I am currently studying a fully funded PhD scholarship investigating fear of childbirth as part of the psychology and health subdivision of the Research Centre for Brain and Behaviour groups.
I am a recent graduate of the University of Liverpool where I undertook my BSc (Hons) Psychology and MSc Research Methods in Psychology. During this time, I gained a wealth of experience through research internships, voluntary work with the NSPCC, and a research assistant role for The University of Manchester. My work at the University of Liverpool focused on maternal and infant health, with my undergraduate dissertation project exploring the relationship between maternal-infant bonding, infant temperament and maternal mental health being presented at the 39th annual conference for the Society for Reproductive Infant Psychology.
During my MSc, I worked as a research assistant at the Centre for Women's Mental Health at The University of Manchester preparing and managing a feasibility RCT trial of a digital mental health intervention. As part of my MSc dissertation project, I developed and validated a short-form research tool of The Postpartum Specific Anxiety Scale (Fallon et., 2016).
My research interests include, perinatal mental health, perinatal anxiety, birth experience, tokophobia, maternal-infant bonding, infant temperament, feeding and sleep. As a result of my MSc project I have also developed an interest in psychometric tools to assess maternal and infant health.
Degrees
2020, University of Liverpool, United Kingdom, MSc Research Methods in Psychology
2019, University of Liverpool, United Kingdom, BSc (Hons) Psychology
Liverpool John Moores University, United Kingdom, PhD
Academic appointments
Honorary Research Assistant, Department of Psychology, University of Liverpool, 2019 - present
Research Assistant, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, 2019 - 2020
Highlighted publications
Davies SM, Silverio SA, Christiansen P, Fallon V. 2021. Maternal-infant bonding and perceptions of infant temperament: The mediating role of maternal mental health JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS, 282 :1323-1329 DOI Author Url Publisher Url
Journal article
Jackson L, Davies SM, Gaspar M, Podkujko A, Harrold JA, Pascalis LDE, Fallon V, Soulsby LK, Silverio SA. 2024. The social and healthcare professional support drawn upon by women antenatally during the COVID-19 pandemic: A recurrent, cross-sectional, thematic analysis. Midwifery, 133 :103995 DOI Author Url Publisher Url
Walker S, Spillane E, Stringer K, Trepte L, Davies SM, Bresson J, Sandall J, Shennan A. 2023. OptiBreech collaborative care versus standard care for women with a breech-presenting fetus at term: A pilot parallel group randomised trial to evaluate the feasibility of a randomised trial nested within a cohort Feleke AA. PLoS One, 18 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Mashayekh-Amiri S, Jafarabadi MA, Davies SM, Silverio SA, Fallon V, Montazeri M, Mirghafourvand M. 2023. Psychometric evaluation of the postpartum specific anxiety scale - research short-form among iranian women (PSAS-IR-RSF) BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 23 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Jackson L, Davies SM, Podkujko A, Gaspar M, De Pascalis LLD, Harrold JA, Fallon V, Soulsby LK, Silverio SA. 2023. The antenatal psychological experiences of women during two phases of the COVID-19 pandemic: A recurrent, cross-sectional, thematic analysis Ahmad D. PLoS One, 18 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Walker S, Spillane E, Stringer K, Meadowcroft A, Dasgupta T, Davies SM, Sandall J, Shennan A, Batish A, Davidson L, Das S, Magurova L, Haroun G, Meates C, Houghton G, Grys HL. 2023. The feasibility of team care for women seeking to plan a vaginal breech birth (OptiBreech 1): an observational implementation feasibility study in preparation for a pilot trial Pilot and Feasibility Studies, 9 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Dasgupta T, Hunter S, Reid S, Sandall J, Shennan A, Davies SM, Walker S. 2022. Breech specialist midwives and clinics in the OptiBreech Trial feasibility study: An implementation process evaluation. Birth, DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Fallon V, Davies SM, Christiansen P, Harrold JA, Silverio SA. 2022. The Postpartum Specific Anxiety Scale: Confirmatory factor analyses and relationships with birth experience Archives of Women's Mental Health, 25 :655-665 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Davies SM, Todd-Leonida BF, Fallon VM, Silverio SA. 2022. Exclusive Breastfeeding Duration and Perceptions of Infant Sleep: The Mediating Role of Postpartum Anxiety International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Davies SM, Sriskandarajah S, Staneva AS, Boulton HCM, Roberts C, Shaw SH, Silverio SA. 2022. Factors influencing ‘burn-out’ in newly qualified counsellors and psychotherapists: A cross-cultural, critical review of the literature Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 22 :64-73 DOI Publisher Url Public Url
Davies SM, Jardine J, Gutridge K, Bernard Z, Park S, Dawson T, Abel KM, Whelan P. 2021. Preventive Digital Mental Health for Children in Primary Schools: Acceptability and Feasibility Study JMIR Formative Research, 5 :e30668 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Davies SM, Christiansen P, Harrold JA, Silverio SA, Fallon V. 2021. Creation and validation of the Postpartum Specific Anxiety Scale Research Short-Form (PSAS-RSF) Archives of Women's Mental Health, 24 :957-969 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Fallon V, Davies SM, Silverio SA, Jackson L, De Pascalis L, Harrold JA. 2021. Psychosocial experiences of postnatal women during the COVID-19 pandemic. A UK-wide study of prevalence rates and risk factors for clinically relevant depression and anxiety JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH, 136 :157-166 DOI Author Url Publisher Url
Silverio SA, Davies SM, Christiansen P, Aparicio-García ME, Bramante A, Chen P, Costas-Ramón N, de Weerth C, Della Vedova AM, Infante Gil L, Lustermans H, Wendland J, Xu J, Halford JCG, Harrold JA, Fallon V. 2021. A validation of the Postpartum Specific Anxiety Scale 12-item research short-form for use during global crises with five translations. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 21 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Davies SM, Silverio SA, Christiansen P, Fallon V. 2021. Maternal-infant bonding and perceptions of infant temperament: The mediating role of maternal mental health JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS, 282 :1323-1329 DOI Author Url Publisher Url
Other
Mashayekh-Amiri S, Jafarabadi MA, Davies SM, Silverio SA, Fallon V, Montazeri M, Mirghafourvand M. 2023. Correction: Psychometric evaluation of the postpartum specific anxiety scale – research short-form among Iranian women (PSAS-IR-RSF) (BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, (2023), 23, 1, (531), 10.1186/s12884-023-05855-4) BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 23 DOI Author Url Publisher Url
preprint
Walker S, Spillane E, Stringer K, Meadowcroft A, Dasgupta T, Davies S, Sandall J, Shennan A, Collaborative O. 2022. The OptiBreech Care Pathway: evaluating the feasibility and acceptability of team care for women seeking to plan a vaginal breech birth (OptiBreech 1) – a mixed methods implementation feasibility study Research Square Platform LLC DOI Publisher Url
Davies SM, Jardine J, Gutridge K, Bernard Z, Park S, Dawson T, Abel KM, Whelan P. 2021. Preventive Digital Mental Health for Children in Primary Schools: Acceptability and Feasibility Study (Preprint) JMIR Publications Inc. DOI Publisher Url
Conference publication
Davies S. 2022. Creation and validation of the Postpartum Specific Anxiety Scale Research Short Form [PSA-RSF] JOURNAL OF REPRODUCTIVE AND INFANT PSYCHOLOGY, 40 :XCIV-XCIV Author Url
Thesis/Dissertation
Davies SM. 2020. Creation and validation of the Postpartum Specific Anxiety Scale Research Short-Form [PSAS-RSF]. Fallon V, Silverio SA.