Katie Baynham

Thesis title: A mixed-methods investigation into the role of companion animals in the experiences of adolescents with symptoms of anxiety and depression and/or neurodivergent traits

Biography

Background

I studied for a psychology degree at the University of Glasgow, after which I worked in research assistant roles within the Division of Psychiatry at the University of Edinburgh and within Mental Health and Wellbeing at the University of Glasgow. Subsequently, I worked within psychological services in NHS Ayrshire & Arran and then for national charities - as a staff counsellor for Childline (NSPCC) and as service coordinator of the Blues Programme with Action for Children, which involved setting up, delivering and evaluating a new mental health group intervention in Scottish secondary schools.

I then returned to education to study for an Interdisciplinary Masters in Human-Animal Interaction at the Messerli Research Institute in Vienna, Austria, during which I conducted an empirical research project investigating the cognitive strategies used by dogs when searching for different types of objects, and an ethical analysis of the use of captive-bred chimpanzees in cognitive research.

I am currently studying for a PhD within Clinical Psychology in the School of Health in Social Science which combines my interests in child/adolescent mental health and human-animal interaction; this is funded by a Scottish Graduate School of Social Science studentship. I am interested in early/mid adolescents' attachments to their pets and the role of adolescent-pet relationships in experiences of anxiety and depression, particularly for neurodivergent young people and within the family context.

Qualifications

MSc Human-Animal Interaction (Distinction) - Messerli Research Institute, Vienna

BSc (Hons) Psychology (1st class) - University of Glasgow

Research summary

My research focuses on adolescents’ relationships with companion animals and their role in experiences of anxiety, depression, and neurodivergence, particularly within the family context. I use an interdisciplinary approach that integrates methods from clinical psychology and anthropology.

Current research interests

I have a broad range of research interests within clinical and developmental psychology, including children and young people’s mental health and human-animal interaction within a One Health framework. Areas of particular interest include: attachment processes (including children’s relationships with both human and non-human animals); neurodivergence (including autism, ADHD and associated body-focused repetitive behaviours); the impact of childhood trauma and adverse childhood experiences on health; psychosocial influences on pupils’ mental well-being in school and educational contexts; risk assessment and safeguarding of adolescents (including theoretical frameworks of suicidality and self-harm); the experiences of care-experienced young people (including in relation to pet attachment); compassion- and trauma-focused approaches to intervention; and an interest in physiological processes relating to mental health (such as stress-related endocrine and inflammatory pathways). I am also interested in trans-species psychology, human exceptionalism, speciesism and non-human animal personhood. In relation to research methods, I have particular interests in mixed-methods approaches and the use of qualitative methodologies that centre children and young people’s lived experiences, as well as ethical considerations in research involving vulnerable human and non-human populations.

Affiliated research centres

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