Jessica Bollen
Associate Research Fellow
6049
726049
Smeall building JS08
Jessica Bollen is a PenCLAHRC funded PhD student in the Psychology Applied to Health Group and an Associate Research Fellow working in the Primary Care Group.
With an undergraduate degree in Human Biology and Sport and Exercise Science, Jessica has a keen interest in the human body, how it functions and the changes that can be brought about by exercise. Through working in gyms specialising in rehabilitation, an area of particular interest, Jessica was intrigued by individual’s attitudes to rehabilitation programs and their outcome expectations. The occasional mismatch between people’s attitudes and expectations ultimately lead to her applying for the PhD she is currently undertaking. The end result is to create a valid and reliable questionnaire for stroke survivors to determine which individuals may be having particular problems conducting their rehabilitation programs and therefore, possibly not obtaining the outcome in terms of recovery they may like to achieve.
Qualifications
- CYQ gym instructor level 2 (2013)
- BSc Joint Honours, Human Biology and Sport and Exercise Science (2011)
Links
Research
Research interests
Broad Research Specialisms
- Psychometrics
- Questionnaire development
- Adherence
- Rehabilitation
- Physical activity & health
For her PhD Jessica is researching adherence to exercise based rehabilitation programmes in individuals who have had a stroke. The eventual outcome is that a questionnaire will be created which is psychometrically sound.
A mixed method approach has been used in developing this questionnaire; interviews and focus groups were conducted with stroke survivors, exercise professionals and, physiotherapists resulting in items for the questionnaire. The subsequent data from the completed questionnaires will undergo Rasch analysis in addition to other statistical tests to assess the validity and reliability of the measure.
In her Associate Research Fellow role Jessica is researching inflammation responses and the effect they may have on cognition and information processing. In addition to this she is also supporting Leanne Trick a PhD student, aiding with recruitment and administration on a project looking at the role of worry and rumination in predicting depression in people with coronary heart disease.
Research projects
- Developing a Stroke Rehabilitation Exercise Adherence Measure (StREAM).
- The role of perseverative negative thinking in predicting depression in people with coronary heart disease: A prospective cohort study.
Grants/funding
- University of Exeter Annual Fund grant (£15,000 over a three year period)
- PhD Studentship
Key publications | Publications by category | Publications by year