Qualifications:  Bachelor of Arts (1st Hons) in Psychology and Sociology at the University of Limerick.

Project Title: Type D Personality and Cardiovascular Reactivity to Acute Psychological Stress.

Project Supervisors: Professor Stephen Gallagher & Dr Siobhán Howard.

Project Description:

Type D personality, characterised by augmented levels of both negative affectivity (the tendency to experience negative emotions) and social inhibition (the tendency to inhibit the expression of emotions in social situations) has been continually associated with adverse health-related outcomes, primarily in cardiac populations. The current project examines direct psychophysiological processes as a potential mediator of this association.

In particular, the current project examines the cardiovascular psychophysiological reactions exhibited by Type D individuals in response to acute psychological stress. Results from the current project will elucidate the psychophysiological mechanisms facilitating the relationship between Type D personality and negative cardiovascular health outcomes.  

Funding:

• Irish Research Council Postgraduate Scholarship, Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship, September 2019.
• J & P Ryan Postgraduate Academic Scholarship, University of Limerick, September 2018.
• Education and Health Sciences Fee Waiver Bursary Award, University of Limerick, January 2018.
• Education and Health Sciences Research Support Award (International dissemination of PhD research), University of Limerick, July 2019.

Awards and Honours:

• Most Outstanding Academic Performance Award; for obtaining top QCA in my course, Department of Psychology, University of Limerick, August 2017.
• Winner of the Departmental Thesis in Three Competition, Department of Psychology, University of Limerick, March 2018.
• University of Limerick’s Presidential List for Outstanding QCA Spring Semester 2015/2016 (QCA: 3.60)
• University of Limerick’s Presidential List for Outstanding QCA in Spring Semester 2016/2017 (QCA: 3.76)

Peer-reviewed publications:

• O’Riordan, A., Howard, S., Brown, E. G., & Gallagher, S. (2020). Type D personality and cardiovascular reactivity to acute stress: The mediating effects of social support and negative social relationships. Psychophysiology.
• O’Riordan, A., Howard, S., & Gallagher, S. (2020). Type D personality and life event stress: the mediating effects of social support and negative social relationships. Anxiety, Stress, & Coping, 1-14.
• O’Riordan, A., Howard, S., & Gallagher, S. (2019). Social Context and Sex Moderate the Association Between Type D Personality and Cardiovascular Reactivity. Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback, 44(4), 321-330.
• Howard, S., O’Riordan, A., & Nolan, M. (2018). Cognitive bias of interpretation in type D personality: associations with physiological indices of arousal. Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback, 43(3), 193-201.
• Gallagher, S., O'Riordan, A., McMahon, G., & Creaven, A. M. (2018). Evaluating personality as a moderator of the association between life events stress and cardiovascular reactivity to acute stress. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 126, 52-59.

Conference/academic presentations:

• O' Riordan, A., Howard, S., Brown, E., & Gallagher, S. (2020) Type D personality and cardiovascular reactivity to acute stress: The mediating effects of social support and negative social relationships. 17th Annual Psychology, Health and Medicine Conference, University College Cork, 22^nd May, 2020.
• O' Riordan, A., Howard, S. & Gallagher, S. (2020) Type D personality, social support and cardiovascular reactivity to acute psychological stress. 17th Annual Psychology, Health and Medicine Conference, University College Cork, 22^nd May, 2020.
• O' Riordan, A., Howard, S. & Gallagher, S. (2020) Type D Personality, Social Support and Cardiovascular Reactivity to Acute Psychological Stress. 78th Annual Meeting of the American Psychosomatic Society, Long Beach, California, 11-14 March, 2020
• O' Riordan, A., Gallagher, S., & Howard, S. (2019) Negative social relationships mediate the association between Type D personality and perceived life events stress. 40th International Conference of the Stress and Anxiety Research Society (STAR), University of Balearic Islands, 12^th July, 2019
• O' Riordan, A., Gallagher, S., & Howard, S. (2019) Type D personality, social relationships and cardiovascular reactivity to acute psychological stress. 40th International Conference of the Stress and Anxiety Research Society (STAR), University of Balearic Islands, 11^th July, 2019
• O' Riordan, A., Gallagher, S., & Howard, S. (2019) Type D personality, social relationships and perceived life events stress. 16^th Annual Psychology, Health, and Medicine Conference, Maynooth University, 22^nd March, 2019
• O' Riordan, A., Gallagher, S., & Howard, S. (2018) The precise threshold of blunted cardiovascular reactivity: A systematic review. 32nd European Health Psychology Society Annual Conference, National University of Ireland Galway, 22^nd August, 2018
• O' Riordan, A., Gallagher, S., & Howard, S. (2018) Type D personality, social interactions and perceived life events stress. 32nd European Health Psychology Society Annual Conference, National University of Ireland Galway, 23^rd August, 2018
• O' Riordan, A., Howard, S. & Gallagher, S. (2018) Social context and sex moderate the association between Type D personality and cardiovascular reactivity. Limerick Postgraduate Research Conference, Mary Immaculate College 24^th May, 2018
• O' Riordan, A., & Gallagher, S. (2017) Type D Personality and Cardiovascular Reactivity to Acute Psychological Stress. 14th Annual Psychology, Health, and Medicine Conference, Royal College of Surgeons, 3rd March, 2017
• O' Riordan, A., Howard, S. & Gallagher, S. (2018) Social context and sex moderate the association between Type D personality and cardiovascular reactivity. Thesis in Three Competition, University of Limerick, 24^th March, 2018
• O' Riordan, A., & Gallagher, S. (2017) Type D Personality is associated with blunted cardiovascular reactivity to acute psychological stress. 4th Annual All-Ireland Conference for Undergraduate Research, University of Limerick, 23^rd March, 2017.

Memberships:

• The Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI)
• The Division of Health Psychology (PSI)
• European Health Psychology Society (EHPS)
• Centre for Social Issues Research (CSIR)
• Study of Anxiety, Stress and Health Laboratory (SASHLab)
• Health Research Institute, University of Limerick