Prof. Stephen Gallagher

Biography

Associate Professor in Health Psychology. Stephen Gallagher is a health psychologist and a Professor in the Psychology Department here in UL and has been here since August 2010. My main research interests focus on the impact of stress on health and well-being (see google scholar). I am particularly interested in the impact of psychosocial factors on health via interactions between the neuroendocrine and immune systems. My current research is looking at the psychological and social factors that are associated with caregiver health as well as those experiencing unemployment, both of who are under chronic stress. We are also involved with designing and delivery of number interventions (e.g. stress management, positive psychology, and physical activity) to improve health and well-being for carers, the general population as well those with chronic illnesses. I am also using laboratory-based research to examine the buffering role of social support on cardiovascular reactivity and immunity. I am also a member of the Centre for Social Issues Research and the Health Research Institute and Director of the Study of Anxiety, Stress & Health Laboratory here in UL, www.sashlab.com. Stephen has published extensively in the areas described above, with national and international research teams and his research has been funded by the Irish Research Council, Health Research Board, and Research Institutes in the USA. He would be interested in supervising Postdoctoral or PhD projects in some of the areas described above. Please send an e-mail to Stephen for possible opportunities.

Research Interests

My main research interests are on stress and health, with a particular focus on how stress gets inside the body via biobehavioural pathways including immune, hormonal and cardiovascular biomarkers. In terms of stress, I use a variety of paradigms including life events stress (e.g. bereavement), chronic (e.g, caregiving, unemployment and long-term conditions) and acute stress (e.g,. exams and maths tasks) as well as conduct both observational and experimental studies including psychosocial and positive psychology interventions. My lab group (sashlab.com) and our health and psychophysiology laboratory have two experimental testing rooms and a wet-lab. These are equipped with full cardiovascular monitoring equipment with several Dinamaps, and a Finometer Pro which allows for beat-to-beat continuous hemodynamic monitoring. The labs also have plate readers, incubators, centrifuge and the capability to assess a range of hormonal and immune biomarkers and we tend to look at cortisol, DHEA, and secretory immunoglobulin A. Some of the projects I am currently involved with include examining the biological correlates of caregiving and unemployment as well as the stress of bullying in the workplace; other projects are looking at how loneliness and social relationships affect our health via cardiovascular and hormonal interactions. While our interventions focus on improving social relations via gratitude and benefit finding with other studies investigating health behaviour interventions to those managing and living with long-terms conditions (e.g, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis). In terms of collaborations, my group has several local (UL), and national (NUI-G, UCC, MIC, UCD), and international projects (UK, US) that are on-going and we would be keen to develop other collaborations if they fit with our agenda. Thus, feel free to get in touch with me if you think we have shared interests.

Professional Activities

Association

2010 Affilation and support for psychologists in Ireland, Psychological Society of Ireland
2005 Support and network for Health Psychologists, Division of Health Psychology, British Psychological Society, UK
2003 Professional body for psycholgist, British Psychological Society, UK

Award

- Ratcliffe Prize, 2009,
- Deanery Prize Winner

Peer Reviewed Journals

2020

Cardiovascular stress reactions in recent- and long-retired rugby players when watching a game

Howard S.;Fitzgerald G.;Gallagher S. (2020) Cardiovascular stress reactions in recent- and long-retired rugby players when watching a game. Physiology & behavior

Biography

Research Interests

Professional Activities

Association

Award

Publications

Peer Reviewed Journals

Cardiovascular stress reactions in recent- and long-retired rugby players when watching a game

Type D personality and cardiovascular reactivity to acute stress: The mediating effects of social support and negative social relationships

Personality, cardiovascular, and cortisol reactions to acute psychological stress in the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study

Type D personality and life event stress: the mediating effects of social support and negative social relationships

Stressful life events and adolescent well-being: The role of parent and peer relationships

Building Resources in Caregivers: Feasibility of a Brief Writing Intervention to Increase Benefit Finding in Caregivers

How to improve recruitment, sustainability and scalability in physical activity programmes for adults aged 50 years and older: A qualitative study of key stakeholder perspectives.

Social support, social participation, and cardiovascular reactivity to stress in the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study

State, but not trait gratitude is associated with cardiovascular responses to acute psychological stress

Loneliness, living alone, and all-cause mortality: The role of emotional and social loneliness in the elderly during 19 years of follow-up

Perceived social support mediates the association between attachment and cardiovascular reactivity in young adults

Loneliness and cardiovascular reactivity to acute stress in younger adults

Social Context and Sex Moderate the Association Between Type D Personality and Cardiovascular Reactivity

The effects of exercise interventions on health and fitness of firefighters: A meta-analysis.

Loneliness, living alone, and all-cause mortality: The role of emotional and social loneliness in the elderly during 19 years of follow-up

Unemployment, employment precarity, and inflammation

An evaluation of an intervention designed to help inactive adults become more active with a peer mentoring component: a protocol for a cluster randomised feasibility trial of the Move for Life programme.

Prior depressive symptoms and persistent child problem behaviours predict future depression in parents of children with developmental disabilities: The growing up in Ireland cohort study

Evaluating personality as a moderator of the association between life events stress and cardiovascular reactivity to acute stress

Sources of Variability in Physical Activity Among Inactive People with Multiple Sclerosis

Examining Psychosocial Pathways Underlying Gratitude Interventions: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Do Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms Moderate the Relationship Between Self-Efficacy and Physical Activity in People With Multiple Sclerosis?

Social cognitive theory correlates of physical activity in inactive adults with multiple sclerosis

Randomised controlled pilot trial of an exercise plus behaviour change intervention in people with multiple sclerosis: the Step it Up study

Developing a recovery college: a preliminary exercise in establishing regional readiness and community needs

Feeling Thanks and Saying Thanks: A Randomized Controlled Trial Examining If and How Socially Oriented Gratitude Journals Work

Community-based intervention to promote physical activity in rheumatoid arthritis (CIPPA-RA): a study protocol for a pilot randomised control trial

Optimism and benefit finding in parents of children with developmental disabilities:. The role of positive reappraisal and social support

Parents' concerns about future pregnancy after stillbirth: a qualitative study

"It might hurt, but still it's good': People with rheumatoid arthritis beliefs and expectations about physical activity interventions

Feeling thanks and saying thanks: A randomized controlled trial examining if and how socially-oriented gratitude journals work.

Developing a recovery college: a preliminary exercise in establishing regional readiness and community needs

A Longitudinal Study of Relationships between Identity Continuity and Anxiety Following Brain Injury

Optimism and benefit finding in parents of children with developmental disabilities: The role of positive reappraisal and social support

If a joint is hot it's not the time: health professionals' views on developing an intervention to promote physical activity in rheumatoid arthritis

'if a joint is hot it's not the time': Health professionals' views on developing physical activity interventions for people who have rheumatoid arthritis

Effect of exercising at minimum recommendations of the multiple sclerosis exercise guideline combined with structured education or attention control education - secondary results of the step it up randomised controlled trial

Unemployment as a chronic stressor: A systematic review of cortisol studies

Unemployment is associated with lower cortisol awakening and blunted dehydroepiandrosterone responses

Developing a recovery college: A preliminary exercise in establishing regional readiness and community needs

Enhancing social relationships through positive psychology activities: a randomised controlled trial

A Commentary on 'Positive Psychology Interventions for Patients With Heart Disease: A Preliminary Randomized Trial'

Mediating effects of loneliness on the gratitude-health link.

Relationship between self-efficacy, beliefs, and physical activity in inflammatory arthritis.

Social support mediates the association between benefit finding and quality of life in caregivers

Relationship between self-efficacy, beliefs, and physical activity in inflammatory arthritis

Randomized controlled trials in WOHP interventions: A review and guidelines for use

It might hurt, but still it's good': people who have rheumatoid arthritis beliefs and expectations about physical activity interventions

Mediating effects of loneliness on the gratitude-health link

Promoting physical activity in rheumatoid arthritis: a narrative review of behaviour change theories

How Does Bereavement Get Under the Skin? The Effects of Late-Life Spousal Loss on Cortisol Levels

Behaviour change interventions to promote physical activity in rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review

The Association Between Spirituality and Depression in Parents Caring for Children with Developmental Disabilities: Social Support and/or Last Resort

A Cluster Analysis of Reported Sleeping Patterns of 9-Month Old Infants and the Association with Maternal Health: Results from a Population Based Cohort Study

Enhancing social relationships through positive psychology activities: A randomized controlled trial.

Child problem behaviours are associated with obesity in parents caring for children with developmental disabilities

Differential hemodynamic effects during the provision of active and passive support in the laboratory

Parental decision making around perinatal autopsy: a qualitative investigation

'Soft and fluffy': Medical students' attitudes towards psychology in medical education

Anticytomegalovirus antibody titres are not associated with caregiving burden in younger caregivers

Affiliative and "self-as-doer" identities: Relationships between social identity, social support, and emotional status amongst survivors of acquired brain injury (ABI)

A randomised controlled trial of benefit finding in caregivers: The Building Resources in Caregivers Study Protocol

The influence of self-esteem and social support on the relationship between stigma and depressive symptomology in parents caring for children with intellectual disabilities

Promoting physical activity in rheumatoid arthritis: A narrative review of behaviour change theories

The impact of anticipated stigma on psychological and physical health problems in the unemployed group

'Soft and fluffy': Medical students' attitudes towards psychology in medical education

A randomised controlled trial of an exercise plus behaviour change intervention in people with multiple sclerosis: the step it up study protocol

Happy but unhealthy: The relationship between social ties and health in an emerging network

Social support and mastery influence the association between stress and poor physical health in parents caring for children with developmental disabilities

Depression and chronic health conditions in parents of children with and without developmental disabilities: The growing up in Ireland cohort study

Acquired brain injury: combining social psychological and neuropsychological perspectives

Social identity influences stress appraisals and cardiovascular reactions to acute stress exposure

A commentary on 'The effects of identification with a support group on the mental health of people with multiple sclerosis'

A commentary on The effects of identification with a support group on the mental health of people with multiple sclerosis

A Commentary on "Positive Psychology Interventions for Patients With Heart Disease: A Preliminary Randomized Trial"