SCHOOL of Psychology: Research Staff

 DR. SIOBHÁN HOWARD

  Office Rm. 213, New Engineering Building
  Telephone +353-91-494069
  Fax +353-91-495574
  E-mail siobhan.howardnuigalway.ie

Dr. Siobhán Howard BA (Hons), PhD

Siobhán Howard completed her undergraduate and postgraduate studies in the School of Psychology, National University of Ireland, Galway. Following completion of her Ph.D. in 2008, Siobhán began working as a postdoctoral researcher within the Centre for Research on Occupational and Life Stress (CROLS) and the School of Psychology on a project funded by the Health Research Board (HRB).

Current Work

Siobhán is currently employed as project manager of the Sleep, Health, and Wellness Project, 2009-2011, a large-scale research study funded by the HRB. This HRB project “Experimental and cross-sectional analyses of sleep duration and negative mood on blood pressure reactivity and hemodynamic profile in young, working, and older adults” aims to examine the impact of sleep duration on health. The research team consists of Prof. Jack James (Principle Investigator), Dr Brian Hughes (Co-Investigator), Mr Éanna O Leary (Doctoral Candidate), and Dr Siobhán Howard (Project Manager and Co-Investigator).

While epidemiological studies have indicated that chronic short sleep duration contributes to the development of hypertension and cardiovascular disease, experimental studies have indicated that sleep loss has little or no acute effect on blood pressure level. Pilot work by Prof. James and colleagues has suggested that a vascular hemodynamic profile is associated with sleep loss, indicative of a physiological mechanism that may underlie the relationship between chronic short sleep duration and cardiovascular health. The current study aims to examine the impact of short sleep duration on blood pressure reactivity and hemodynamic profile in young, working, and older adults.

To see a detailed description of this project, please visit our blog at http://sleephealthandwellness.wordpress.com

Previous work

Siobhán’s Ph.D. entitled “Utility of the Type D personality in psychosomatic cardiovascular etiology: Effects on well-being and patterns of hemodynamic response to stress” examined the impact of psychosocial variables on cardiovascular reactivity. Her main findings suggested that, two broad personality traits, known as negative affectivity and social inhibition appeared to synergistically affect physiological, but not psychological health indices. Her research confirmed that the Type D personality, by impacting on hemodynamic reactivity in both multivariate and temporal patterns, may be implicated in cardiovascular disease etiology.

Publications

Peer reviewed articles

• Howard, S., & Hughes, B. M. (in press). Construct, concurrent, and discriminant validity of Type D personality in the general population: Associations with anxiety, depression, stress, and cardiac output. Psychology and Health.
• Howard, S., Hughes, B. M., & James, J. E. (2011). Type D personality and hemodynamic reactivity to laboratory stress in women. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 80, 96-102
• Hughes, B. M., Howard, S., James, J. E., & Higgins, N. M. (2011). Individual differences in adaptation of cardiovascular response to stress. Biological Psychology, 86, 129-136.
• Ferguson, E., Williams, L., O’Connor, R. C., Howard, S., Hughes, B. M. Johnston, D. W., et al. (2009). A taxometric analysis of Type-D personality. Psychosomatic Medicine, 71, 981 - 986.
• Hughes, B. M. & Howard, S. (2009). Social support reduces resting cardiovascular function in women. Anxiety, Stress, and Coping, 22, 537-548.
• Howard, S. & Hughes, B. M. (2008). Expectancies, not aroma, explain impact of lavender aromatherapy on psychophysiological indices of relaxation in young healthy women. British Journal of Health Psychology, 13, 603-617.
• Williams, L., O’Connor, R. C., Howard, S., Hughes, B. M., Johnston, D. W., Hay, J. L., et al. (2008).  Type-D personality mechanisms of effect:  The role of health-related behavior and social support.  Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 64, 63-69.

Book Chapters

• Howard, S. & Hughes, B. M. (in press). Psychophysiological mechanisms in psychosomatic disease: The case of the “Type D” personality in cardiovascular etiology. In F. Columbus (Ed.), Psychosomatic disorders: Causes, diagnosis and treatment. New York: Nova Science.
• Howard, S. & Hughes, B. M. (2009). Does the Type D personality affect health through stress-related psychosomatic pathways? In P. Buchwald & K. Moore (Eds), Stress and anxiety: Application to adolescence, job stress, and health. Berlin: Logos Verlag.

Presentations

Conference

• Howard, S., & James, J. E. (2011, September). Sleep quality is associated with increased cardiovascular responding during a frustrating work-task. Paper accepted for oral presentation at the 25th Annual Conference of the European Health Psychology Society, Crete, Greece.
• Howard, S., & James, J. E. (2011, July). Sleep quality and cardiovascular reactivity to a frustrating work task in students and healthy adults. Paper accepted for oral presentation at STAR 2011: 32nd World Conference on Stress and Anxiety Research, Münster, Germany.
• Hughes, B. M. & Howard, S. (2011, July). Benefit of perceived social support for building resilience is contingent on social context of stress. Paper accepted for oral presentation at STAR 2011: 32nd World Conference on Stress and Anxiety Research, Münster, Germany.
• Creaven, A-M., Howard, S., & Hughes, B. M. (2011, July). Personality and perceived social support: Overlap in measurement and associations with resting cardiovascular function. Paper accepted for oral presentation at STAR 2011: 32nd World Conference on Stress and Anxiety Research, Münster, Germany.
• O’Leary, É. D., Howard, S., & James, J. E. (2011, July). Experimentally-induced anger, acute sleep loss and associations with a vascular hemodynamic profile. Paper accepted for poster presentation at STAR 2011: 32nd World Conference on Stress and Anxiety Research, Münster, Germany
• Howard, S., & James, J. E. (2011, June). Sleep quality and cardiovascular reactivity to a work-related task: A possible antecedent to increased responding. Paper presented at the Cardiovascular Reactivity: Antecedents and Consequences conference, Birmingham, UK.
• O’Leary, É. D., Howard, S., & James, J. E. (2011, June). Acute sleep restriction and anger: Associations with vascular hemodynamic response patterns. Poster presented at the Cardiovascular Reactivity: Antecedents and Consequences conference, Birmingham, UK. Prize winning presentation.
• Howard, S., & James, J. E. (2011, April). Poor sleep quality is associated with increased cardiovascular responding during a frustrating work-task. Paper presented at the Psychology, Health, and Medicine 8th Annual Conference, Galway, Ireland.
• Howard, S., & James, J. E. (2011, April). Sleep restriction and anger: Associations with hemodynamic profile in a student population. Poster presented at the Psychology, Health, and Medicine 8th Annual Conference, Galway, Ireland.
• Hughes, B. M., James, J. E., & Howard, S. (2011, March). Individual differences in impact of sleep loss on cardiovascular adaptation to stress. Paper presented at the 69th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Psychosomatic Society, San Antonio, Texas, USA.
• Howard, S., & James, J. E. (2011, March). Acute sleep restriction and anger are associated with a vascular hemodynamic profile. Poster presented at the 69th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Psychosomatic Society, San Antonio, Texas, USA.
• Hughes, B. M., & Howard, S. (2010, August). Repressive coping and cardiovascular response to stress: Short-term gain, but long-term loss. Paper presented at STAR 2010: 31st World Conference on Stress and Anxiety Research, Galway, Ireland.
• Creaven, A-M., Skowron, E. A., Howard, S., & Hughes, B. M. (2010, August). Child maltreatment as a predictor of physiological congruence in mother-child interactions. Paper presented at STAR 2010: 31st World Conference on Stress and Anxiety Research, Galway, Ireland.
• Hogan, M., James, J. E., Kilmartin, L., & Howard, S. (2010, August). Cardiovascular reactivity of younger an older adults to positive, negative, and mixed emotion. Paper presented at STAR 2010: 31st World Conference on Stress and Anxiety Research, Galway, Ireland.
• Howard, S., Hughes, B. M., & James, J. E. (2010, August). Type D personality and hemodynamic reactivity to laboratory stress in women. Paper presented at STAR 2010: 31st World Conference on Stress and Anxiety Research, Galway, Ireland.
• Kola, S., Walsh, J. C., Hughes, B. M., & Howard, S. (2010, August). Attention focus, trait anxiety, and pain perception in patients undergoing colposcopy. Paper presented at STAR 2010: 31st World Conference on Stress and Anxiety Research, Galway, Ireland.
• Howard, S., & Hughes, B. M. (2010, August). Type D personality, gender, and habituation-sensitization of cardiovascular response to stress. Poster presented at STAR 2010: 31st World Conference on Stress and Anxiety Research, Galway, Ireland.
• Hughes, B. M., Skowron, E. A., Howard, S., & Creaven, A-M. (2010, March). Elevated heart rate and reduced respiratory sinus arrhythmia in socio-economically disadvantaged mothers: Implications for stress processes and physical health. Paper presented at the 7th Annual Conference of the Psychological Society of Ireland Division of Health Psychology, Dublin, Ireland.
• Creaven, A-M., Skowron, E. A., Howard, S., & Hughes, B. M., (2010, March). Patterns of physiological congruence between mothers and their pre-school children: Evidence for stress-contagion phenomenon among maltreatment parents. Paper presented at the 7th Annual Conference of the Psychological Society of Ireland Division of Health Psychology, Dublin, Ireland.
• Howard, S., & Hughes, B. M., (2009, July). Implicating a stress-related psychophysiological mechanism in the link between Type D personality and cardiovascular health. Paper presented at the 30th Stress and Anxiety Research Society Conference, Budapest, Hungary.
• Howard, S., & Hughes, B. M. (2009, June). Type D personality, gender, and habituation-sensitization of cardiovascular response to stress. Paper presented at the Psychological Society of Ireland, 6th Annual Conference of the Division of Health Psychology, Dublin.
• Doyle, F., Howard, S., Conroy, R., McGee, H. M., Hughes, B. M., & Delaney, M. (2009, June).  Do the traits of negative affectivity and social inhibition (type D personality) have an 'order' across populations?  A Mokken scaling approach.  Paper presented at the Psychological Society of Ireland, 6th Annual Conference of the Division of Health Psychology, Dublin.
• Howard, S., & Hughes, B. M. (2009, March).  Type D personality, gender, and habituation-sensitization of cardiovascular response to stress.  Poster presented at the DPGA 2nd Annual Spring School, "The ABC of Stress:  Biopsychological Assessment, Basics, and Consequences".  Dresden, Germany.
• Howard, S., & Hughes, B. M. (2008, November). Type D personality and gender: Differences in habituation-sensitization of cardiovascular response to stress. Paper presented at the Psychological Society of Ireland 39th Annual Conference, Carlow.
• Howard, S., & Hughes, B. M. (2008, September). Type D personality and haemodynamic responses to laboratory stress: Implicating Type D in cardiovascular pathogenesis. Paper presented at the 22nd Conference of the European Healthy Psychology Society, Bath, United Kingdom.
• Howard, S., & Hughes, B. M. (2008, July). Type D personality, gender, and habituation-sensitization of cardiovascular response to stress. Paper presented at the 29th International Stress and Anxiety Research Conference, Birkbeck, University of London.
• Howard, S., Hughes, B. M., Williams, L., O’Connor, R. C., & O’Carroll, R. E. (2008, April). Type D personality and health-related behaviour in a Republic of Ireland sample: Possible mechanisms of effect and comparison with United Kingdom peers. Paper presented at the Psychological Society of Ireland, 4th Annual Conference of the Division of Health Psychology, Londonderry.
• Howard, S., & Hughes, B. M. (2006, November). Type D personality in terms of extraversion and neuroticism. Paper presented at the Psychological Society of Ireland 37th Annual Conference, Galway. 
• Williams, L., O’Carroll, R. E., O’Connor, R. C., O’ Connor, D. B., Ferguson, E., Grealy, M. A., Sheehy, N. P., Johnston, D. W., Hay, J., Howard, S., & Hughes, B. M. (2006, September). Prevalence of Type D personality in the UK and Ireland: Associations with health related behaviour and social support. Paper presented at the 9th Annual Conference of the BPS Division of Health Psychology, Essex.
• Howard, S., & Hughes, B. M. (2006, July). Type D personality and cardiovascular reactivity to laboratory stress: Highlighting the role of the stressor. Paper presented at the 27th International Stress and Anxiety Conference, Rethymnon, Crete, Greece.
• Howard, S., & Hughes, B. M. (2006, April). Type D personality and cardiac disease: A cardiovascular reactivity assessment. Paper presented at the Psychological Society of Ireland, 28th Annual Congress of Psychology Students in Ireland, NUI Maynooth.
• Howard, S., & Hughes, B. M. (2006, April). Type D Personality, blood pressure, and non-social stressors: The plot thickens. Paper presented at the Psychological Social of Ireland, 2nd Annual Conference of the Division of Health Psychology, NUI Galway.
• Howard, S., & Hughes, B. M. (2005, November). Type D Personality and cardiovascular reactivity to a laboratory stressor. Paper presented at the Psychological Society of Ireland, 36th Annual Conference, Derry, Co. Londonderry.
• Howard, S., & Hughes, B. M. (2005, April). Aromatherapeutic lavender and physiological recovery from stress: Directive instructions as placebo. Paper presented at the Psychological Social of Ireland, 2nd Annual Conference of the Division of Health Psychology, in association with the Trinity College Centre for Health Sciences, AMNCH, Tallaght, Dublin.
• Howard, S., & Hughes, B. M. (2003, March). Aromatherapy versus placebo: Does lavender reduce mental stress? Award winning paper (second place) presented at the 25th Annual Congress of Psychology Students in Ireland, Cork.

Other

• NUIG Psychology Departmental Research Seminar Series
  • 2006 – "Type D personality and cardiovascular reactivity to a laboratory stressor"
  • 2009 – “Type D personality in psychosomatic cardiovascular etiology: Effects on well-being and patterns of hemodynamic response to stress”

Grants

• 2003 – 2005 National University of Ireland, Galway. Utility of the Type D personality in psychosomatic cardiovascular etiology: Effects on well-being and patterns of hemodynamic response to stress. Postgraduate Research Fellowship, €14,000
• 2005 – 2006 Government of Ireland Scholarship from the Humanities and Social Sciences. Utility of the Type D personality in psychosomatic cardiovascular etiology: Effects on well-being and patterns of hemodynamic response to stress. Postgraduate Research Fellowship, €16,000
• 2006 Department of Psychology, Travel Bursary. Type D personality and cardiovascular reactivity to laboratory stress: Highlighting the role of the stressor. Travel Assistance Grant, €500
• 2008 Faculty of Arts, Travel Bursary, Type D personality, gender, and habituation-sensitization of cardiovascular response to stress. Travel Assistance Grant, €500
• 2009 School of Psychology, Travel Bursary. Implicating a stress-related psychophysiological mechanism in the link between Type D personality and cardiovascular health. Travel Assistance Grant, €700
• 2009 Health Research Board, Summer Student Scholarships (2), with B. M. Hughes, €4,000

Professional Membership

• Stress and Anxiety Research society (STAR)

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