Psychology: Research Guide

ISER commissioned Kantar to conduct cognitive testing followed by a short qualitative discussion to support the development of the retirement planning module. The cognitive testing explored how participants understood and interpreted questions in the module to identify any barriers to responding and potential areas for improvement. The qualitative discussion captured broader views on and experiences of planning for retirement. The idealised version of retirement evoked ideas of personal and financial freedom, which did not align to participants' expectations of the own retirement.

We explore the cognitive process by which respondents decide whether or not to consent to having their survey data linked to administrative records. Using data from the Understanding Society household panel study we document the extent of inconsistencies in respondents’ consent decisions, between data domains and over time, and the impact of the mode of data collection on consent. To understand the reasons for inconsistencies and why the mode affects consent, we report on qualitative in-depth interviews that examine how respondents understand the consent request and which factors influence their decision.

This paper examines the effect of postpartum depression (PPD) on maternal employment in the UK and assesses the extent of the direct and indirect link between PPD and maternal employment up to eleven years after the birth of the child. The study tests a range of factors (marital status, physical longstanding health problems, mental health problems, children’s outcomes) as mediators in order to assess the indirect effect of PPD on maternal employment, utilising several waves of data from the Millennium Cohort Study. The findings are of significance to policy makers as they indicate that PPD has a direct effect on maternal employment 5 years after the birth of the child and an indirect effec..

This paper examines the role of postpartum depression (PPD) on the emotional and cognitive development of 11-year olds, a key stage of transition in child development before entering adolescence. The present study uses data from the MCS, a longitudinal cohort study with a large and representative sample of the UK population. The results show that PPD impacts on child emotional difficulties when these are reported by the mother or the teacher; child-reported measures of emotional problems do not show any correlation with PPD Cognitive ability tests show no association between PPD and children’s cognitive performance at age 11. The results of the paper have enhanced our insight regarding a s..

ISER commissioned Kantar Public to conduct in-depth face-to-face qualitative interviews to explore the mechanisms underpinning the decision of respondents to consent, to help inform activities related to the data linkage consent process on Understanding Society. This research provides valuable insight into the range of influences on panel members’ interpretation of consent questions and decisions to consent to requests to link data. Understanding the different factors influencing decisions to consent to data linkage helps to identify good practice to follow to support informed consent and pitfalls to avoid in order to overcome the barriers to informed consent.