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Ola Demkowicz

@olademk.bsky.social
3.2K followers 1K following 345 posts

Researching adolescent mental health mechanisms & inequality | Mixed methods | Senior Lecturer, Psychology of Education | University of Manchester | She/her | 🐝🌱📚🏳️‍🌈🐈

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Reposted by Ola Demkowicz
Kathryn Mills-Webb @kathrynmw.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
Great story in @theguardian.com sharing the latest @beewelluk.bsky.social @uomseed.bsky.social research looking at prevalence & impact of isolation in schools. More detail in here 👉 tinyurl.com/yffvjp4x @erthornton.bsky.social @neilhumphrey.bsky.social @olademk.bsky.social @qiqicheng.bsky.social
tinyurl.com
<em>British Educational Research Journal</em> | BERA Journal | Wiley Online Library
Internal exclusion (isolation) is a behaviour management approach involving the temporary relocation of a pupil from their classroom to a designated isolation space as a consequence of disruptive beh...
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Reposted by Ola Demkowicz
Lucinda Powell @lucindap0well.bsky.social · 19/10/2025
Join the conversation #PsychologyintheClassroom where @olademk.bsky.social explores adolescent girls’ mental health challenges, social media’s role in coping, and how schools can be part of the solution. A conversation you shouldn't miss! 💬👧📱 changingstatesofmind.libsyn.com/creating-saf...
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Ola Demkowicz @olademk.bsky.social · 03/09/2025
go.bsky.app/TbtddRW
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Ola Demkowicz @olademk.bsky.social · 03/09/2025
Hi Danny, sure! I’ve added you to the second starter pack ☺️
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Ola Demkowicz @olademk.bsky.social · 26/08/2025
Returning from leave to officially start my sabbatical! Mostly working on paper edits today to get in before a deadline, but also starting the day with some bell hooks in the sun… … and a grant rejection to really kick things off on the right note 🫠
A photo of a chapter heading from bell hooks’ “feminism is for everybody” overlooking a local park
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Reposted by Ola Demkowicz
Koraly @drkoraly.bsky.social · 18/08/2025
Special Issue Call at Developmental Psychology! From Stress to Strength: Emotion Regulation, Adaptive Development and Resilience in the Face of Adversity Led by Assaf Oshri, Amanda Morris, Amanda Guyer This issue explores when, how, and for whom regulatory processes promote resilience. 1/3
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Reposted by Ola Demkowicz
SMArT-IE @smart-ie.bsky.social · 07/08/2025
What are we up to right now? We are recruiting university mental health counsellors for interviews! We want to hear your thoughts on digital interventions like Togetherall in third-level education - What works, what doesn't and how can it be improved?
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Ola Demkowicz @olademk.bsky.social · 11/08/2025
SO good!!
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Ola Demkowicz @olademk.bsky.social · 01/08/2025
As of today I am officially on research sabbatical for a year! I’ll miss teaching but am excited to have a year to read, write, and think…
A postcard on my door that says “opening hours” and shows Monday to Sunday as closed
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Reposted by Ola Demkowicz
Eiko Fried @eikofried.bsky.social · 30/07/2025
Psychologists & related fields: what is a big methods question that you believe remains somewhat unanswered & that you'd love to see adressed? There may be an opportunity for a large-scale meta-science project with many teams trying to figure out a question. Any thoughts welcome! #psychscisky
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Ola Demkowicz @olademk.bsky.social · 29/07/2025
A critical call to integrity for psychologists by @aneezapervez.bsky.social on the lives of Palestinian children: “Our journals, our classrooms, and our professional statements will remain as evidence of what we chose to confront, and what we chose to ignore.” www.bps.org.uk/psychologist...
bps.org.uk
What if they were ours? | BPS
Aneeza Pervez on moral failure and the lives of Palestinian children.
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Reposted by Ola Demkowicz
Mental Health Research Incubator @mhrincubator.bsky.social · 29/07/2025
We're still thinking about the discussion and insights gleamed from our recent webinar on Advancing Mixed Methods. Missed the webinar? Don't worry, @olademk.bsky.social published a great reflective piece that shares some of the main themes & points from the session! Check it out now👇
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Ola Demkowicz @olademk.bsky.social · 25/07/2025
@ruthknight.bsky.social @hazelmarzetti.bsky.social @eleanorchats.bsky.social @josefienbreedvelt.bsky.social @mhrincubator.bsky.social @educationuom.bsky.social @uomseed.bsky.social @ruddcambridge.bsky.social @maddipow.bsky.social
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Ola Demkowicz @olademk.bsky.social · 25/07/2025
NEW PAPER! Thrilled to share this piece on early career perspectives on the future of child and youth mental health research, envisioning a field that continues strides in embracing complexity, centring diverse voices, and facilitating sustainable environments and systems bit.ly/455VxCv
bit.ly
Meeting of minds: imagining the future of child and youth mental health research from an early career perspective | BJPsych Bulletin | Cambridge Core
Meeting of minds: imagining the future of child and youth mental health research from an early career perspective
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Ola Demkowicz @olademk.bsky.social · 25/07/2025
I’ll repost now!
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Ola Demkowicz @olademk.bsky.social · 25/07/2025
Sorry - I’ll repost now!
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Ola Demkowicz @olademk.bsky.social · 25/07/2025
@ruthknight.bsky.social @hazelmarzetti.bsky.social @eleanorchats.bsky.social @josefienbreedvelt.bsky.social @mhrincubator.bsky.social @educationuom.bsky.social @uomseed.bsky.social
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Ola Demkowicz @olademk.bsky.social · 25/07/2025
Potentially that’s what’s happening for at least young people. I think not experiencing school for a big chunk of time for so many may have led to a shift on return in perspective. But we definitely need to look at it further from a lot of angles to assess what it is and why that’s a turning point!
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Ola Demkowicz @olademk.bsky.social · 24/07/2025
I think there’s a lot of learning we can do from the pandemic about our education system Interestingly we found that YP’s school satisfaction has dropped considerably year on year since 2020 and while we can’t say for sure that’s definitely COVID related, this does need looking at critically.
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Ola Demkowicz @olademk.bsky.social · 24/07/2025
… the last timepoint was from 2018. That’s important given MH declines pre-date 2018, but I think we need to look at more recent trends again. We generally need more statistical evidence in this area; our analysis showed school satisfaction has dropped a lot since 2020, which raises many questions!
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Ola Demkowicz @olademk.bsky.social · 24/07/2025
After consulting experts and theory (and guided by feasibility/scale), we looked at academic pressure. Though there’s concern about how post-Gove changes impact YP, the (limited) most robust data suggests YP are not reporting greater pressure than before. BUT… 1/
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Reposted by Ola Demkowicz
Ola Demkowicz @olademk.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
New report on understanding the drivers of declining youth mental health To effectively respond to worsening mental health, we need to understand not just what is happening, but *why* We used an evidence-based approach to unpack common explanations 1/🧵 youthfuturesfoundation.org/publication/...
youthfuturesfoundation.org
Understanding drivers of recent trends in young people’s mental health - Youth Futures Foundation
Research report exploring the reasons for the recent decline in mental health among 14 to 24-year-olds in England
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Ola Demkowicz @olademk.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
New report on understanding the drivers of declining youth mental health To effectively respond to worsening mental health, we need to understand not just what is happening, but *why* We used an evidence-based approach to unpack common explanations 1/🧵 youthfuturesfoundation.org/publication/...
youthfuturesfoundation.org
Understanding drivers of recent trends in young people’s mental health - Youth Futures Foundation
Research report exploring the reasons for the recent decline in mental health among 14 to 24-year-olds in England
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Reposted by Ola Demkowicz
Lara 'Challah Black Girl' M @blewishand.bsky.social · 22/07/2025
“Black women continue to face systemic inequalities in maternity care, from discrimination and unmet pain relief to dismissed concerns. These shocking figures expose a healthcare system that too often fails black mothers and puts lives at risk,” www.theguardian.com/... 1/2
theguardian.com
Half of black women in UK who raise concerns during labour did not receive suitable help, study finds
Maternity experiences of more than 1,000 pregnant people found black women up to four times more likely to die in childbirth
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Reposted by Ola Demkowicz
Aidan Wright @aidangcw.bsky.social · 22/07/2025
This paper looks SUPER interesting and helpful. Can’t wait to read it! Internalizing disorders as shape-shifters: Understanding individual and cultural heterogeneity in the presentation of symptoms. psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-...
psycnet.apa.org
APA PsycNet
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Ola Demkowicz @olademk.bsky.social · 21/07/2025
Are you interested in how we can advance mixed methods in mental health research?🧩 We’ve shared reflections on our recent paper on this issue and on our linked webinar/panel 🧑‍💻 Check out the link below (where you can also find a link to our paper, some key guidance, and a webinar recording) ⛓️‍💥
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Reposted by Ola Demkowicz
Ruth Knight @ruthknight.bsky.social · 21/07/2025
New paper!! Excited to share our new piece outlining an ECR perspective on children and young people's mental health research. We offer suggestions around funding, research practice, and institutional governance and processes to support a more socially just, equitable, and rigorous science.
cambridge.org
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Reposted by Ola Demkowicz
Mental Health Research Incubator @mhrincubator.bsky.social · 18/07/2025
Did you catch our recent webinar on advancing mixed methods? Our panel of researchers, colleagues @bmj.com , @mqmentalhealth.bsky.social & @nihr.bsky.social had a rich & wide-ranging discussion - check out @olademk.bsky.social reflections here mentalhealthresearch.org.uk/reflecting-o...
mentalhealthresearch.org.uk
Reflecting on mixed methods in mental health research – Mental Health Research
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Reposted by Ola Demkowicz
Emma James @emljames.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
📣 New job alert! I'm looking for a 2-year research assistant for a project on word learning from childhood to adulthood. Come and join us in lovely York! Please RT 🙏 @yorkpsychology.bsky.social jobs.york.ac.uk/vacancy/rese...
jobs.york.ac.uk
Jobs - The University of York
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Ola Demkowicz @olademk.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
@officialuom.bsky.social @educationuom.bsky.social @healthierfutures.bsky.social @centreformh.bsky.social @cypmentalhealth.bsky.social @youngmindscollab.bsky.social @lucyfoulkes.bsky.social @jess-deighton.bsky.social
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Ola Demkowicz @olademk.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
Our findings offer important insights in thinking about how we understand and respond to these trends. There is obviously a lot more complexity than I can sum up here, but the bottom line is that we should meet this as a genuine issue affecting YP that requires systemic solutions 9/9
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Ola Demkowicz @olademk.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
We need to keep critically examining these trends. Many factors examined have issues limiting the evidence base, and we need ongoing robust work on what affects YP mental health There are things we don’t know enough about, like environmental worry, subgroup trends, and cross-country patterns 8/
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Ola Demkowicz @olademk.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
Other factors are complex. Some, like child poverty, discrimination, and academic pressure, have strong evidence that they impact YP mental health - but less consistent evidence that they’ve worsened over time in a way that matches the mental health trends we’re seeing 7/
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Ola Demkowicz @olademk.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
Our work points to some likely contributors Sleep quality, employment precarity and affordability, social media and smartphone use, and a reduction in child and youth services: all seem to have shifted since 2010, and causal evidence (sometimes imperfect) suggests these affect YP mental health 6/
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Ola Demkowicz @olademk.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
So, why *have* we been seeing young people’s mental health getting worse? We engaged with experts to shortlist 10 key explanations, and inspected: a) what factors have actually worsened over time? and b) what does the evidence say about the causal impact of those factors on youth mental health? 5/
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Ola Demkowicz @olademk.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
Then, are young people ‘less resilient’ nowadays? This is a common suggestion. But our findings don’t point to a general decline in resilience - though we did see a decline in resilience to financial stress, which suggests something about the broader economic context is important here 4/
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Ola Demkowicz @olademk.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
So: Is this a reporting issue? Our analysis suggests a genuine increase. How YP respond to surveys hasn’t drastically changed and the consequences of poor mental health for other outcomes isn’t diminished 3/
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Ola Demkowicz @olademk.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
Across data points, there’s a rise in YP reporting distress since 2010, spiking in COVID restrictions but settling back into a longer-term trajectory This is a clear pattern for low mood and anxiety, and appears steeper for girls relative to boys, and those from white British backgrounds 2/
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Ola Demkowicz @olademk.bsky.social · 16/07/2025
Thanks Dan! I should clarify project lead is Matthias Pierce, though I did lead the review part more specifically ☺️
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Reposted by Ola Demkowicz
Dan Hayes @danhayesphd.bsky.social · 16/07/2025
Youth mental health difficulties have increased in prevalence (rather than better awareness) and key drivers likely include economic precarity, smartphone use, sleep quality and closure of youth services. An excellent piece of research led by @olademk.bsky.social
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Barry Wright @barrywright.bsky.social · 16/07/2025
Important report out this month exploring youth mental health in England, with highlights including decline in the myriad tapestry of youth services since 2010 youthfuturesfoundation.org/wp-content/u... @jess-deighton.bsky.social @olademk.bsky.social @lucyfoulkes.bsky.social
youthfuturesfoundation.org
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Wellesley Centers for Women @wcwonline.bsky.social · 11/07/2025
The @apajournals.bsky.social's AI and Adolescent Wellbeing health advisory was cited in a @time.com article about the problematic nature of therapy chatbots. Senior Research Scientist Linda Charmaraman was a member of the expert advisory panel for the health advisory! [1/3] #devpsy #scipub #cogpsyc
Wellesley Centers for Women
IN THE NEWS
A Psychiatrist Posed As a Teen With Therapy Chatbots. The Conversations Were Alarming
TIME
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Ola Demkowicz @olademk.bsky.social · 16/07/2025
Hello! 👋 Are you working in child and adolescent mental health research? BlueSky’s felt quiet recently and I’m hoping that we can get back on track… Did you know there’s not 1 but 2 starter packs to help connect CAMH researchers here? Let me know if you want to be added! go.bsky.app/TbtddRW
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Mental Health Research Incubator @mhrincubator.bsky.social · 15/07/2025
Fellowship Application Day 2025 run online by @nihr-rss.bsky.social on 17 Sept - a REALLY important opportunity for anyone wanting to go for an NIHR Doctoral or Postdoctoral Award... and *free!* Not to be missed! 😀 mentalhealthresearch.org.uk/rss-fellowsh...
mentalhealthresearch.org.uk
RSS Fellowship application day 2025! – 17 September – Mental Health Research
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neilhumphrey.bsky.social @neilhumphrey.bsky.social · 15/07/2025
Very important and absolutely fascinating report on youth mental health trends and their drivers by @olademk.bsky.social and colleagues out today. Absolutely essential reading!
youthfuturesfoundation.org
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Jess Deighton @jess-deighton.bsky.social · 15/07/2025
Very important report out today from the Youth Futures Foundation exploring factors accounting for escalating mental health problems in young people. Lead by fantastic colleagues from the University of Manchester (@olademk.bsky.social et al). Report here: youthfuturesfoundation.org/what-we-do/f...
youthfuturesfoundation.org
Understanding young people’s declining mental health - Youth Futures Foundation
Exploring drivers of worsening mental health among 14-24 year olds through a first-of-its-kind study for England
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Reposted by Ola Demkowicz
Calli McMurray @callimcflurry.bsky.social · 11/07/2025
NEW: The NIH removed gender identity variables from the latest ABCD study data release. This counteracts the goals of the study "by pretending that some aspects of adolescent brain development don’t exist," @nicolagrissom.bsky.social told me. Read more: www.thetransmitter.org/gender/abcd-...
thetransmitter.org
ABCD Study omits gender-identity data from latest release
The removal counteracts the goals of the longitudinal study by “pretending that some aspects of adolescent brain development don’t exist,” says sex differences researcher Nicola Grissom.
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Ola Demkowicz @olademk.bsky.social · 11/07/2025
I feel a letter writing campaign in the works!
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Prof. Madeleine Pownall @maddipow.bsky.social · 11/07/2025
I love Registered Reports because it's no fun wrestling with reviewers about design decisions that we can do nothing about after data collection. But still, SO few journals in my research area accept them. So I just fired off a load of this email. Here if you want to do the same: osf.io/n6bx9
screenshot of an email to editors, that is available in full in the link in the post
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