I am Ana Pizarro Carmona, I am doing my PhD in psychology at University of Seville, Spain. My research interests are related to family support and parent and children well-being, designing and evaluating evidence-based intervention programmes, particularly mindfulness-based programmes. For two weeks, I had the honour of conducting a two-week research stay at the University College of Dublin, specifically at the Geary Institute for Public Policy.
It was an incredibly enriching and valuable experience for me as a PhD student, as thanks to funding from the TAV Coordinate Project, I was able to implement the project that was the focus of the research visit, entitled "Analysing parent-child relationship and household income as predictors of child's emotional health and well-being", whose overall research objective is analysing how the parent-child relationship moderates the effect of household income on child wellbeing. The main focus was to familiarise myself with the longitudinal data management and research of the GUI (Growing Up in Ireland) project and datasets of the child cohort, which served as a great example of how to conduct robust family support research, through a comprehensive collection of longitudinal data from multiple sources at different points in time. This immersion in the data collection process provided me with valuable insights to develop a sound methodology, which will make it easier to interpret results and draw informed conclusions from the analysis.
Thanks to the feedback from the Helping Kids! team, I was able to refine the project proposal and conduct more informed and targeted data analysis. This experience gave me the opportunity to network with researchers who share similar interests. These exchanges enriched the research process and opened new perspectives for future collaborations.
In addition to the incredible professional experience, on a personal level, I also had the opportunity to explore the city and immerse myself in its rich culture. During these two weeks, I was able to visit several museums, such as the National Archaeological Museum and the National Gallery of Ireland, where I was amazed by the artistic diversity and history on offer. Moreover, I wandered the beautiful streets of Dublin, admiring iconic landmarks such as the historic Trinity College Dublin, the majestic St. Patrick's Cathedral or the charming Dublin Castle, among others.
I was also able to discover some of Ireland's stunning natural landscapes, such as the Cliffs of Moher or Howth.
Now, equipped with new knowledge, tools and skills acquired during my stay, I feel more prepared to continue working on the project and contribute in a rigorous and scientific way to the field of family support and child welfare. I am excited about the prospect of sharing and disseminating the results of my research. It was truly a productive and enriching visit, both professionally and personally.
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