![Christopher Hobson](https://profiles-cardiff.imgix.net/attachments/7400?w=200&h=200&auto=format&crop=faces&fit=crop&q=90")
Dr Christopher Hobson
(he/him)
Academic Director (DClinPsy)
- Available for postgraduate supervision
Overview
I am the Academic Director for the south Wales Doctoral Programme in Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy). The role involves leading the academic components of the programme, supervising doctoral-level research, and providing teaching. I also contribute to the MSc in Children's Psychological Disorders and am the Clinical Psychologist and a Co-Investigator for the Neurodevelopmental Assessment Research Unit.
My research interests fall into two broad categories. Firstly, I am interested in the development of emotional and behavioural difficulties in children and young people and how best to intervene in such problems. Specific interests include the role of executive functioning, emotional development and empathy, parenting factors (the role of parental mental health, parental reflective capacities and parental expressed emotion) in the development of childhood emotional and behavioural difficulties. Secondly, but overlapping in terms of relevant theories, I am interested in understanding work-related stress/burnout and how best to provide psychological support to staff who work with complex populations (e.g. those cared for in secure services, homelessness or other social care/mental health settings).
Clinically, prior to working on the clinical psychology programme, I worked for six and a half years in secure settings with offenders, including in a Mentalisation Based Treatment service for men, and leading a specialist assessment and treatment service in a women’s prison. My clinical work is currently on an independent basis (mainly conducting assessments of parents involved in childcare proceedings for the family courts and local authorities).
Areas of interest
Attachment and Trauma, Personality Difficulties, Forensic Mental Health/Risk, Parenting, Development of Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties in Children/Adolescents, Mental Capacity, Homelessness, Clinical Health Psychology, Staff Work-Related Stress and Burnout.
Publication
2024
- Scoberg, B., Hobson, C. and van Goozen, S. 2024. Psychometric properties and validity of the screen for child anxiety related emotional disorders: parent version (SCARED-P) in an early childhood sample. Assessment 31(7), pp. 1442-1451. (10.1177/10731911231225203)
- Anning, K. L., Langley, K., Hobson, C. and van Goozen, S. H. 2024. Cool and hot executive function problems in young children: Linking self-regulation processes to emerging clinical symptoms. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 33, pp. 2705-2718. (10.1007/s00787-023-02344-z)
- Ferguson, C., Hobson, C., Hedge, C., Waters, C., Anning, K. and van Goozen, S. 2024. Disentangling the relationships between motor control and cognitive control in young children with symptoms of ADHD. Child Neuropsychology 30(2), pp. 289-314. (10.1080/09297049.2023.2190965)
- Anning, K. L., Langley, K., Hobson, C., De Sonneville, L. and Van Goozen, S. H. 2024. Inattention symptom severity and cognitive processes in children at risk of ADHD: The moderating role of separation anxiety. Child Neuropsychology 30(2), pp. 264-288. (10.1080/09297049.2023.2190964)
- Schneider, C., Mastalerz, N., Hobson, C. W., Ahmed, M. and Shelton, K. H. 2024. ‘It’s intense’ – A mixed-methods analysis of how the COVID-pandemic is impacting on the wellbeing of practitioners in a UK homeless organisation. Journal of Social Distress and Homelessness 33(1), pp. 198-209. (10.1080/10530789.2022.2141870)
2023
- Anning, K. L., Langley, K., Hobson, C. and Van Goozen, S. H. M. 2023. Dimensional associations between executive function processes and symptoms of ADHD, ASD, oppositional defiance and anxiety in young school-referred children. Cortex 167, pp. 132-147. (10.1016/j.cortex.2023.06.005)
- Howe-Davies, H., Hobson, C., Waters, C. and van Goozen, S. H. M. 2023. Emotional and socio-cognitive processing in young children with symptoms of anxiety. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 32, pp. 2077-2088. (10.1007/s00787-022-02050-2)
- Lavender, S., Waters, C. S. and Hobson, C. 2023. The efficacy of group delivered mentalization-based parenting interventions: a systematic review of the literature. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry 28(2), pp. 761-784. (10.1177/13591045221113392)
2022
- Burley, D. T., Hobson, C. W., Adegboye, D., Shelton, K. H. and van Goozen, S. H. M. 2022. Negative parental emotional environment increases the association between childhood behavioural problems and impaired recognition of negative facial expressions. Development and Psychopathology 34(3), pp. 936-945. (10.1017/S0954579420002072)
- Tucker, J. R. D. and Hobson, C. W. 2022. A systematic review of longitudinal studies investigating the association between early life maternal depression and offspring ADHD. Journal of Attention Disorders 26(9), pp. 1167-1186. (10.1177/10870547211063642)
- Adegboye, D. et al. 2022. Understanding de novo onset of anxiety during COVID-19: Pre-pandemic socio-emotional functioning in vulnerable children. JCPP Advances 2(2), article number: e12076. (10.1002/jcv2.12076)
- Schneider, C., Hobson, C. and Shelton, K. 2022. ‘Grounding a PIE in the sky’: laying empirical foundations for a psychologically-informed environment to enhance wellbeing and practice in a homeless organisation. Health and Social Care in the Community 30(3), pp. e657-e667. (10.1111/hsc.13435)
- Peters, L., Hobson, C. W. and Samuel, V. 2022. A systematic review and meta-synthesis of qualitative studies that investigate the emotional experiences of staff working in homeless settings. Health and Social Care in the Community 30(1), pp. 58-72. (10.1111/hsc.13502)
- van Goozen, S. H. M., Langley, K. and Hobson, C. W. 2022. Childhood antisocial behavior: a neurodevelopmental problem. Annual Review of Psychology 73, pp. 353-377. (10.1146/annurev-psych-052621-045243)
2021
- Adegboye, D. et al. 2021. Understanding why the COVID-19 pandemic-related lockdown increases mental health difficulties in vulnerable young children. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry Advances 1(1), article number: e12005. (10.1111/jcv2.12005)
- Peters, L., Samuel, V. and Hobson, C. W. 2021. Shining a light on the experiences of staff working with young homeless people: a grounded theory study. Children and Youth Services Review 121, article number: 105843. (10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105843)
2020
- Cooper, S., Hobson, C. W. and van Goozen, S. H. M. 2020. Facial emotion recognition in children with externalising behaviours: A systematic review. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry 25(4), pp. 1068-1085. (10.1177/1359104520945390)
2018
- Carter Leno, V. et al. 2018. Testing the specificity of executive functioning impairments in adolescents with ADHD, ODD/CD and ASD. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 27(7), pp. 899-908. (10.1007/s00787-017-1089-5)
2011
- Hobson, C. W., Scott, S. and Rubia, K. 2011. Investigation of cool and hot executive function in ODD/CD independently of ADHD. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 52(10), pp. 1035-1043. (10.1111/j.1469-7610.2011.02454.x)
Articles
- Scoberg, B., Hobson, C. and van Goozen, S. 2024. Psychometric properties and validity of the screen for child anxiety related emotional disorders: parent version (SCARED-P) in an early childhood sample. Assessment 31(7), pp. 1442-1451. (10.1177/10731911231225203)
- Anning, K. L., Langley, K., Hobson, C. and van Goozen, S. H. 2024. Cool and hot executive function problems in young children: Linking self-regulation processes to emerging clinical symptoms. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 33, pp. 2705-2718. (10.1007/s00787-023-02344-z)
- Ferguson, C., Hobson, C., Hedge, C., Waters, C., Anning, K. and van Goozen, S. 2024. Disentangling the relationships between motor control and cognitive control in young children with symptoms of ADHD. Child Neuropsychology 30(2), pp. 289-314. (10.1080/09297049.2023.2190965)
- Anning, K. L., Langley, K., Hobson, C., De Sonneville, L. and Van Goozen, S. H. 2024. Inattention symptom severity and cognitive processes in children at risk of ADHD: The moderating role of separation anxiety. Child Neuropsychology 30(2), pp. 264-288. (10.1080/09297049.2023.2190964)
- Schneider, C., Mastalerz, N., Hobson, C. W., Ahmed, M. and Shelton, K. H. 2024. ‘It’s intense’ – A mixed-methods analysis of how the COVID-pandemic is impacting on the wellbeing of practitioners in a UK homeless organisation. Journal of Social Distress and Homelessness 33(1), pp. 198-209. (10.1080/10530789.2022.2141870)
- Anning, K. L., Langley, K., Hobson, C. and Van Goozen, S. H. M. 2023. Dimensional associations between executive function processes and symptoms of ADHD, ASD, oppositional defiance and anxiety in young school-referred children. Cortex 167, pp. 132-147. (10.1016/j.cortex.2023.06.005)
- Howe-Davies, H., Hobson, C., Waters, C. and van Goozen, S. H. M. 2023. Emotional and socio-cognitive processing in young children with symptoms of anxiety. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 32, pp. 2077-2088. (10.1007/s00787-022-02050-2)
- Lavender, S., Waters, C. S. and Hobson, C. 2023. The efficacy of group delivered mentalization-based parenting interventions: a systematic review of the literature. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry 28(2), pp. 761-784. (10.1177/13591045221113392)
- Burley, D. T., Hobson, C. W., Adegboye, D., Shelton, K. H. and van Goozen, S. H. M. 2022. Negative parental emotional environment increases the association between childhood behavioural problems and impaired recognition of negative facial expressions. Development and Psychopathology 34(3), pp. 936-945. (10.1017/S0954579420002072)
- Tucker, J. R. D. and Hobson, C. W. 2022. A systematic review of longitudinal studies investigating the association between early life maternal depression and offspring ADHD. Journal of Attention Disorders 26(9), pp. 1167-1186. (10.1177/10870547211063642)
- Adegboye, D. et al. 2022. Understanding de novo onset of anxiety during COVID-19: Pre-pandemic socio-emotional functioning in vulnerable children. JCPP Advances 2(2), article number: e12076. (10.1002/jcv2.12076)
- Schneider, C., Hobson, C. and Shelton, K. 2022. ‘Grounding a PIE in the sky’: laying empirical foundations for a psychologically-informed environment to enhance wellbeing and practice in a homeless organisation. Health and Social Care in the Community 30(3), pp. e657-e667. (10.1111/hsc.13435)
- Peters, L., Hobson, C. W. and Samuel, V. 2022. A systematic review and meta-synthesis of qualitative studies that investigate the emotional experiences of staff working in homeless settings. Health and Social Care in the Community 30(1), pp. 58-72. (10.1111/hsc.13502)
- van Goozen, S. H. M., Langley, K. and Hobson, C. W. 2022. Childhood antisocial behavior: a neurodevelopmental problem. Annual Review of Psychology 73, pp. 353-377. (10.1146/annurev-psych-052621-045243)
- Adegboye, D. et al. 2021. Understanding why the COVID-19 pandemic-related lockdown increases mental health difficulties in vulnerable young children. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry Advances 1(1), article number: e12005. (10.1111/jcv2.12005)
- Peters, L., Samuel, V. and Hobson, C. W. 2021. Shining a light on the experiences of staff working with young homeless people: a grounded theory study. Children and Youth Services Review 121, article number: 105843. (10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105843)
- Cooper, S., Hobson, C. W. and van Goozen, S. H. M. 2020. Facial emotion recognition in children with externalising behaviours: A systematic review. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry 25(4), pp. 1068-1085. (10.1177/1359104520945390)
- Carter Leno, V. et al. 2018. Testing the specificity of executive functioning impairments in adolescents with ADHD, ODD/CD and ASD. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 27(7), pp. 899-908. (10.1007/s00787-017-1089-5)
- Hobson, C. W., Scott, S. and Rubia, K. 2011. Investigation of cool and hot executive function in ODD/CD independently of ADHD. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 52(10), pp. 1035-1043. (10.1111/j.1469-7610.2011.02454.x)
Research
Research Awards/Funding
- Van Goozen S.H.M, Thapar, A., Collishaw, S., Shelton, K., Langley, K. Hobson, C., Burley, D. (2020-2021). Psychosocial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic: Identifying mental health problems and supporting wellbeing in vulnerable children and families. ESRC:Research Grant - £518k (ES/V009427/1) (Role – Co-Investigator)
- Shelton, K.H. (2018-2020). Evaluation of a Psychologically Informed Environment in Youth Homelessness Organisation. Llamau. (Role – involved in design/planning).
- Van Goozen, S.H.M, Thapar, A., Hay, D., & Waters, C. (2017-2020). Feasibility Study of a Neurodevelopmental Assessment Unit (Waterloo Foundation - £311K). (Role – Clinical Psychologist one day/week).
Current/Recent Research Topics
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Executive functioning in externalising behaviours (conduct and attention/hyperactivity difficulties).
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Environment and executive functioning/behaviour problems.
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Expressed emotion and the association with behaviour problems.
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Coherence as measured by the Five Minute Speech Sample, and the links with attachment-related disorders.
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Socio-emotional processing in young children with anxiety.
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Validation the SCARED measures in young children.
- Impact of COVID on children's mental health.
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Parenting intervention research (development of Emoticoach Parenting Programme; develoment of ACT-based interventions targeting parental anxiety).
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Burnout and related factors in staff working in homelessness, clinical health or mental health settings.
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Psychological flexibility and mental health problems in children and parents.
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Psychologically informed environments (PIEs).
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Clinical Health Psychology (e.g., Cystic Fibrosis research)
Teaching
I teach various topics on the South Wales DClinPsy and the MSc in Children's Psychological Disorders
Biography
Academic Employment
2022 – CUR Academic Director, South Wales Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, Cardiff and Vale Health Board, Cardiff University, UK
2017 – CUR Clinical Psychologist, Neurodevelopmental Assessment Research Unit, Cardiff University, UK
2016 – 2021 Senior Clinical Tutor, South Wales Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, Cardiff and Vale Health Board, Cardiff University, UK
2004 – 2007 Institute of Psychiatry (Research Assistant/PhD Student)
2003 – 2004 Manchester Univeristy (Research Assistant)
Clinical Employment
2011 – CUR Independent Practice (For the Family Court and Local Authorities; Criminal Court; Parole Board; National Probation Service; Private Practice)
2014 – 2016 Clinical Lead, Nexus Personality Disorder Service, HMP Eastwood Park/Avon and Wiltshire NHS Trust
2010 – 2014 Clinical Psychologist, Llanarth Court Hospital, Partnerships in Care.
2007 – 2010 Camden and Islington NHS Trust/Royal Holloway University (Trainee Clinical Psychologist)
Professional memberships
- Chartered Member, British Psychological Society
- Registered Psychologist, Health and Care Professions Council
Committees and reviewing
Academic and Curriculum Sub-Committe (DClinPsy) - Chair
Contact Details
+44 29206 88871
Tower Building, Floor 11th, Room 11.04, 70 Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3AT
Research themes
Specialisms
- Clinical psychology
- Neurodevelopment
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Parenting
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health