Mark McDermott studied undergraduate psychology between 1978 and 1981 in what was then University College Cardiff (UCC) (now University of Wales, Cardiff). Thereafter, he took a postgraduate certificate of education (PGCE) in primary school education in the School of Education, UCC. In 1982, he was awarded a University of Wales PhD scholarship and undertook work which later emerged in thesis form as “Rebelliousness in adolescence and young adulthood”, as supervised by social psychologist Dr Terry Honess. During the course of this work, he visited the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA for two semesters (1984–85), where he learned about questionnaire development from cross-cultural psychologist Professor Harry Triandis. In 1987, he began an MSc course as a trainee clinical psychologist at the University of Manchester, which he completed in 1989. While there, he conducted research at the Wythenshawe Hospital Regional Cardiothoracic unit (supervised by cardiologist Colin Bray and clinical psychologist Professor Reg Beech), culminating in his MSc thesis “Forms of hostility as risk-factors for coronary artery disease” and, with the addition of follow-up data, in two peer-reviewed journal papers.

In 1989, he took up a lectureship in Health Psychology at UEL, reflecting his ongoing interest in biopsychosocial modelling of health and illness. Since being at UEL, Mark has maintained his research interest in rebelliousness within the context of Reversal Theory, collaborating periodically with the theory’s progenitor, Professor Michael Apter, and latterly in work ongoing as a predictor of resistance to health persuasion messages. An additional strand of health psychology research in latter years has been investigation of social cognition models as predictors of alcohol consumption, in particular risky, single-occasion drinking. This work has been conducted in conjunction with postdoctoral researcher Dr Vered Murgraff and has involved the input of Professor Charles Abraham (Sussex) in the publication of a randomised control trial as funded by the Alcohol Education and Research Council: a brief evidence-based intervention targeting motivational and volitional antecedents specified by the theory of planned behaviour and implementation intention theory.

From February of 2003 to September of 2011, Mark was the UEL School of Psychology Leader of Research. This role involved facilitating the research and scholarly activity of academic colleagues within the School and having overall responsibility for postgraduates by research. Mark was responsible for co-ordinating the School’s submission of 23 academic staff to the 2008 national Research Assessment Exercise. This resulted in a quadrupling of school research income from this source (relative to the result of 2001 Exercise). As a member of the newly formed School Research Management Team, he is leading on preparing the School to engage with its successor, the Research Excellence Framework (REF). He chairs the REF Advisory Group. Mark was promoted to Professor in 2008.

• Module Leader, PY2106: Psychology of Mental Health (level 2)
• Module Leader, PY3106: Health Psychology (level 3)
• Module Leader, PYM803: Health Psychology (Masters in Applied Psychology)
• Undergraduate project supervision (level 3)
• PhD supervision
• Member of the School Research Management Team
• Chair of the School of Psychology REF Advisory Group
• Member of the UEL REF Advisory Group (RAG)
• Member of the UEL REF Code of Practice working group
• Member of the UEL Data Management Policy working group
• Member of the New London Graduate School management team
• Member of the School of Health & Biosciences Research & Knowledge Exchange Committee

• Health psychology:
  • psychosocial risk factors for coronary artery disease;
  • social cognition models and risky single-occasion drinking; and
  • rebelliousness and resistance to health persuasion messages.

• BSc Psychology
• Masters in Research
• Masters in Applied Psychology
• MPhil/PhD

• PY1006: Applications of Psychology (level one)
• PY2106: Psychology of Mental Health (level two) [module leader]
• PY3001/2: Project (level three)
• PY3106: Health Psychology (level three) [module leader]
• PYM501: Advanced Quantitative Methods for Psychologists [M-level]
• PYM803: Health Psychology (M-level; module leader)

Peer-reviewed journal articles

1. Boddington, E., & McDermott, M. (2013). Predicting resistance to health education messages for cannabis use: the role of rebelliousness, autic mastery health value and ethnicity. Journal of Health Psychology, 18(2), 157–166. doi:10.1177/1359105312438111
2. Klabbers, G., Bosma, H., van den Akker, M., van Boxtel, M.P.J., Kempen, G.I.J.M., McDermott, M.R., & van Eijk, J.Th.M. (2009). Measuring rebelliousness and predicting health behaviour and outcomes: an investigation of the construct validity of the Social Reactivity Scale. Journal of Health Psychology, 14(6), 771–779. doi:10.1177/1359105309338894

Recently completed PhD supervisions

1. G. Gamage. (2011). The role of message framing and issue-involvement in promoting regular physical activity among sedentary university students. (Director of Studies).
2. E. Adams (2009). PhD: The experience and meaning of breast cancer in the context of having children. (Joint 2nd supervisor).

Contract research

1. Watling, R., McDermott, M.R. & Arroll, M. (2012). An evaluation of the adiZone outdoor gym complex, Mayesbrook Park, Dagenham. Commissioned by the Community Sport & Physical Activity Team, London Borough of Barking & Dagenham.
2. Harden, A., Lloyd, E., McDermott, M.R., Potter, S. & Sayeed, Z. (2009). A project to assist Family Action’s Building Bridges practitioners with the use of the Index of Family Relations as an outcome measurement. http://hdl.handle.net/10552/847
3. McDermott, M.R., & Potton, A. (2008). Tackling teenage obesity: systematic review and project proposal. Report commissioned by J. Boss, Adolescent Obesity Co-ordinator, Barking & Dagenham NHS Primary Care Trust.

Peer-reviewed journal articles

1. Murgraff, V., Abrahams, C., & McDermott, M. R. (2007). Reducing Friday alcohol consumption among moderate, women drinkers: evaluation of a brief evidence-based intervention. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 42(1), 37-41. doi:10.1093/alcalc/agl083
2. Murgraff, V., McDermott, M. R., & Walsh, J. (2003). Self-efficacy and behavioural enactment: The application of Schwarzer’s Health Action Process Approach to the prediction of low risk single occasion drinking. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 33(2), 339-361. doi:10.1111/j.1559-1816.2003.tb01900.x
3. Hooper, D. M., Morrissey, M. C., Dreschler, W. I., McDermott, M. R., & McAuliffe, T. B. (2001). Validation of the Hughston Clinic subjective knee questionnaire using gait analysis. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 33(9), 1456-1462. doi:10.1097/00005768-200109000-00006
4. McDermott, M. R., Ramsay, J., & Bray, C. (2001). Components of the anger–hostility complex as risk-factors for coronary artery disease severity: a multi-measure study. Journal of Health Psychology, 6(3), 309-319. doi:10.1177/135910530100600304
5. Ramsay, J., McDermott, M. R., & Bray, C. (2001). Components of the anger-hostility complex and symptom reporting in patients with coronary artery disease: a multi-measure study. Journal of Health Psychology, 6(6), 713-729. doi:10.1177/135910530100600615
6. Murgraff, V., McDermott, M. R., & Walsh, J. (2001). Exploring attitude and belief correlates of adhering to the new guidelines and low-risk single-occasion drinking: an application of the theory of planned behaviour. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 36(2), 135-140. doi:10.1093/alcalc/36.2.135

Book Chapters

1. Walsh, J. J., & McDermott, M. R. (2003). Health Psychology. In R. Bayne & I. Horton (Eds.), Applied Psychology: Current Issues and New Directives: London: Sage.
2. McDermott, M. R. (2002). Redefining health psychology: Matarazzo revisited. In D. F. Marks (Ed.), The Health Psychology Reader: London: Sage. doi:10.4135/9781446221129.n2
3. McDermott, M. R. (2001). ‘Rebelliousness’. In M. J. Apter (Ed.), Motivational styles in everyday life: a guide to Reversal Theory (pp. 167-185). Washington DC: American Psychological Association. doi:10.1037/10427-009

Grants

1. £40,000 as Principal Applicant over eighteen months (October 2001 to July 2003) from the Alcohol Education and Research Council to evaluate an action-planning intervention to reduce the incidence of high-risk single-session alcohol consumption in moderate drinkers. Co-workers: Dr Vered Murgraff, UEL and Professor Charles Abraham, Sussex University.

Esteem Indicators

1. Reviewer: Social Science & Medicine (April 2011).
2. ESRC Peer Review College Member (March 2010 to date).
3. Invited reviewer: ESRC Standard Grants Scheme, Open call (February, 2010).
4. Named contributor to the BPS Division of Health Psychology response to the House of Lords call for evidence on Behavioural Change (2010).
5. Invited reviewer: MRC Population Health Scientist Fellowship (January 2009).
6. External PhD Examiner: R. Davis (2009). An investigation of hospital patients’ willingness and ability to participate in safety-related aspects of their healthcare management. Imperial College London.
7. Invited reviewer: Wellcome Trust project grant (December 2008).
8. Invited Reviewer: Health Services & Health of the Public Predoctoral Fellowship, on behalf of Chief Scientist Office, Scottish Government (May 2008).
9. External PhD Examiner: J.J. Wright (2008). A phenomenological exploration of the process of optimal experiences, University of Brighton.
10. Invited reviewer: two ESRC First Grant Scheme proposals (March 2007).
11. Invited reviewer: of an external grant application (2006) for £33k to support a study of the effectiveness of behavioural strategies to reduce high-risk single-session alcohol (binge) drinking among young company employees in a workplace setting. Alcohol Education and Research Council, UK. (2006).
12. Invited reviewer: of an application in Social Psychology for a Senior Researcher’s grant (‘Improving motivation for change in addictive behaviors’). Research Council for Culture and Society, the Academy of Finland. (2006).
13. External PhD examiner: J. Sartori (2003) ‘A Reversal Theory approach to predicting and explaining university students’ attitudes and use of marijuana. University of Windsor, Canada (2003) University of Windsor, Canada.
14. Multiple reviews: Journal of Health Psychology, An interdisciplinary, international journal [Editor: Professor David Marks, City University] (2001–11).
15. Reviewer: British Journal of Social Psychology. (2006).
16. McDermott, M. R., Invited member of the six-person ‘Independent Ethics Panel’ as Chaired by MP Lembik Opik on the BBC Prison Experiment, conducted by Professor Alex Haslam (Exeter University) and Professor Steve Reicher (St Andrews University) to oversee the day-to-day running of the experiment and safeguard participant interests and wellbeing. BBC (October 2001 to May 2002).
17. Member (Elect) of the British Psychological Society Press Committee (2003–06).

Memberships

1. British Psychological Society (BPS)
2. Foreign Affiliate of the American Psychological Association (APA)
3. Member of the Division of Health Psychology, BPS
4. Member of the Division of Clinical Psychology, BPS
5. Member of the Division of Social Psychology, BPS