![Abbey Rowe BSc (Hons) PGCE](https://profiles-cardiff.imgix.net/attachments/6134?w=200&h=200&auto=format&crop=faces&fit=crop&q=90")
Overview
I am currently a PhD research student with the Wolfson Centre for Young People's Mental Health and DECIPHer centre at Cardiff University. I have previously worked as a secondary school teacher of mathematics and psychology in England and Wales. I was also the project coordinator for a Whole School Approach to Mental Health project supporting secondary schools across Newport, Wales through the mental health charity Mind.
I am extremely passionate about supporting the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people, particularly through understanding the role that complex school systems play within their day-to-day lives. My current research focuses on the school experiences of neurodivergent young people and my ultimate hope is that my project will lead to insights that can guide the development of neurodiversity-led mental health policies and strategies for schools across Wales.
Research
My current research project is planned in 3 stages:
The first will involve secondary data analysis of the School Health Research Networks (SHRN) surveys, completed biennially by all secondary schools in Wales. I will examine the feasibility of digitally linking these datasets to national mental health and education records data of ADHD diagnoses via the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) databank. Through cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis, I aim to explore the extent to which the association between neurodiversity and measures of anxiety, depression and wellbeing, differ by schools.
The findings from this stage of the project will help to inform the second stage, which involves the sampling of case study schools to generate explanations for why some schools may do better than others in preventing depression and anxiety, and boosting wellbeing in young people with ADHD.
The final stage will use the outcomes of these phases to inform decisions on measures of the school environment to model as potentially explaining variation between schools in outcomes for these young people.
Thesis
The role of schools in supporting the mental health of neurodivergent young people (working title)
The overarching aim is to understand how the day-to-day practices of secondary schools, which influence the mental health of their stduents, might have particularly important effects on the mental health and wellbeing of neurodivergent young people, with a particular focus on those with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
Funding sources
3 year studentship funded by the Wolfson Centre for Young People's Mental Health, in partenrship with DECIPHer.
Biography
Education and Qualifications:
- 2014 - GTP (PGCE) Secondary Education (Mathematics) with QTS, South Bank University
- 2011 - BSc (Hons) Psychology, Plymouth University
Career Overview:
- 2022 to present: Various part-time research/administrative assistant posts, Cardiff University
- ALPHA youth advisory group, DECIPHer
- MoodHwb Digital Support Study
- Child Wellbeing study, CASCADE
- FLOURISH (Family-Focused Adolescent & Lifelong Health Promotion)
- 2022 to present: PhD research studentship, Cardiff University
- 2018 - 2022: Whole School Approach to Mental Health Project Coordinator, Newport Mind
- 2017- 2018: Adult Community Wellbeing Worker, Newport Mind
- 2012 - 2017: Secondary School Teacher of Mathematics and Psychology, England and Wales
- 2011 - 2012: Teaching Assitant, Croydon, London
Voluntary Work:
- 2023 to present: Mentor to a Psychology Assistant, Wolfson Centre
- 2022 to present: Y Girls group and 1:1 mentor for 11-16 year olds, YMCA Cardiff
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Supervisors
Contact Details
Research themes
Specialisms
- Adolescent health
- ADHD
- Neurodiversity
- Secondary Schools
- Mental Health