Kirsten Russell

Kirsten Russell is a Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Strathclyde’s School of Psychological Sciences and Health. She joined in 2022 after roles as a Researcher with Police Scotland and the Scottish Government. Her research focuses on mental health risk factors, particularly sleep disturbance’s role in adolescent self-harm and predictors of youth violence. She contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to good health and well-being (SDG 3) and reducing inequalities (SDG 10).

• Education: PhD in Psychology (University of Strathclyde, 2020)

Research Interests:
- Health psychology: Self-harm prediction and violence prevention
- Developmental psychology: Adolescent mental health trajectories
- Clinical psychology: Psychological processes linking sleep to self-harm
Her work includes evaluating violence prevention initiatives and analyzing hate-motivated behavior’s impact on public health.

Current Project: 'Insecure Employment and Suicide in Scotland' (2023–ongoing), investigating economic instability’s mental health consequences using mixed methods.

Teaching: Leads undergraduate Development modules and contributes to the MSc Clinical Health Psychology program’s Clinical Psychology and Professional Practice courses.