Important notice
The course guide is provisional.
The PDF version of the course guide may take a few days to become available in the DDD.
Applied Research in Mental Disorders
Code: 43878Credits: 6
| Degree programme | Type | Course |
|---|---|---|
| Research in Clinical Psychology and Health | OP | 1 |
Contact lecturer
- Name :
- David Sanchez Carracedo
- Email :
- david.sanchez@uab.cat
Teaching staff
- Estrella Ferreira Garcia
- Juan Vicente Luciano Devis
- Adrian Pérez Aranda
Group languages
You can consult this information at the end of the document.
Prerequisites
None
Objectives
The objective of this module is to analyze research on mental disorders from the point of view of the interest of the research question, its clinical and social impact, the limitations of the approach made, and its diffusion. It is necessary to know how to transfer information and research results to potential users and beneficiaries in order to have immediate application. Research and clinical care for mental disorders in children and adults should have a two-way relationship, so that the results of research are applicable in clinical mental health services. However, research must also capture the needs of these services so that it can provide answers to solve them.
Critical reflection will be made on the impact and application of key topics in current mental health research by applying it directly to the student's work, taking into account the different beneficiaries (users, clinicians, caregivers, families, administrators, investors, etc.). Acquiring skills for the transfer and dissemination of research results in mental disorders will be worked on. Emphasis is placed not only on "how it is done" but also "what is the use" of clinical research on mental disorders, identifying potentially transferable outcomes and the most appropriate forms for their dissemination. It is expected that the contents of this module will help the student to: a) formulate research questions about potentially interesting mental disorders; b) generate transferable results and impact on users and beneficiaries and disseminate them with means appropriate to each context; c) identify the strengths and weaknesses of their own research; d) develop a critical spirit regarding the research developed in this field.
Learning outcomes
- Propose research questions which are transferable to the field of applied clinical psychology.
- Plan research procedures in clinical psychology to transfer and disseminate results of clinical and social impact.
- Choose appropriate assessment instruments in clinical psychology and according to the characteristics of the informer.
- Discuss the results of the research in the context of existing scientific production in clinical psychology and analyse the implications.
- Master skills and means necessary for group work and multidisciplinar group work.
- Search for information in scientific literature using appropriate channels and integrate such information to propose and contextualize a research topic.
- Use scientific terminology to argue the results of research in the context of scientific production, to understand and interact effectively with other professionals.
- Apply the outstanding ethical principles and act accordingly to the deontological code for the profession in the scientific research practic.
- Integrate knowledge and use it to make judgements in complex situations, with incomplete information, while keeping in mind social and ethical responsibilities.
- Communicate and justify conclusions clearly and unambiguously to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
- Solve problems in new or little-known situations within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to the field of study.
- Choose appropriate assessment instruments to respond to a research question in clinical psychology and health psychology and interpret them within the context of clinical psychology.
Contents
◊ Evidence-based practice in mental clinical and health Psychology.
◊ Applied research in clinical and health Psychology.
◊ Impact of research results in clinical and health Psychology: Dissemination, applications and products.
Learning activities and methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading articles and reports | 30 | 1.2 | 1, 3, 4, 6, 9, 12 |
| Exercise resolution | 3 | 0.12 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12 |
| Practical activities | 3 | 0.12 | 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 |
| Oral presentations | 5 | 0.2 | 1, 4, 7, 10 |
| Workshops | 37.5 | 1.5 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 |
| Study | 30 | 1.2 | 1, 2, 4, 6, 9 |
| Tutorial | 1.5 | 0.06 | 1, 2 |
| Written papers | 40 | 1.6 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 |
The contents of the module will be worked in a personalized way through research workshops that will allow an interactive and creative learning. The workshop thread revolves around the student's clinical research proposal, and could focus on master's degree research work. The aim is to ensure that the student’s research on mental disorders is useful and applicable to final recipients, is disseminated appropriately and has a clinical and social impact. The workshops will critically discuss how research needs arise, different ways of disseminating the results will be implemented, and the products resulting from clinical research will be designed. The module is eminently practical and related to ongoing clinical research of the student.
Assessment
Continuous assessment activities
| Title | Weight | Hours | ECTS | Learning outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E1. Assistance and participation in the planned activities | 20% | 0 | 0 | 1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12 |
| E2. Papers and reports | 40% | 0 | 0 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 |
| E3. Portfolio | 40% | 0 | 0 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12 |
Students must attend at least 90% of the face-to-face sessions. If attendance falls below this threshold, the final grade will be 4.5 (Fail). Assessment will be based on the assignments corresponding to each workshop session.
The course will be considered passed when the weighted average grade is ≥ 4.85. In accordance with the Faculty's assessment regulations, passing the course through continuous assessment also requires obtaining a grade of at least 4.0 in each assessment task that contributes 20% or more to the final continuous assessment grade. If these requirements are not met, the maximum grade that may be recorded on the student's academic transcript will be 4.5.
The feedback for each submission will be provided between 3 and 5 weeks after it has been completed, via email and individually to each student.
For this course, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is permitted exclusively for support tasks related to the preparation of reports, such as literature or information searches, text editing, or translations. Students must clearly identify which parts have been generated using this technology, specify the tools used, and include a critical reflection on how these tools have influenced both the process and the final outcome of the activity. Failure to transparently disclose the use of AI in this assessed activity will be considered a breach of academic integrity and may result in a partial or total penalty to the activity grade, or more severe sanctions in cases of serious misconduct.
Re-assessment
Students may be eligible for the resit assessment provided that they:
- Have not met the requirements to pass the course.
- Have completed all assessment tasks and obtained a continuous assessment grade (weighted average) between 3.5 and 4.85.
The re-assessment will focus exclusively on the learning outcomes associated with the assessment tasks that were not passed.
Students who have submitted assessment tasks accounting for 40% or more of the course grade may not be recorded as "Not Assessed".
The Faculty's assessment regulations are available at:
https://www.uab.cat/doc/DOC_Pautes_Avaluacio_2025-2026
Single assessment
This course does not offer a single-assessment option.
Bibliography
APA (2002). Criteria for Evaluating treatment Guidelines. American Psychologist, 57 (12), 1052-1059.
American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual (7th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
https://apastyle.apa.org/products/publication-manual-7th-edition/
APA Council of Representatives (2005). APA Policy Statement on Evidence-Based Practice in Psychology. https://www.apa.org/practice/resources/evidence/evidence-based-statement.pdf
Baumbusch, J.L., Kirkham, S.R., Khan, K.B., McDonald, H., Semeniuk, P., Tan, E., & Anderson J.M. (2008). Pursuing common agendas: A collaborative model for knowledge translation between research and practice in clinical settings. Research in Nursing Health, 31,130-140.
Lomas, J. (2005). Using research to inform healthcare managers’ and policy makers’ questions: From summative to interpretive synthesis. Healthcare Policy, 1, 55-71.
Proctor, E.K. & Brownson, R.C. (Eds.) (2012). Dissemination and implementation research in health: Translating science to practice. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Robertson, D. & Williams, G. H. (Eds.) (2016). Clinical and translational science: Principles of human research. Boston, MA: Elsevier
Sackett, DL, Rosenberg, WMC, Gray, JAM, Haynes, RB, & Richardson, WS (1996). Evidence based medicine: what it is and what it isn't. British Medical Journal, 312, 71-2. https://www.cebma.org/wp-content/uploads/Sackett-Evidence-Based-Medicine.pdf
Sturmey, P. & Hersen, M. (2012). Handbook of Evidence-Based Practice in Clinical Psychology, Child and Adolescent Disorders (Vol. 1). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley
Wilson, P. M., Petticrew, M., Calnan, M. W., & Nazareth, I. (2010). Disseminating research findings: what should researchers do? A systematic scoping review of conceptual frameworks. Implementation Science : IS, 5, 91. http://doi.org/10.1186/1748-5908-5-91
World Health Organization (2014). Disseminating the research. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization.
Software
Basic Office
Course groups and languages
The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE
| Type of teaching | Group | Language | Semester | Shift |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (TEm) Theory (master) | 1 | Catalan/Spanish | second semester | afternoon |