Dr Tassia Oswald is a Research Associate in the Department of Psychological Medicine at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London. Her background is in Psychology and Public Health, a combination which has allowed her to build an understanding of the spectrum of possibilities for social and health change, from an individual level, through to the way in which society is organised, with the roles of institutions, policy, and wider environments. She a mixed methods researcher with experience in a range of quantitative and qualitative methodologies.

Tassia first joined King’s College London in 2022, as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Public Mental Health. She has been responsible for developing a suite of work in public mental health, such as establishing an evidence base for interventions targeting social determinants of mental health, as well as organising a range of interdisciplinary stakeholder workshops.

Tassia was awarded her PhD in Public Health from the University of Adelaide in 2022. Her thesis was titled “From Screen to Green: Nature as an Upstream Determinant of Psychological Well-being for Young People in a High-Tech Era.” Her PhD incorporated a range of methodologies, including a scoping review, national cross-sectional study, the development of a theoretical framework, and a randomised pre-post pilot study with high school students.

Research interests:

• Mixed methods research
• Public mental health
• Youth mental health
• Mental health inequalities
• Social determinants of health
• Natural environments, climate change, and psychological wellbeing
• Stakeholder engagement and participatory methods

Teaching:

• Research supervisor for the Advanced iBSc in Psychology, Neuroscience and Neuropsychology at King’s College London.
• Research supervisor for Master of Mental Health Studies at King’s College London.

Expertise and Public Engagement:

Tassia is passionate about stakeholder and public engagement, which is core to her work. Currently, she is working alongside THRIVE London and other policy partners in the public mental health space. Tassia has expertise in effectively disseminating research findings through various media for diverse audiences. For example, she has been involved in numerous policy submissions, blog writing, and the development of a children’s book on planetary health. She was also awarded the People’s Choice Award for the 3-Minute Thesis Competition at the University of Adelaide.  

Key peer-reviewed publications:

Oswald, T.K., Kohler, M., Rumbold, A.R., Kedzior, S.G.E., & Moore, V.M. (2023). The acute psychological effects of screen time and the restorative potential of nature immersion amongst adolescents: A randomised pre-post pilot study. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 93(102183).

Oswald, T.K., Azadi, L., Sinclair, S., Lawn, S., Redpath, P., Beecroft, L., Ranogajec, M., Yoo, J. & Venning, A. (2023). “Somebody was standing in my corner”: A mixed methods exploration of Survivor, Coach, and Hospital Staff Perspectives and Outcomes in an Australian Cancer Survivorship Program. Supportive Care in Cancer.

Vercammen, A., Oswald, T.K., & Lawrance, E. (2023). Psycho-social factors associated with climate distress, hope and behavioural intentions in young UK residents. PLOS Global Public Health.

Kedzior, S.G.E., Moore, V.M., Manning, N., Oswald, T.K., Calabretto, H., Lassi, Z.S., & Rumbold, A.R. (2023). ‘Like fumbling around in the dark’: Young people’s perceptions and realities of health relationships. Culture, Health & Sexuality, DOI: 10.1080/13691058.2023.2189929.

Redpath, P., Searle, A., Wall, C., Venning, A., Oswald, T.K., Glover, F., & Herriot, P. (2023). Guided self-help for people with chronic pain: Integrated care in a public tertiary pain clinic. Pain and Therapy.

Oswald, T. K. & Langmaid, G. (2021). Considering Ecological Determinants of Youth Mental Health in the Era of COVID-19 and the Anthropocene: A Call to Action from Young Public Health Professionals. Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 1- 5, DOI: 10.1002/hpja.560.

Venning, A., Oswald, T.K., Stevenson, J., Tepper, N., Azadi, L., Lawn, S., & Redpath, P. (2021). Determining what constitutes an effective psychosocial ‘return to work’ intervention: A systematic review and narrative synthesis. BMC Public Health, 21(2164).

Kedzior, S.G.E., Calabretto, H., Drummond, H., Oswald, T.K., Lassi, Z.S., Moore, V.M., & Rumbold, A.R. (2021). Student Perspectives on Comprehensive Relationships and Sexual Health Education: a Sample of over 20,000 Students in South Australia. Sex Education, DOI: 10.1080/14681811.2021.1954897.

Oswald, T.K., Rumbold, A.R., Kedzior, S.G.E., Kohler, M., & Moore, V.M. (2021). Mental Health of Young Australians during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Exploring the Roles of Employment Precarity, Screen Time, and Contact with Nature. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(11), 5630.

Venning, A., Oswald, T.K., Barnes, M., Glover, F., Lawn, S., Azadi, L., Tepper, N., & Redpath, P. (2021). It’s what’s under the hood that counts: Comparing therapeutic outcomes when using Australian vs. UK-produced clinical materials in an Australian mental health program. Australian Health Review, https://doi.org/10.1071/AH20307.

Venning, A., Herd, M.C., Oswald, T.K., Razmi, S., Glover, F., Hawke, T. Quartermain, V., & Redpath, P. (2021). Exploring the acceptability of a digital mental health platform incorporating a virtual coach: The good, the bad, and the opportunities. Health Informatics Journal, 27(10) 1460458221994873.

Oswald, T.K., Rumbold, A.R., Kedzior, S.G.E., & Moore, V.M. (2020). Psychological Impacts of “screen time” and “green time” for children and adolescents: A systematic scoping review. PLOS ONE, 15(9), e0237725.

Kedzior, S.G.E., Lassi, Z., Oswald, T.K., Moore, V.M., Marino, J.L., & Rumbold, A.R. (2020). A Systematic Review of School-based Programs to Improve Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health: Considering the Role of Social Connectedness. Adolescent Research Review, DOI: 10.1007/s40894-020-00135-0.

Rumbold, A.R., Sevoyan. A., Oswald, T.K., Fernandez, R.C., Davies, M.J., & Moore, V.M. (2019). The impact of male factor infertility on offspring health and development. Fertility & Sterility, 111(6), 1047-1053.

Rumbold, A. R., Moore, V. M., Whitrow, M.J., Oswald, T.K., Moran, L., Fernandez, R.C., Barnhart, K.T., & Davies, M.J. (2017). The impact of specific fertility treatments on cognitive development in childhood and adolescence: a systematic review. Human Reproduction, 4(1), 1-19.