Dr Ruth Naughton-Doe
Research Fellow (Family Wellbeing Team)

Profile

Biography

I am an Applied Mental Health Researcher interested in how social determinants shape the experiences of, and solutions for, perinatal mental illness. In addition to my research expertise, I bring lived and practitioner experience and have worked in the NHS and in voluntary sector mental health services.

Qualifications

• PhD Social Work Research (University of Bristol)
• MSc Social Work Research (University of Bristol
• BSc Social Policy (University of Bristol)

Research

Overview

My research approach is collaborative - I facilitate the co-design and co-evaluation of interventions that address loneliness, social isolation, or an absence of social support. My current projects aim to improve the mental health of under-served perinatal populations, including Muslim mothers, young mothers and LGBTQ+ families. I am also interested in creative and nature-based interventions.

I have methodological expertise in creative methods, realist evaluation, patient and public involvement, coproduction (of interventions, research and outputs), research impact and knowledge mobilisation.

Projects

• Supporting young women and young birthing LGBTQ+ people in the perinatal period: a realist evaluation of community-based services

• Co-designing a perinatal walking group for Muslim mothers

• Finding solutions for perinatal loneliness in collaboration with people with lived and practitioner experience

• Lonely parents hub

Research group(s)

• Family Wellbeing Research Team
• Mental Health Social Care Research Team

Supervision

• Loneliness, perinatal mental health

Publications

Selected publications

• Naughton-Doe, R. & Nowland, R. (2026) Perinatal loneliness: prevalence, impacts, drivers, interventions, solutions and future directions, Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, Volume 70  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cobeha.2026.101661
• Platt, L., Devienne, E., Boycott-Garnett, R., Larrington-Spencer, H., Lovett, E., Naughton-Doe, R., ...Wilkinson, S. (2026). The ‘walking/wheeling with’ framework: establishing walking/wheeling with children as a mobility justice issue. Mobilities, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/17450101.2026.2628112

External activities

Overview

Social media and websites

• YouTube: Lonely Parents Hub
• BlueSky: ruthndwrites.bsky.social and perinatal.research.bsky.social    Linktree 
• Perinatal Loneliness YouTube Channel
• Lonely Parents Hub (Perinatal Loneliness Project study website)

Perinatalsupport.co.uk (Supporting perinatal young mothers and birthing parents study