PhD position at Institut de Recerca Sant Pau funded by the TOUCH COFUND project

Updated: about 1 month ago
Job Type: FullTime
Deadline: 30 Jun 2024

14 Mar 2024
Job Information
Organisation/Company

Institut de Recerca Sant Pau
Research Field

Psychological sciences
Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)
Country

Spain
Application Deadline

30 Jun 2024 - 23:59 (Europe/Madrid)
Type of Contract

Temporary
Job Status

Full-time
Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

H2020 / Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions COFUND
Marie Curie Grant Agreement Number

101126533
Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

Topic: Caregiver-Centric Innovations in Intensive Home-Treatment for Acute Mental Illness: A Comprehensive Approach.

A PhD position is available at the Mental Health Research Group- Division of Neurological Diseases, Neuroscience & Mental Health from the Institut de Recerca Sant Pau in collaboration with Research group in Health and Aging Demography from Centre Estudis Demogràfics under the supervision of Ana Martin Blanco (Psychiatrist) and Jeroen Spijker (Demographer). We are looking for a highly motivated candidate that will investigate around burden of the caregivers of patients receiving Intensive home-treatment.

Intensive home-treatment (IHT) has become one of the trendier strategies in some European countries to prevent acute hospitalization of patients suffering from an acute mental illness. This intervention provides daily treatment at home by a multidisciplinary team for those patients until the crisis is over. In most cases, collaborative work with a family member who can supervise the patient is mandatory. However, this role can cause a burden on the caregiver and, in consequence, can lead to stress, anxiety, and other psychological and physical consequences. Since there are no instruments to detect the burden of the caregivers of patients receiving IHT, our research group is creating a questionnaire based on the qualitative analysis of the information provided by the caregivers themselves. Additionally, the research will extend beyond qualitative realms to incorporate demographic factors that play a crucial role in shaping the caregiver landscape, aiming at discerning patterns and variations across different family structures within our society and enriching our comprehension of caregiver needs. The next step is creating an intervention to reduce this burden. Therefore, the objective of this PhD program is to (i) use demographic and health survey data to analyze the personal and household characteristics of caregivers who care for family members with a mental illness, ii) evaluate the caregivers' needs using a qualitative approach, and (iii) design and perform an experimental trial to evaluate its efficacy. This PhD program will allow the student to acquire in-depth knowledge in qualitative and quantitative statistical methods, as well as in demographic analysis, and to perform experimental designs such as clinical trials.

The successful candidate will be enrolled in the Psychiatry doctoral program at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) in the framework of the TOUCH project. TOUCH (“Towards the next generatiOn of excellent yoUng doctoral researchers on mental health by developing an intersectoral & transdisciplinary approaCH”) is a new excellent doctoral programme co-funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie (MSCA) Actions of the European Commission and led by the UAB for the recruitment and training of 24 doctoral candidates in the field of mental health and wellbeing.

The Sant Pau Mental Health Group , part of the Institut de Recerca Sant Pau's Neurological Diseases, Neuroscience & Mental Health division, is resolutely dedicated to the pursuit of innovative therapeutic modalities, underpinned by a comprehensive understanding of etiopathogenesis, derived from their accrued knowledge. Main scientific challenges: research that reduces the healthcare, social and personal costs of mental illness by exploring areas such as epidemiology, etiopathogenesis, physiopathology, prevention and treatment; that delve into innovative mental health therapies; and to improve quality of life of patients with mental disorders.

The Centre d’Estudis Demogràfics (CED) Health and Ageing research group is dedicated to studying the challenges posed by population ageing to the organization of our societies and the well-being of its inhabitants. The importance is not just that people live more years, but that those extra years are lived in good mental and physical health, which must also be approached from an analysis that incorporates social and gender inequalities.

We are looking for candidates with an excellent CV, ahigh degree of ambition and motivation, and with good personal qualities to work in our Team. We offer a 3-year full-time contract (37,5 hours/week) and a gross salary of 2.375 €/month (the salary will be the same for the 3 years).

The candidates must fulfil the following eligibility criteria from the EC: Mobility rule: candidates must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Spain for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately preceding the deadline for the programme call. Experience rule: researchers must be doctoral candidates at the date of recruitment, i.e. not already in possession of a doctoral degree at the deadline of the open calls. Researchers who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis but have not yet formally awarded the doctoral degree will not be considered eligible. Candidates must hold a degree that allows admission to the official doctoral programme at UAB.

Additional requirements for a stronger application are:

  • The ideal candidate for this PhD program should possess some foundation in neuroscience, psychology, or a related field.
  • They must comply with the academic requirements to access the PhD in Psychiatry of the UAB which, among others, requires a Master's degree and a good level of speaking and writing in English.
  • Basic knowledge of Spanish/Catalan is considered an advantage.
  • Familiarity with quantitative and qualitative statistical methods and programming languages (e.g., Python, R, STATA and/or SPSS) is preferible but not mandatory, as comprehensive training will be provided.
  • The candidate should demonstrate a keen interest in psychiatric disorders and patient-centered care.
  • Strong communication and collaboration skills are essential, as the project involves interdisciplinary teamwork.
  • The candidate should exhibit a commitment to advancing mental health research and a capacity for independent, creative thinking within a collaborative research environment.

Interested applicants should apply through the TOUCH online platform by submitting a full CV, a motivation letter, two letters of recommendation and academic and English level certificates. The call will be open from the 1st of April to the 30th of June 2024. More information about the TOUCH project, the recruitment process, and the application platform are available on the TOUCH website .


Requirements
Research Field
Psychological sciences
Education Level
Master Degree or equivalent

Languages
ENGLISH
Level
Excellent

Additional Information
Work Location(s)
Number of offers available
1
Company/Institute
Institut de Recerca Sant Pau
Country
Spain
City
Barcelona
Geofield


Where to apply
Website

https://webs.uab.cat/touch/

Contact
State/Province

Barcelona
City

Barcelona
Website

https://www.recercasantpau.cat/en/
Street

C/ Sant Quintí, 77-79
Postal Code

08041
E-Mail

[email protected]

STATUS: EXPIRED

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