Professor David Sheffield

About

I am a Professor of Psychology based in the School of Psychology. My work often focuses on health and well-being from a range of perspectives from epidemiology and interventions to psychophysiology and interviews. I supervise PhD and Doctorate students, and Masters and undergraduate students. I teach on the MSc Health Psychology and Behaviour Change programmes, and the BSc Psychology.

Teaching responsibilities

MSc Health Psychology. MSc Behaviour Change. BSc (Hons) Psychology.

Professional interests

I am a Registered Health Psychologist and have trained many students to be Health Psychologists (stage 1 and stage 2 training). I have supervised 30 students to successful PhD and Doctorate completions.

Research interests

I'm currently involved in 3 funded projects that focus on Choirs and Mental Health (ESRC), Increasing Social Prescribing 4 All (AHRC), and Connecting Trees and People for Well-being (NERC).

My board interests include:

Art and Health - singing, songs and music (and art more broadly too) and Social Prescribing
Pain and Pain Management in Patients, Athletes, and Healthy Adults
Cardiovascular Responses to Stress in healthy adults and patients with heart disease
Performing under Pressure - Challenge and Threat responses in athletes and others
Nature Connectedness - correlates and interventions to increase how people relate to nature
Maths Anxiety - mechanisms and interventions

Membership of professional bodies

British Psychological Society (Chartered Psychologist)
Health Professions Council (Health Psychologist)

Qualifications

Undergraduate qualifications

BA (Hons) Psychology, University of Nottingham

Research qualifications

PhD Psychology, Glasgow Caledonian University

Experience in industry

Research posts

Center for Environmental Medicine and Lung Biology, University of North Carolina: Psychology Stress and Exercise Induced Ischemia, July 1995 - June 1996

International experience

I worked in the USA for 6 years before returning to the UK in 2001.

I have collaborators in Europe, USA, Japan, Korea and Africa

Additional interests and activities

The Derby 2025 City of Culture.

In the media

Interviews with the Guardian newspaper and Radio Derby.

Recent publications

Jones, M., Meijen, C., McCarthy, P. J., & Sheffield, D. (2009). A theory of challenge and threat states in athletes. International review of sport and exercise psychology, 2(2), 161-180.

Lumber, R., Richardson, M., & Sheffield, D. (2017). Beyond knowing nature: Contact, emotion, compassion, meaning, and beauty are pathways to nature connection. PLoS one, 12(5), e0177186.

Hussain, Z., Griffiths, M. D., & Sheffield, D. (2017). An investigation into problematic smartphone use: The role of narcissism, anxiety, and personality factors. Journal of behavioral addictions, 6(3), 378-386.

Pritchard, A., Richardson, M., Sheffield, D., & McEwan, K. (2020). The relationship between nature connectedness and eudaimonic well-being: A meta-analysis. Journal of Happiness Studies, 21(3), 1145-1167.

Dunne, S., Sheffield, D., & Chilcot, J. (2018). Brief report: Self-compassion, physical health and the mediating role of health-promoting behaviours. Journal of health psychology, 23(7), 993-999.

Archer, S., Buxton, S., & Sheffield, D. (2015). The effect of creative psychological interventions on psychological outcomes for adult cancer patients: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials. Psycho‐Oncology, 24(1), 1-10.

Kotera, Y., Richardson, M., & Sheffield, D. (2022). Effects of shinrin-yoku (forest bathing) and nature therapy on mental health: A systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 20(1), 337-361.

Sheffield, D., & Irons, J. Y. (2021). Songs for health education and promotion: a systematic review with recommendations. Public Health, 198, 280-289.

Choe, E. Y., Jorgensen, A., & Sheffield, D. (2021). Examining the effectiveness of mindfulness practice in simulated and actual natural environments: Secondary data analysis. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 66, 127414.

Keenan, R., Lumber, R., Richardson, M., & Sheffield, D. (2021). Three good things in nature: a nature-based positive psychological intervention to improve mood and well-being for depression and anxiety. Journal of Public Mental Health.

Chircop, J., Sheffield, D., & Kotera, Y. (2021). Systematic Review of Self-Monitoring of Blood Glucose in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes. Nursing research, 70(6), 487-497.

Kotera, Y., Green, P., & Sheffield, D. (2021). Mental health of therapeutic students: Relationships with attitudes, self-criticism, self-compassion, and caregiver identity. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 49(5), 701-712.

Kotera, Y., Green, P., & Sheffield, D. (2021). Positive psychology for mental wellbeing of UK therapeutic students: relationships with engagement, motivation, resilience and self-compassion. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 1-16.

Cross, A., Naughton, F., & Sheffield, D. (2021). What is the role of stress cardiovascular reactivity in health behaviour change? A systematic review, meta-analysis and research agenda. Psychology & Health, 36(9), 1021-1040.

Hearn, J. H., Finlay, K. A., & Sheffield, D. (2021). ‘Trying to bring attention to your body when you’re not sure where it is’: An interpretative phenomenological analysis of drivers and barriers to mindfulness for people with spinal cord injury. British Journal of Health Psychology, 26(1), 161-178.

Irons, J. Y., Garip, G., Cross, A. J., Sheffield, D., & Bird, J. (2020). An integrative systematic review of creative arts interventions for older informal caregivers of people with neurological conditions. PloS one, 15(12), e0243461.

Choe, E. Y., Jorgensen, A., & Sheffield, D. (2020). Does a natural environment enhance the effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)? Examining the mental health and wellbeing, and nature connectedness benefits. Landscape and Urban Planning, 202, 103886.

Safari, R., Jackson, J., & Sheffield, D. (2020). Digital self-management interventions for people with osteoarthritis: systematic review with meta-analysis. Journal of medical Internet research, 22(7), e15365.

Sheffield, D., Thornton, C., & Jones, M. V. (2020). Pain and athletes: Contact sport participation and performance in pain. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 49, 101700.

Cameron, R. W., Brindley, P., Mears, M., McEwan, K., Ferguson, F., Sheffield, D., ... & Richardson, M. (2020). Where the wild things are! Do urban green spaces with greater avian biodiversity promote more positive emotions in humans?. Urban ecosystems, 23(2), 301-317.

McEwan, K., Richardson, M., Brindley, P., Sheffield, D., Tait, C., Johnson, S., ... & Ferguson, F. J. (2020). Shmapped: development of an app to record and promote the well-being benefits of noticing urban nature. Translational Behavioral Medicine, 10(3), 723-733.

McEwan, K., Richardson, M., Sheffield, D., Ferguson, F. J., & Brindley, P. (2019). A smartphone app for improving mental health through connecting with urban nature. International journal of environmental research and public health, 16(18), 3373