Women's Reproductive Mental Health
| Module title | Women's Reproductive Mental Health |
|---|---|
| Module code | PSY3462 |
| Academic year | 2024/5 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Dr Gemma Sharp (Lecturer) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
Module description
The module provides you with an in-depth understanding of how reproductive events and conditions might affect the mental health and wellbeing of women throughout the lifecourse. The module considers women’s reproductive mental health through a biopsychosocial lens, emphasising the need to consider and compare interacting influences of genetics and reproductive physiology (e.g. hormones, physical discomfort), psychological factors (e.g. ways of thinking, stress responses) and social and cultural factors (e.g. social support networks, structural gender inequalities). There is a particular focus on how epidemiological research methods can be used to address research challenges in the field. Students will gain a comprehensive understanding of the methods used to study women's reproductive mental health and the implications of research findings for policy, practice, and public health. The course highlights the need for a multidisciplinary approach to women's reproductive mental health research and the importance of promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion in women’s mental health research and practice. Teaching methods will include lectures, but also interactive group work, pair and individual exercises.
Module aims - intentions of the module
This module builds on first and second year modules in abnormal and clinical psychology and related areas. With a focus on reproductive life stages (e.g. menarche, pregnancy, menopause) and processes (e.g. the menstrual cycle), and mental disorders overrepresented by women (e.g. internalising problems like anxiety and depression), the module familiarises you with current research and theory about biopsychosocial factors contributing to women’s mental health and empirically supported treatment approaches for women. There is a particular emphasis on how epidemiological research methods (e.g. longitudinal cohort studies, population genetic and epigenetic data) can be used to address research challenges relevant to women’s mental health. Key areas of knowledge to be covered include:
- Sex/gender differences in the epidemiology (I.e. prevalence, incidence, demographics, risk factors) of mental health conditions, including the biological, psychological, and social influences on women’s mental health
- Key reproductive life stages and processes and how they might present unique challenges to women’s mental health
- Epidemiological research study designs that can be applied to study women’s reproductive mental health, with a particular focus on longitudinal cohort studies, use of digital health technologies, molecular data, and ways to infer causal effects from observational data
- The importance of multidisciplinary collaboration in women’s reproductive mental health research and care, and of listening to women and people with lived experience of mental health issues when designing research and care interventions.
The module will provide a forum for exploring, formulating, and refining career goals. In particular, you will learn to critically evaluate factors impacting women’s mental health and treatment, and write your evaluation in a scientific style. This will be achieved through directed reading, lectures, discussion, and interactive elements, for example student presentations debates, use of video, and written assignments.
Through attending the weekly classes and completing the assessments, you will further develop academic and professional skills in collaborative working, problem solving, research design, time management, persuasive argument synthesis, and communicating effectively for a variety of audiences.
If you are interested in pursuing a career as a psychological practitioner in the NHS or a career in clinical psychology the seminar will assist in developing the necessary skills for postgraduate study or early career employment. You will gain an understanding of basic psychological practices used in applied clinical work. The module will be particularly beneficial if you are interested in pursuing a research degree or career in research as there is a strong emphasis on assessing the quality of published research and designing effective research studies, as well as understanding how researchers can effectively interact with health care commissioners, research funding agencies, and the general public.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Describe and evaluate biopsychosocial influences on womens mental health throughout the reproductive lifecourse
- 2. Design and critically evaluate research relevant to womens reproductive mental health
- 3. Describe and evaluate biological, psychological and social approaches to improve womens reproductive mental health
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 4. Acquire and demonstrate detailed, systematic and critical knowledge and understanding
- 5. Review and critically evaluate published work at an advanced level to allow you to synthesise logical, coherent and sustained arguments to support conclusions
- 6. Demonstrate critical, creative and independent thinking, and fully appreciate the complexities of relevant issues
- 7. Design novel research, and critically evaluate research approaches and evidence to assess the reliability of empirical evidence
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 8. Interact effectively and supportively within a learning group
- 9. Manage your own learning with minimum guidance
- 10. Engage effectively in debate in a professional manner and produce detailed and coherent written work
- 11. Identify complex problems and apply appropriate knowledge and methods for their solution with confidence and flexibility
Syllabus plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, an example of an overall structure is as follows:
Theme 1: Understanding Women’s mental health
- Why study women’s mental health? Why is it important?
- How has women’s mental health been viewed historically?
- What are the biological (e.g. hormones, genetics), psychological (e.g. rumination, avoidance, behaviours), and social/cultural (e.g. social relationships, sexual violence, structural gender inequalities) influences on women’s mental health and how do these change or stay the same across the reproductive lifecourse?
Theme 2: Reproductive life events and processes
- The influence of timing of menarche on risk of depression in adolescent girls
- Mental health and wellbeing throughout the menstrual cycle
- The influence of menstrual experiences and pathologies (e.g. endometriosis) and menstrual health management and barriers (e.g. “period poverty”) on mental health and wellbeing
- Premenstrual syndrome (PMS), premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), and premenstrual exacerbation (PME)
- Pregnancy and perinatal mental health
- Perimenopause and mental health
- (In)fertility and mental health, including the impact of climate anxiety on reproductive decision making
Theme 3: Epidemiological research to understand women’s reproductive mental health
- What is epidemiology? How can it be used to study health across the lifecourse?
- Longitudinal cohort studies: design features and examples from the UK and internationally
- Genetic and epigenetic epidemiological studies relevant to reproductive and/or mental health
- “FemTech” and other applications of digital health technologies
- Common sources of bias and mitigation strategies in epidemiological research
- Effective research study design to collect and analyse data on women’s health
- Multidisciplinary collaboration, co-production, Patient Participant Involvement (PPI), and public engagement to maximise research impact and improve women’s reproductive mental health
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 33 | 117 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 33 | Seminars |
| Guided Independent Study | 20 | Preparation for seminar (I.e. doing set readings for each week) |
| Guided Independent Study | 17 | Preparation of group presentation |
| Guided Independent Study | 40 | Research and preparation of research proposal |
| Guided Independent Study | 40 | Research and revision for final examination |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group presentation | 30 minutes | 1-11 | Oral |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 40 | 60 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Examination | 60 | 3 hours | 1-11 | Feedback on request |
| Research proposal | 40 | 2000 words | 1-11 | Written |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Examination (60%), 3 hours | Examination | 1-11 | August Ref/Def |
| Research proposal (40%), 2000 words | Research proposal | 1-11 | August Ref/Def |
Re-assessment notes
Two assessments are required for this module. Where you have been referred/deferred in the examination you will have the opportunity to take a second examination in the August/September re-assessment period. Where you have been referred/deferred in the essay you will be required to resubmit the essay. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%; deferred marks are not capped.
Please also refer to the TQA section on Referral/Deferral: https://as.exeter.ac.uk/academic-policy-standards/tqa-manual/aph/consequenceoffailure/
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Indicative basic reading list:
- Core readings will be assigned for each week and will be available on the ELE module homepage.
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 6 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 28/01/2023 |
| Last revision date | 14/12/2023 |
