College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences - Doctoral Theses

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Designing a mind-mindedness intervention
(University College Cork, 2026-04-28) Clifford, Siobhan; Larkin, Fionnuala; Ryan, Christian; Irish Prison Service
Parental mind-mindedness, defined as a caregiver's propensity to represent and treat their child as a psychological agent with independent thoughts, feelings, and intentions, has been associated with positive developmental outcomes and has consequently been proposed as a potential target for clinical intervention. This thesis examines the extent to which the current evidence base substantiates such application, via a critical appraisal of the literature, two empirical studies, and an integrative discussion. Chapter 1 provides a critical review of the theoretical and empirical foundations of mind-mindedness, including its relationship to parental sensitivity, theory of mind, and conceptually adjacent constructs such as parental reflective functioning and insightfulness. This review indicates that although associations between mind-mindedness and attachment security or theory of mind development are relatively well replicated, they remain correlational in nature, and claims regarding the construct's discriminant validity may be less firmly established than is often assumed. Study 1 examined these considerations by conducting semi-structured interviews with five internationally recognised mind-mindedness researchers regarding the construct's translation into clinical contexts. Reflective thematic analysis generated four themes, pertaining broadly to the positioning of mind-mindedness within its wider theoretical context, its practical application, considerations of diversity, and the research-practice gap. Participants expressed a relatively high degree of confidence in the construct's clinical readiness; this finding, however, is interpreted cautiously within the thesis, given participants' shared professional investment in the field, and is regarded as indicative of disciplinary conviction rather than independent confirmation of empirical justification. A subsequent reflexive review of the analytic process suggested that an initially deferential interview stance may have contributed to an early overstatement of consensus, a revision consistent with the epistemic caution advocated throughout the thesis. Study 2 comprised a systematic review of interventions designed to promote parental mind-mindedness, identifying twenty-six eligible interventions across community, clinical, and high-risk populations. Reported intervention techniques were mapped, where feasible, onto the Behaviour Change Wheel framework, with findings suggesting that education, enablement, training, and modelling were among the more frequently employed intervention functions. Results indicate that short-term change in mind-mindedness, particularly reductions in non-attuned parental comments, may be attainable under comparatively low-risk conditions; however, evidence pertaining to the durability of such change, comparative effectiveness, and downstream benefit to children and families remains limited, and the potential influence of publication bias could not be formally evaluated. Chapter 4 synthesises these findings into a provisional evidence-based roadmap, differentiating between claims that are well supported, plausible but unproven, and presently unknown. On this basis, a preliminary theory of change and accompanying logic model is proposed, intended to function as a heuristic for future research and practice rather than a definitive framework. Collectively, this thesis contributes a more precise and appropriately circumscribed account of what is currently known, plausible, and unresolved regarding parental mind-mindedness and its clinical application, while underscoring the substantial uncertainty that remains prior to the responsible implementation or scaling of such interventions.
Peter Lombard: historian and orator
(University College Cork, 2026-06-30) Madden, Margaret; Harris, Jason; Irish Research Council
This thesis presents a philological and stylistic analysis of Peter Lombard's De Hibernia Insula Commentarius Stromaticus, a petition addressed to Pope Clement VIII in 1600/1601 on behalf of Hugh O'Neill. The Commentarius was written in order to seek support for the conflict that was then raging in Ireland which Lombard expressed as a war of religion. While several influential studies of the historical context of this work have previously been undertaken, they were based on unreliable editions of the text and paid scant attention to the language, genre and style of the work. As a prolegomenon to further research, this thesis offers an examination of the manuscript tradition and what it reveals about the composition of the treatise. Two distinct recensions of the text are identified, produced within one year of each other by the author himself. Material not contained in either of the two posthumously printed editions has been identified. A critical edition of the text is presented as an appendix to this thesis. The two authorial recensions represent distinct moments in a rapidly evolving political and ecclesiastical context, but the revisions also illuminate the stylistic and compositional preoccupations of Lombard, which must be assessed prior to ascribing political motivation to textual emendations. An examination of the vocabulary, syntax and style of the Commentarius reveals an eclectic writer who, while imbued with Ancient Latin, nevertheless writes pragmatically in a style that is eloquent but eschews elaborate ornamentation. The historical core of the work (the commentarius proper) is sandwiched between a praefatio and a peroratio that reflect the origins of the text as a formal address at the papal court and reveal Lombard in the guise of an orator presenting a humble petition to the pope. By contrast, the central portion of the text is written in a style and form that artfully masquerades as artlessness, presenting the ethos of the author, not as a rhetorical historian, but as a reliable witness to the truth. The care that Lombard took to create this effect is demonstrated through close examination of the text, as are the occasions upon which the mask slips. The thesis therefore offers a foundation for subsequent historical investigations and demonstrates the value of detailed stylistic analysis of Neo-Latin texts that appear, at first sight, to have been rather casually or hastily composed.
Social networking site use and psychological well-being in older adults
(University College Cork, 2026-04-14) O'Carroll, Aoife; Murphy, Mike; Murphy, Gillian; Wall, Judy; Health Service Executive
Older adulthood is often accompanied by life changes such as retirement, bereavement, and declines in health or mobility, which may increase the risk of social isolation and reduced psychological wellbeing (PWB). Social networking sites (SNSs) have the potential to support social connectedness in later life, yet evidence regarding their association with PWB remains mixed. This thesis presents two studies examining how different patterns of SNS engagement relate to PWB in older adults, taking into account individual and social factors. Study 1 comprised a search of five databases (PsychInfo, Web of Science, Medline, International Bibliography of Social Sciences and EBSCO Psychology Databases) to identify studies examining active or passive SNS use and PWB in middle-aged and older adults. The review revealed mixed findings, with both positive and negative associations reported across studies. The association of SNS use on PWB appeared to vary according to cultural, demographic, and contextual factors suggesting that SNS engagement does not have uniform consequences in later life. The evidence base was dominated by cross-sectional designs, limiting causal inference regarding the relationship between SNS use and PWB. Study 2 employed a mixed-methods design to examine SNS use and PWB in a sample of older adults. Survey data from 101 participants assessed SNS use, perceived social support, shyness, and psychological wellbeing while in-depth interviews with 11 participants explored lived experiences of SNS engagement. Quantitative data were analysed using hierarchical multiple regression, and qualitative data using reflexive thematic analysis. Quantitative analyses showed that SNS use did not directly predict wellbeing; however, both close-tie and weak-tie SNS use were indirectly associated with PWB through perceived social support. Shyness moderated the association between weak-tie SNS use and wellbeing, with higher shyness linked to poorer PWB outcomes. Qualitative findings provided contextual insight into these patterns, illustrating how older adults used SNSs to maintain close relationships, exchange emotional support, engage with shared interests, and reflect nostalgically, while also selectively managing exposure to negative online experiences. Together, these studies suggest that SNS is associated with PWB in later life but this may be linked to the quality of online interactions, the social support they facilitate, and individual differences such as shyness. Older adults appear to engage with SNSs in purposeful and emotionally selective ways, using them to complement rather than replace offline social relationships. Addressing barriers such as low digital confidence and negative online experiences may help maximise the potential PWB benefits of SNS engagement in older adulthood.
¡A nadie le importa (las instituciones) mamaeh!: an examination of the political and economic process of outward foreign direct investment in Latin America
(University College Cork, 2024-12-13) Ladines Azalia, Juan Carlos; Duggan, Niall; Reidy, Theresa; Universidad del Pacifico
The aim of this thesis is to use new institutional economic theory to discuss the progression of market-based institutions in the context of outward investment in Latin America after the economic reforms of the 1990s. This research project aims to provide a better understanding of how market-based institutions were built, especially in the South American region. The specific focus is on market-based institutions related to outward foreign direct investment (OFDI), which in South America is a phenomenon that has only begun to grow in importance in the last decade. This project also seeks to provide insights into what type of institutional relations have been built in the context of outward investment and evaluate the performance of emerging market economies (EMEs) in South America. The research method involves two stages. The first method is a qualitative comparative analysis, which is used to select the emerging markets for investigation. The second method is a process tracing mechanism, which provides the analytical framework for exploring the outward investment performance of the selected EMEs. The data sources for this project are relevant, accessible, online archives and semi-structured interviews with 20 experts in the field of foreign direct investment. This research shows that the reforms of the 1990s (the return to democracy and the implementation of a free market) produced uneven results in outward investment. Policy implementation related to OFDI in South America has been based on a series ineffective market-based institutions that allowed elusive activities, corruptive practices, and the blocking of promotion of investment regimes. These market-based institutions are anthropocentric and have resulted in under-the-table political and economic relations. In the absence of robust institutional frameworks, Latin America is therefore a region with complex political and economic interrelations, which highlights the need to further explore institutional reforms. Finally, the growing importance of outward investment from Latin America points to the need to explore internationalisation of markets from an institutional view, which could serve as an asset for navigating the region’s complex dynamics.
Transgenerational trauma and the gendered body in postcolonial women's writing in Italy
(University College Cork, 2025-11-17) Kane, Noreen; Giuliani, Chiara; Ross, Silvia; Research Ireland; National University of Ireland
Over the past three decades, numerous literary texts have been published by women writers with origins in Italy’s former colonies in the Horn of Africa. These narratives provide a gendered perspective on Italian colonial violence and its legacy, challenging hegemonic Italian collective memory, which minimises Italy’s colonial endeavours. Simultaneously, the texts confront omissions in nationalist memories, which often erase women’s involvement in anticolonial struggles. This thesis explores the representation of transgenerational trauma in ten novels and memoirs, written in Italian and English, by women of Somali and Ethiopian descent. Though the writers come from various backgrounds, with differing relationships to Italy, each of the narratives in question foregrounds the trauma of Italian colonialism and its negotiation through the female body. The authors in question are Somali-born Shirin Ramzanali Fazel, Somali Italian writers Ubah Cristina Ali-Farah and Igiaba Scego, Ethiopian Italian Gabriella Ghermandi, and Ethiopian American Maaza Mengiste. While this literary corpus has received well-deserved scholarly attention, much analysis assumes a Western or African American theoretical lens. My thesis adds insight into the representation of trauma and resistance in these works by interpreting them through both traditional trauma theories and memory studies, and Afro-feminist theories that foreground the Ubuntu worldview, emphasising interconnectedness. In three sections, I explore how trauma is transmitted within the family, through educational institutions, and how literature may intervene positively in the transmission of trauma. I contend that the narratives analysed, in both form and content, provide significant insight into the crucial role communities play in the negotiation of trauma. Whether through connection with ancestors, the more-thanhuman, or with readers, these narratives show that to break the chain of generational trauma, it is imperative to recognise our inherent relationality, which may involve, for many readers, an acknowledgement of our implication in the colonial past.

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