Emily Hayward
Research Trainee (NIHR Predoctoral Award holder)
Profile
Biography
Emily Hayward is a Research Trainee and NIHR Predoctoral Award holder in the Department of Health Sciences. She has over ten years experience in child and adolescent mental health research across NHS and university settings and is currently completing an MSc in Mental Health Research as part of her NIHR-funded training programme. Her Predoctoral Award supports the development of advanced methodological skills and preparation for future doctoral research in child and adolescent mental health research methodology.
Qualifications
- MSc in Mental Health Research - University of York (in progress)
BSc (Hons) Psychology (First Class) - York St John University
(2014)
Research
Overview
Emily’s research interests centre on child and adolescent mental health research. She has experience across a range of methodologies, including the development, adaptation and evaluation of psychological interventions and assessment tools, randomised controlled trials, feasibility studies, qualitative research, systematic reviews and co-production/PPIE. Her current research interests focus particularly on research methodology in child and adolescent mental health, including how children and young people are recruited to and retained in mental health studies. She is interested in how recruitment and retention approaches can be made more evidence-informed, acceptable, feasible and equitable, and in the role of young people’s agency and autonomy in research participation. She also has a developing interest in researcher wellbeing and supervision within child and adolescent mental health research, particularly how researchers can be supported to deliver safe, high-quality and positive research experiences for young people.
Projects
NIHR Predoctoral Award
Emily is undertaking a 12-month NIHR Predoctoral Award focused on developing methodological expertise in child and adolescent mental health research. Her work explores recruitment and retention of children and young people in mental health research, with particular interests in agency, autonomy and inclusive participation.
The award includes an MSc in Mental Health Research, a systematic review of recruitment and retention in child and adolescent mental health studies, co-production/PPIE with young people and research professionals, methodological placements, and development of a future NIHR Doctoral Award application. Previous projects:
● Waking up to the effects of smartphones: The SmartSleep Project
● Self-Esteem Intervention Development for Adolescents
● Behavioural Activation for Young people with depression in specialist child and adolescent mental health services (BAY)
● Community-based Behavioural Activation Training for Depression in Adolescents (ComBAT)
● Alleviating Specific Phobias Experienced by Children Trial (ASPECT)
● Diagnostic Instruments for Autism in Deaf children’s Study (DIADS)
● Baby+Me Study
Research group(s)
Mental Health and Addiction Research Group (MHARG)
Publications
Selected publications
Selected publications:
● Tindall, L., Hayward, E., Li, J., Kerrigan, P., Metcalfe, S., & Gega, L. (2025). Community-based behavioural activation for depression in adolescents: feasibility study, survey and stakeholder consultations. Frontiers in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 4, 1596294.
● Tindall, L., Kerrigan, P., Li, J., Hayward, E., & Gega, L. (2024). Is behavioural activation an effective treatment for depression in children and adolescents? An updated systematic review and meta-analysis. European Child & Adolescent psychiatry, 33(12), 4133-4156.
● Larkin, F., Oostenbroek, J., Lee, Y., Hayward, E., Fernandez, A., Wang, Y., Mitchell, A., Li,Y. & Meins, E. (2024). A smartphone app effectively facilitates mothers' mind-mindedness: A randomized controlled trial. Child Development, 95(3), 831-844.
● Wright, B., Tindall, L., Scott, A.J., Lee, E., Cooper, C., Biggs, K., Bee, P., Wang, H.I., Gega, L., Hayward, E., Solaiman, K., Teare, D., Davis, T., Wilson, J., Lovell, K., McMillan, D., Barr, A., Edwards, H., Lomas, J., Turtle, C., Parrott, S.,Teige, C., Chater, T., Hargate, R., Ali, S., Parkinson, S., Gilbody, S. & Marshall, D. (2023). One session treatment (OST) is equivalent to multi‐session cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in children with specific phobias (ASPECT): results from a national non‐inferiority randomized controlled trial. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 64(1), 39-49.
● Hayward, E., Solaiman, K., Bee, P., Barr, A., Edwards, H., Lomas, J., Tindall, L., Scott, A., Biggs, K. & Wright, B. (2022). One-session treatment for specific phobias: Barriers, facilitators and acceptability as perceived by children & young people, parents, and clinicians. PLOS One, 17(9), e0274424.
● Phillips, H., Wright, B., Allgar, V., McConachie, H., Sweetman, J., Hargate, R., Hodkinson, R., Bland, M., George, H., Hughes, A., Hayward, E., Fernandez Garcia De Las Heras, V., & Le Couteur, A. (2022). Adapting and validating the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule Version 2 for use with deaf children and young people. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 52(2),553-568.
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=b84q5cQAAAAJ
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2413-0104
Teaching
Undergraduate
Guest Lecturer and seminar facilitator at York St John University and the University of York, contributing teaching on child and adolescent mental health, qualitative research methods and research careers.
Postgraduate
Guest lecturer and seminar facilitator on postgraduate programmes at the University of York, contributing teaching on child and adolescent mental health interventions, clinical trial delivery and qualitative research methods. Has also facilitated research shadowing opportunities for students on the MSc in Mental Health Research.
Other teaching
Previously provided 1:1 research mentorship to mental health nursing students at Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust (TEWV), supporting them to connect research theory with clinical practice. Has also delivered mental health awareness and research literacy workshops for young people from York College and Askham Bryan College participating in The King’s Trust programme, promoting engagement with research and research careers.
