Dr Kathryn CunninghamPhD, MSc, MA (Hons), CPsychol, AFBPsS

Kathryn’s primary research interest is the global public health issue of loneliness, particularly in: i) people living with one or more health (post-acute or long-term) conditions (e.g. cancer, chronic pain, stroke, mental illness); ii) other health-related contexts (e.g. parenting in and beyond the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit [NICU], caring for someone with one or more health conditions, following perinatal loss).

Loneliness is recognised as a serious problem due to its reported: a) prevalence; b) associations with low wellbeing, poor mental and physical health and premature mortality; c) economic costs.  Health conditions and other health-related contexts are acknowledged as particular risk factors for loneliness.

Progress in research, policy and practice to address loneliness has been hindered by the absence of a comprehensive, unified, conceptualisation of loneliness, and consequently, the lack of a clear and precise theoretical definition of loneliness.  Kathryn has led work that provides such a conceptualisation and definition and also identifies that the opposite of lonely is ‘unlonely’, not just ‘not lonely’. The novel definitions of loneliness and unloneliness established in this work are:

Loneliness: The negative feeling(s) one experiences as a result of a (conscious or subconscious) personal perception that one's interpersonal needs are not satisfied by (the quantity and/or quality of) one's interpersonal (emotional, social, collective, professional and/or religious) relationships.

Unloneliness: The positive feeling(s) one experiences as a result of a (conscious or sub-conscious) personal perception that one’s interpersonal needs are satisfied by (the quantity and quality of) one’s interpersonal (emotional, social, collective, professional and religious) relationships.

The full publication from the study can be accessed here: Back to basics in the field of loneliness: progressing conceptualisation and definition of the term – an umbrella concept analysis. A news story about the study can be accessed here: STV News Dundee University defines loneliness.

Kathryn is interested in using the novel definitions of loneliness and unloneliness to understand and address loneliness in: i) people living with one or more health conditions; ii) other health-related contexts, by:

• exploring experiences, sources and consequences of loneliness and unloneliness;
• developing, implementing and evaluating conceptually-sound and contextually-sensitive methods to identify and assess loneliness and unloneliness;
• developing, implementing and evaluating targeted and tailored interventions to alleviate loneliness and promote unloneliness. 

Kathryn’s wider research interests include social prescribing and health/healthcare professional behaviour change.

Additionally, she is committed to conceptual and theoretical advancement and methodological innovation in research.

Kathryn is a member of the Living Well with Long-Term Conditions Research Group and the Mother, Infant and Child Health Research Group and is currently taking new self-funded PhD students. 

Kathryn welcomes enquiries from prospective PhD students about projects focussing on:

• loneliness in people with one or more health conditions (e.g. cancer, chronic pain, stroke, mental illness);
• loneliness in other health-related contexts (e.g. parenting in and beyond the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit [NICU], caring for someone with one or more health conditions, following perinatal loss).

Please note that the examples provided are not exclusive and Kathryn welcomes enquiries about projects focussing on loneliness in people living with any health conditions or in any health-related contexts.  

Prospective PhD students can contact Kathryn directly by email on [email protected] to discuss research ideas but should first visit the relevant Research Group webpage to see current topics of interest to supervisors:

• Living Well with Long-Term Conditions Research Group Living Well with Long-Term Conditions (LWLTC) | University of Dundee, UK
• Mother, Infant and Child Health Research Group Mother and Infant Research Unit | University of Dundee, UK.

Kathryn also welcomes enquiries regarding potential collaboration or consultancy in her areas of research interest.

Selected Publications

• Back to Basics in the field of loneliness: Progressing conceptualisation and definition of the term – An umbrella concept analysis
• First steps in identifying and addressing loneliness in the context of COVID-19
• Development of the cancer-related loneliness assessment tool: Using the findings of a qualitative analysis to generate questionnaire items
• Progressing social prescribing with a focus on process of connection: Evidence-informed guidance for robust evaluation and evidence synthesis
• Social prescribing and behaviour change: proposal of a new behaviour change technique concerning the ‘connection’ step
• Progressing social prescribing: a recommendation for schemes involving link workers
• Methods of connecting primary care patients with community-based physical activity opportunities: A realist scoping review
• Social research design: framework for integrating philosophical and practical elements
• Supporting doctors' well-being and resilience during COVID-19: A framework for rapid and rigorous intervention development
• Loneliness and quality of life after head and neck cancer

Kathryn currently teaches:

• Professional and Academic Skills 1
• Professional and Academic Skills 2
• Student Selected 1: Improving and Maintaining Health and Well-being
• Student Selected 2: Managing Health Challenges
• Student Selected 3: Prevention and Protection Against Disease and Ill-health
• Leadership for Mentally Healthy Workplaces

She also supervises MSc dissertation, DClinPsy (joint with University of Glasgow), DHSci and PhD students.