Sophia Quirke-McFarlane
About
I am a 3rd year PhD Candidate and Trainee Health Psychologist here at the University of Surrey. I plan to use both qualitative and quantitative research methods to explore the role of social support throughout patients' Bariatric Surgery journey. Alongside my PhD research, I am also working towards achieving the Stage 2 Qualification in Health Psychology and a Fellowship in the Higher Education Academy.
In 2019, I completed an MSc in Health Psychology at the University of St Andrews. Prior to that, I completed a BA (Hons) in Applied Psychology at University College Cork.
Prior to commencing my PhD, I worked as a Research Assistant at King’s College London and Imperial College London. At King’s College London, under the supervision of Professor John Weinman, I used a range of research methodologies to investigate the extent of and reasons underlying treatment adherence in chronic conditions, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, asthma, psoriasis, as well as rare conditions, such as growth hormone deficiencies. At Imperial College London, using qualitative research methods, I explored differences in consultant orthopaedic surgeons’ pre-operative decision-making in total hip replacements.
My research interests include eating behaviours, obesity and weight management, communication in healthcare, and treatment adherence.
My qualifications
Affiliations and memberships
Teaching
I am a Graduate Teaching Assistant within the School of Psychology on several Undergraduate Modules in addition to my role as a first year Academic Tutor.
I am also a guest lecturer on the MSc Health Psychology programme.
Publications
Objective: Social support is mostly seen as a positive resource for many health outcomes. However, some research indicates that weight loss may disrupt the equilibrium of relationships and highlights the potential for a more negative form of social support. This qualitative study aimed to explore bariatric surgery (BS) patients’ perceptions of the way in which their current or previous partner supported them throughout their BS journey.Design: BS patients (N=30) participated in remote qualitative semi-structured interviews. Methods: The data were analysed using an inductive approach to reflexive thematic analysis. At the time of this study, patients had undergone BS a mean of 5.1 years ago. Results: Four themes were derived from the data. While two themes reflected social support as a form of caring (Mutual Investment and Positive Reinforcements),the other two themes indicated aspects of sabotage (Feeder Behaviours and Negative Reactions to Weight Loss Attempts and Successes). Transcending these themes was the notion of Bariatric Surgery as an Opportunity or Threat to the Relationship.Conclusions: Some patients perceived social support as a positive resource for achieving optimal clinical response post-BS. This was characterised by Mutual Investment from their partners and being offered Positive Reinforcements for changes in their weight status and wellbeing. Some, however, described more negative aspects of support which had undermined their BS goals, either unintentionally or intentionally, through acts of sabotage including Feeder Behaviours and Negative Reactions to Weight Loss Attempts and Successes. Future research should develop interventions to help prepare the partners of those undergoing BS for the changes to both their partner’s weight status and the dynamics of their relationship.
Purpose of review: Whilst research indicates the positive impact of social support across a number of health domains, including weight management, not all social support is beneficial. Findings: This paper reviews the evidence for both positive and negative social support in the context of behavioural interventions and surgery for obesity. It then presents a new model of negative social support focusing on sabotage (‘active and intentional undermining of another person’s weight goals’), feeding behaviour (‘explicit over feeding of someone when they are not hungry or wishing not to eat’) and collusion (‘passive and benign negative social support to avoid conflict’) which can be conceptualized within the context of relationships as systems and the mechanisms of homeostasis. Summary: There is increasing evidence for the negative impact of social support. This new model could form the basis of further research and the development of interventions for family, friends and partners to maximise weight loss outcomes.
Additional publications
Quirke-McFarlane, S., & Ogden, J. (2024). Care or sabotage? A reflexive thematic analysis of perceived partner support throughout the bariatric surgery journey. British Journal of Health Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjhp.12733
Roberts-Lewis, S.F., Baxter, H.A., Mein, G., Quirke-McFarlane, S., Leggat, F., Garner, H., Powell, M., White, S., & Bearne, L. (In press). Social media for dissemination of research evidence for health and social care practitioners: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Medical Internet Research.
Quirke-McFarlane, S., Carstairs, S., & Cecil, J. E. (2024). ‘You just eyeball it’: Parent and Nursery Staff Perceptions and Influences on Child Portion Size: A Reflexive Thematic Analysis. Nutrition and Health. https://doi.org/10.1177/026010602412452
Volkmer, B., Bieles, J., Fisher, G., Holmes, G., Quirke-McFarlane, S., Modarai, B., Peacock, J., Sackley, C., Weinman, J., & Bearne, L. M. (2023). Participants’ experiences and acceptability of a home-based walking exercise behaviour-change intervention (MOtivating Structure walking Activity in people with Intermittent Claudication (MOSAIC). Physiotherapy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physio.2023.09.002
Heaton-Shrestha, C., Hanson, K., Quirke-McFarlane, S., Delaney, N., Vandrevala, T., & Bearne, L. (2023). Exploring how members of the public access and use health research and information: a scoping review. BMC Public Health, 23, 2179. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-16918-8
Ogden, J., & Quirke-McFarlane, S. (2023). Sabotage, collusion and being a feeder: towards a new model of negative social support and its impact on weight management. Current Obesity Reports, 12, 183-190. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13679-023-00504-5
Quirke-McFarlane, S., Weinman, J., & d'Ancona, G. (2023). A systematic review of patient-reported adherence measures in asthma: Which questionnaire is most useful in clinical practice? The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaip.2023.03.034
Roberts-Lewis, S.F., Baxter, H.A., Mein, G., Quirke-McFarlane, S., Leggat, F., Garner, H., Powell, M., White, S., & Bearne, L. (2023). The use of social media for dissemination of research evidence to health and social care practitioners: a systematic review protocol. JMIR Preprints. doi:10.2196/45684
Quirke-McFarlane, S., Weinman, J., Cook, E. S., Yiu, Z. Z., Dand, N., Langan, S. M., ... & PsoProtect study group. (2023). Non-adherence to systemic immune-modifying therapy in people with psoriasis during the COVID-19 pandemic: findings from a global cross-sectional survey. British Journal of Dermatology, 188(5), 610-617. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjd/ljac144
Graham, S., Quirke-McFarlane, S., Auyeung, V., & Weinman, J. (2022). Interventions Designed to Improve Adherence to Growth Hormone Treatment for Pediatric Patients and Their Families: A Narrative Review. Pharmaceutics, 14(11), 2373. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics14112373
Bearne, L.M., Volkmer, B., Peacock, J., Sekhon, M., Fisher, G., Galea Holmes, M.N., Douiri, A., Amirova, A., Farren, D., Quirke-McFarlane, S., Modarai, B., Sackley, C., Weinman, J., & Bieles, J. (2022). Effect of a Home-Based, Walking Exercise Behaviour Change Intervention vs Usual Care on Walking in Adults with Peripheral Artery Disease: The MOSAIC Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA, 327(14), 1344-1355. 10.1001/jama.2022.3391
Quirke-McFarlane, S., Hodgkinson, A., Weinman, J., Meiyalagan, N., Prince, A. C., Chamley, M., & Stevenson, J. (2021). The effects of COVID-19 on self-management behaviours and service experiences in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. Practical Diabetes, 38(5), 15-19. https://doi.org/10.1002/pdi.2356
Quirke-McFarlane, S., Patel, J. P., Auyeung, V., & Arya, R. (2021). An international survey of low molecular weight heparin prescribing in the context of antenatal venous thromboembolism. Thrombosis Research, 200, 99-101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.thromres.2021.01.024