Project Area: Population health research
Project Summary
Housing insecurity, characterised through frequent involuntary residential moves, poor-quality and overcrowded housing, insecure tenancies, and homelessness, is a core social determinant of health. Early childhood is considered a critical period for brain development and the formation of secure relationships, making infants and children particularly vulnerable to instability and stress. Existing evidence points towards a potential link between early housing insecurity and poorer health outcomes, developmental delays, and behavioural and emotional difficulties in later life. Currently, the world is being faced with very high housing costs, a stressed private rental sector and rising child homelessness. However, many important research gaps remain, calling for more participatory mixed-methods approaches to explore early life housing insecurity and co-develop evidence-based recommendations.
The aim of this PhD is to explore how early-life housing insecurity impacts children’s health and development, and to co-develop evidence-based recommendations for policy and practice. This will be achieved through a mixed-methods, and participatory approach including a systematic review of international evidence, quantitative analysis of longitudinal data, qualitative research with parents, and stakeholder engagement.
Skills Required
(If applying for this project you will be asked to outline how you meet the skills required below)
Essential
- Third Level Qualification (or equivalent) in public health or related social science discipline
- Strong knowledge of and commitment to PPI, co-production and/or participatory health research
- Strong teamwork skills and initiative, as well as the ability to work independently
- Previous experience in qualitative and quantitative research
- Knowledge of statistical software (such as R Studio, Stata, or SPSS)
Desirable
- Excellent administration, organisation and planning skills
- Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to develop and maintain constructive relationships with diverse stakeholders
- Experience in conducting epidemiological research
- Interest in health inequality research
- Master’s level qualification in public health, epidemiology or social sciences
Supervisory team:
Dr Kate O’Neill, PI
Lecturer, School of Public Health, UCC
Dr Emmy Racine, Primary Supervisor
Research Fellow and Programme Manager, PPI Ignite Network@ UCC
Prof Patricia Kearney, Professor of Epidemiology, UCC
The project will be based in UCC
