews undertaken as part of the Cochrane Developmental, Psychosocial and Learning Problems Group.

In 2011, I was part of a team that completed a series of Rapid Reviews for the Bamford Implementation Rapid Review Scheme. The purpose of this project was to map the current evidence base in relation to ‘what works’ in a series of research areas relevant to the mental health of children and young people in Northern Ireland and identify the key research questions requiring attention in future research.

As of June 2012, I have been part of an ongoing Systematic Review funded by the National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment Programme (NIHR HTA) entitled “MeASURe: Measurement in autism spectrum disorder under review”. This project aims to establish which tools are used to measure outcomes and progress in young children aged 0-6 with ASD, review their measurement properties, and consider which tools best relate to outcomes of importance for key stakeholders, including parents and young people with ASD.

As of February 2013 I have been part of an ongoing NIHR HTA Funded Systematic Review entitled “The effectiveness, acceptability and cost-effectiveness of psychosocial interventions for maltreated children and adolescents: An evidence synthesis”.

Research interests

My current research interests include systematic reviews, childhood interventions, childhood development and developmental disorders.

Publications

Livingstone, N., Macdonald, G. & Carr, N. (2012). Restorative justice conferencing for reducing recidivism in young offenders (aged 7 to 21). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Issue 2.

Livingstone, N. & McPhillips, M. (2011). Motor skill deficits in children with partial hearing. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 53(9), 836-42.

Macdonald, G., Livingstone, N., Davidson, G., Sloan, S., Fargas, M. & McSherry, D. (2011). Improving the Mental Health of Northern Ireland’s Children and Young People: Priorities for Research. Belfast: Public Health Agency.

Yeoh, B., Woolfenden, S., Lanphear, B., Ridley, G.F., Livingstone, N. (2012). Household interventions for preventing domestic lead exposure in children. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2012, Issue 4.