PhD Study : ICD-11 Prolonged Grief Disorder: Measurement, Risk Factors and Treatment Implications.

Apply and key information  

Summary

Almost everyone will, at some point in their life, experience the death of a loved one, and this has the potential to have a significant psychological impact. Bereavement is ubiquitous but its nature and consequences are shaped by individual, psychological, social, cultural and political forces. For an experience that is universal and profound, very little is known about the context and experience of death, bereavement and grief in the UK and Ireland.

There are important questions to answer: Whose deaths have people experienced (parents, siblings, family, friends)? What was the nature of these deaths (e.g. illness, sudden, traumatic, child, suicide)? How does experience of death vary by age and living location? What do people understand by ‘grief’? What role do religious beliefs and culture have on the grieving process? How long do people generally grieve for? Is there a time that is considered ‘too long’ to grieve? How many people experience grief that may require help, and what services are available to provide this? How aware are people of these services?

This innovative and broad-ranging PhD project aims to answer these questions based on recently completed surveys of the general population in the UK and Ireland. It will involve primary quantitative research, collaborative research with international research groups, and liaising with bereavement support services.

Please note:  Applications from those holding or expecting to hold a 2:1 Honours Degree in Psychology are strongly encouraged to apply. Applications for more than one PhD studentship are welcome, however if you apply for more than one PhD project within Psychology, your first application on the system will be deemed your first-choice preference and further applications will be ordered based on the sequential time of submission. If you are successfully shortlisted, you will be interviewed only on your first-choice application and ranked accordingly. Those ranked highest will be offered a PhD studentship. In the situation where you are ranked highly and your first-choice project is already allocated to someone who was ranked higher than you, you may be offered your 2nd or 3rd choice project depending on the availability of this project.

Essential criteria

Applicants should hold, or expect to obtain, a First or Upper Second Class Honours Degree in a subject relevant to the proposed area of study.

We may also consider applications from those who hold equivalent qualifications, for example, a Lower Second Class Honours Degree plus a Master’s Degree with Distinction.

In exceptional circumstances, the University may consider a portfolio of evidence from applicants who have appropriate professional experience which is equivalent to the learning outcomes of an Honours degree in lieu of academic qualifications.

  • Experience using research methods or other approaches relevant to the subject domain
  • A comprehensive and articulate personal statement
  • Evidence of academic writing skills (a short sample of academic written work of the applicant's choosing (Max 3 pages, A4, font 11)) – please upload in the section entitled Research Proposal

Funding and eligibility

The University offers the following levels of support:

Vice Chancellors Research Studentship (VCRS)

The following scholarship options are available to applicants worldwide:

  • Full Award: (full-time tuition fees + £19,000 (tbc))
  • Part Award: (full-time tuition fees + £9,500)
  • Fees Only Award: (full-time tuition fees)

These scholarships will cover full-time PhD tuition fees for three years (subject to satisfactory academic performance) and will provide a £900 per annum research training support grant (RTSG) to help support the PhD researcher.

Applicants who already hold a doctoral degree or who have been registered on a programme of research leading to the award of a doctoral degree on a full-time basis for more than one year (or part-time equivalent) are NOT eligible to apply for an award.

Please note: you will automatically be entered into the competition for the Full Award, unless you state otherwise in your application.

Department for the Economy (DFE)

The scholarship will cover tuition fees at the Home rate and a maintenance allowance of £19,000 (tbc) per annum for three years (subject to satisfactory academic performance).

This scholarship also comes with £900 per annum for three years as a research training support grant (RTSG) allocation to help support the PhD researcher.

  • Candidates with pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, who also satisfy a three year residency requirement in the UK prior to the start of the course for which a Studentship is held MAY receive a Studentship covering fees and maintenance.
  • Republic of Ireland (ROI) nationals who satisfy three years’ residency in the UK prior to the start of the course MAY receive a Studentship covering fees and maintenance (ROI nationals don’t need to have pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme to qualify).
  • Other non-ROI EU applicants are ‘International’ are not eligible for this source of funding.
  • Applicants who already hold a doctoral degree or who have been registered on a programme of research leading to the award of a doctoral degree on a full-time basis for more than one year (or part-time equivalent) are NOT eligible to apply for an award.

Due consideration should be given to financing your studies. Further information on cost of living

Recommended reading

Killikelly, C., Zhou, N., Merzhvynska, M., Stelzer, E. M., Dotschung, T., Rohner, S., ... & Maercker, A. (2020). Development of the International Prolonged Grief Disorder Scale for the ICD-11: measurement of core symptoms and culture items adapted for Chinese and German-speaking samples. Journal of Affective Disorders, 277, 568-576.

Killikelly, C., & Maercker, A. (2018). Prolonged grief disorder for ICD-11: the primacy of clinical utility and international applicability. European journal of psychotraumatology, 8(Suppl 6), 1476441. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2018.1476441

Maciejewski, P. K., Maercker, A., Boelen, P. A., & Prigerson, H. G. (2016). “Prolonged grief disorder” and “persistent complex bereavement disorder”, but not “complicated grief”, are one and the same diagnostic entity: an analysis of data from the Yale Bereavement Study. World Psychiatry, 15(3), 266-275.

Simon, N. M., Shear, M. K., Reynolds, C. F., Cozza, S. J., Mauro, C., Zisook, S., ... & Lebowitz, B. (2020). Commentary on evidence in support of a grief‐related condition as a DSM diagnosis. Depression and anxiety, 37(1), 9-16. Systematic Reviews

Heeke, C., Kampisiou, C., Niemeyer, H., & Knaevelsrud, C. (2019). A systematic review and meta-analysis of correlates of prolonged grief disorder in adults exposed to violent loss. European journal of psychotraumatology, 10(1), 1583524. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2019.1583524

Johannsen, M., Damholdt, M. F., Zachariae, R., Lundorff, M., Farver-Vestergaard, I., & O'Connor, M. (2019). Psychological interventions for grief in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of affective disorders, 253, 69-86.

Lundorff, M., Holmgren, H., Zachariae, R., Farver-Vestergaard, I., & O’Connor, M. (2017). Prevalence of prolonged grief disorder in adult bereavement: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of affective disorders, 212, 138-149.

The Doctoral College at Ulster University

Key dates

Submission deadline
Monday 6 February 2023
04:00PM

Interview Date
14 to 16 March 2023

Preferred student start date
18 September 2023

Applying

Apply Online  

Contact supervisor

Professor Mark Shevlin

Other supervisors