Sandra Leyland

Sandra Leyland is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Sunderland, specializing in sport and exercise psychology. A Chartered Psychologist and Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, she focuses on psychological factors in physical activity motivation and behavior change, particularly in health and wellbeing contexts. Her work bridges academic research with practical applications in both clinical and athletic settings.

• Academic Affiliation: University of Sunderland
• Professional Status: Chartered Psychologist, Associate Fellow of BPS

Her research explores the intersection of mental health, physical activity, and athlete wellbeing. She leads studies on barriers to physical activity advice in severe mental illness care and investigates elite athlete mental health in collaboration with the Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Trust. Current projects include fitness testing methods for schoolchildren and PIEDs (Performance and Image Enhancing Drugs) in vocational populations.

Recent publications emphasize psychological distress in UK Olympic athletes (2021), moral disengagement scales for drug use prevention (2022-2023), and behavior change theories in physical activity (2013-2018). Her work spans both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, with particular attention to application in public health initiatives and sports education.

Scientific Recognition:

• Chartered Psychologist (British Psychological Society)
• Founding member of the Division of Sport and Exercise Psychology
• Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

At the University of Sunderland, Leyland leads undergraduate and postgraduate modules in sport and exercise psychology while supervising research on topics such as self-efficacy in diving and teacher perceptions in physical education. She actively collaborates with healthcare institutions and sports organizations to translate psychological theories into practical wellbeing interventions.