Staff Profile

Olivia is a post-doctoral researcher with a background in psychobiology, the interaction between psychological and physiological pathways. Olivia joined the Institute of Health & Society in 2016, following the completion of her PhD, which investigated the role of anticipation in psychobiological stress responding. She is a member of the Health Psychology, Child, Participation & Health, and DevMod (development and modelling of AHP complex interventions) Research Groups. She is additionally a member of the Stress, Health & Wellbeing Special Interest Group at the Wolfson Institute at Durham University.

Olivia is currently involved in the ActiveCHILD study, a longitudinal research program investigating behavioural pathways and interventions for physical activity in under5s with and without physical limitations.

Qualifications

PhD: Health Psychology/Psychobiology, Northumbria University, 2016

MSc: Developmental Psychopathology, Durham University, 2013

BSc(Hons): Psychology with Criminology, Northumbria University, 2012

Research interests

• Individual differences in the interaction between psychological and physiological pathways
• The role of anticipation in psychobiological stress responding
• Health and wellbeing (children and adults)
• The development of interventions to promote health behaviours
• Resilience (and ways to increase resilience in children)

• Hare O A, Wetherell M A, Smith M A. State anxiety and cortisol reactivity to skydiving in novice versus experienced skydivers. Physiology & Behavior, 2013.
• Wetherell M, Craw O, Smith K, Smith M. Psychobiological responses to critically evaluated multitasking. Neurobiology of Stress 2017, 7, 68-73.
• Smith MA, Riccalton VC, Kelly-Hughes DH, Craw OA, Allen SF, O'Connor DB, Wetherell MA. The relationship between Type D personality and physical health complaints is mediated by perceived stress and anxiety but not diurnal cortisol secretion. Stress 2018, 21(3), 229-236.