PhD position ‘Examining and treating prolonged grief in daily life’
Are you interested in why bereaved people respond differently to psychological treatment? Do you have affinity with clinical psychology and technology? Are you eager to improve mental health care for people who seek treatment after the death of a loved one? And do you enjoy learning and applying advanced statistical analyses and combine that with qualitative research?
The research group Psychology, Health & Technology (PHT) offers a 4-year fulltime PhD position focusing on personalizing bereavement care. This project is closely related to the NWO Veni-project that was awarded to dr. Lonneke Lenferink, who is the principal investigator and daily supervisor of this PhD-project. Prof. dr. Gerben Westerhof, prof. dr. Ernst Bohlmeijer, and dr. Peter ten Klooster are the other PhD supervisors involved in this project.
Prolonged grief disorder is a debilitating condition, affecting 10% of bereaved people. To date, studies evaluating treatments for prolonged grief have focused on symptom change on a group-level, ignoring individual variability in grief responses.
Personalized prolonged grief treatment may enhance treatment outcomes. An assumption underlying personalized care is that people respond differently to treatment. In part 1 of this project, you will test this assumption by examining distinct trajectories in treatment responses, and correlates thereof, using a novel data-archive. This data-archive consists of existing individual patient data of randomized controlled trials evaluating the effects of cognitive behavioral therapy for prolonged grief disorder (PGD).
Moreover, in order to personalize PGD treatment we need to know to what specific intervention might be helpful for this particular person in what certain moment. A precondition for this personalized treatment approach is that the topic of interest is dynamic and context-dependent. While theoretical and anecdotal work supports that this is the case for PGD, you will be the first to provide an empirical base supporting these claims in part 2 of the project, using experience sampling methodology (ESM). In part 3 of the project, you will create, together with experts and bereaved people, an ESM-based personalized intervention for treatment of PGD using qualitative research methods. In a pilot-study you will evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and potential effectiveness of this ESM-based personalized PGD intervention.
As a result of this project, you will contribute in three ways to personalized treatment for prolonged grief, by:
- improving the understanding of differences in responses to treatment for prolonged grief;
- gaining novel insights in how grief unfolds in daily life;
- offering dynamic support in daily life to treat prolonged grief.
You will harmonize and then analyze existing data from randomized controlled trials using latent variable modelling (part 1). Together with master-students you will collect ESM-data (part 2), which you will analyze using multi-level modelling. In close collaboration with scientist-practitioners and bereaved people you will co-create and evaluate a smart-phone app to reduce PGD using qualitative and quantitative research methods (part 3). You will report your findings in academic peer-reviewed journals as well as media outlets for non-academic audiences and you will present your work at (inter)national conferences. Collaborations with national and international colleagues are part of this project. You will be a member of existing research groups that focus on grief and ESM that organize regular meetings to exchange experiences/knowledge in an informal setting with peers.
Information and application
Are you interested in this position ?
Please apply no later than May 1 2023 via the button below and attach:
- a cover letter, highlighting your specific interest, qualifications and motivation to apply for this position
- a detailed CV including contact details of two references
If you would like more information, please contact dr. Lonneke Lenferink via email: l.i.m.lenferink@utwente.nl
The first round of interviews is scheduled between May 15 and May 24. A possible second round of interviews will be scheduled when needed.
The preferred start date of the project is July 1, 2023, but in consultation it is possible to start earlier or later.
About the organisation
The Faculty of Behavioral, Management and Social sciences (BMS) aims to play a key role in understanding, jointly developing and evaluating innovations in society. Technological developments are the engine of innovation. As a technical university that puts people first, we tailor them to human needs and behavior and use social engineering to integrate them into society. We also ensure adequate governance at public and private level, and robust, inclusive and fair organizational structures. We do this by developing, sharing and applying high-quality knowledge in Psychology, Business Administration, Public Administration, Communication Sciences, Philosophy, Educational Sciences and Health Sciences. Our research and education in these disciplines revolves around tackling and solving societal challenges. The research programs of BMS are closely linked to the research of the UT institutes Mesa+ Institute for Nanotechnology, TechMed Center and Digital Society Institute.
As an employer, the Faculty of BMS offers work that matters. We equip you to create new possibilities for yourself and for our society. With us, you will become part of a leading technical university with increasing, positive social impact. We offer an open, inclusive and entrepreneurial atmosphere, in which we encourage you to make healthy choices, for example through our flexible, adaptable benefits.
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