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Dr Sue Winstanley

Job: Senior Lecturer

Faculty: Health and Life Sciences

School/department: School of Applied Social Sciences

Address: De Montfort, University, The Gateway, Leicester, LE1 9BH.

T: +44 (0)116 257 7808

E: swinstan@dmu.ac.uk

W: http://www.dmu.ac.uk/hls

Social Media: www.dmu.ac.uk/hls

 

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Personal profile

Dr Sue Winstanley is:
  • Senior lecturer in Psychology and Health Psychology
  • Lead Admissions Tutor for the School of Applied Social Sciences
  • International development lead for Psychology
  • Admissions Tutor for MSc Health Psychology
  • Chartered Psychologist
  • Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society
  • Chartered Scientist
  • STEM Ambassador for Psychology
  • NHS Ambassador for Leicester, Leicestershire & Rutland.

Research group affiliations

Psychology

Publications and outputs 

  • ‘Marginalised malignancies’: A qualitative synthesis of men's accounts of living with breast cancer
    ‘Marginalised malignancies’: A qualitative synthesis of men's accounts of living with breast cancer Williamson, I. R.; Winstanley, S.; Quincey, Kerry Rationale: Breast cancer in men is a rare, under-researched illness frequently overlooked within both clinical and third-sector healthcare systems. Increased prevalence and high profile awareness-raising, advocacy and activism around breast cancer in women has led to pervasive feminisation of the disease, prompting a misperception of breast cancer as a women-only illness. This deters men from seeking medical attention, professional and social support, and increases sensitivity to body image concerns. Methods: Drawing on the principles of critical health psychology, we offer an interpretive and evaluative qualitative synthesis of existing academic literature in the field, and reveal how the marginalisation of men with breast cancer poses a host of psychosocial and psychosexual difficulties for patient-survivors beyond the primary cancer challenge at all stages of the illness trajectory. Results: We discuss how identities, masculinities, coping responses and resources, and relationships are often affected, and demonstrate how current approaches to breast cancer serve to isolate men who develop the illness, potentially alienating and emasculating them. Conclusion: Our analysis integrates and enhances the findings of the original papers through more theorised considerations of stigma, masculinity and marginalisation. Further, we briefly consider some of the ways men's experiences diverge and converge with women's accounts, and discuss the importance of re-appraising ‘pink ribbon culture’ for both men and women. We conclude with some recommendations for advocacy and intervention in professional and lay contexts.
  • Optimism, social support, coping, health locus of control and cancer worry in relation to well-being in people living beyond cancer: A path analysis.
    Optimism, social support, coping, health locus of control and cancer worry in relation to well-being in people living beyond cancer: A path analysis. Hodges, K.; Winstanley, S.
  • Effects of Optimism, Social Support, Fighting Spirit, Cancer Worry and Internal Health Locus of Control on Positive Affect in Cancer Survivors: A Path Analysis
    Effects of Optimism, Social Support, Fighting Spirit, Cancer Worry and Internal Health Locus of Control on Positive Affect in Cancer Survivors: A Path Analysis Hodges, K.; Winstanley, S. The psychological impact of a cancer diagnosis can extend through treatment, well into cancer survivorship and can be influenced by a range of psychosocial resources. At different stages in this trajectory, optimism is known to affect wellbeing directly. This study focusing upon the potential to flourish after cancer, investigates the relationship between optimism and positive affect during cancer survivorship together with four possible mediators: social support, fighting spirit, internal health locus of control and cancer worry, all of which have been shown to be important predictors of well-being in cancer patients. Participants (n = 102) from online cancer forums completed standardized questionnaires, and path analysis confirmed that optimism had a direct effect on positive affect in cancer survivors. Social support and fighting spirit were also shown to be significant mediators of this relationship, accounting collectively for 50% of the variance in positive affect.Whilst cancer worry and internal health locus of control could be predicted from levels of optimism, they did notmediate the optimism–positive affect relationship. Efforts to promote optimismand thus encourage fighting spirit at diagnosis through treatment may be worthwhile interventions, as would ensuring appropriate social support through the trajectory.
  • Coping strategies of test anxious UK undergraduates.
    Coping strategies of test anxious UK undergraduates. Widdowson, J.; Winstanley, S.; Yee, M.
  • Predictors of test anxiety in UK Undergraduates but no effect upon performance.
    Predictors of test anxiety in UK Undergraduates but no effect upon performance. Widdowson, J.; Winstanley, S.; Yee, M.
  • Effects of ego-involving instructions and state anxiety on performance in test anxious undergraduate students.
    Effects of ego-involving instructions and state anxiety on performance in test anxious undergraduate students. Widdowson, J.; Winstanley, S.; Yee, M.
  • Attentional bias in test anxious students in Higher Education in the UK.
    Attentional bias in test anxious students in Higher Education in the UK. Widdowson, J.; Winstanley, S.; Yee, M.
  • Commentary on Luck L, Jackson D & Usher K Innocent or culpable Meanings that emergency department nurses subscribe to individual acts of violence
    Commentary on Luck L, Jackson D & Usher K Innocent or culpable Meanings that emergency department nurses subscribe to individual acts of violence Whittington, R.; Winstanley, S.
  • The risk of assault to physiotherapists: Beyond zero tolerance?
    The risk of assault to physiotherapists: Beyond zero tolerance? Stubbs, B.; Winstanley, S.; Alderman, N.; Birkett-Swan, L.
  • Prevalence of aggression toward residential social workers: Do qualifications and experience make a difference?
    Prevalence of aggression toward residential social workers: Do qualifications and experience make a difference? Winstanley, S.; Hales, L.

Click here for a full listing of Sue Winstanley‘s publications and outputs.

Research interests/expertise

  • Stress & Coping
  • Test anxiety and academic stress
  • Effects of anxiety on cognition
  • Eating behaviour & obesity
  • Violence & Aggression in the workplace
  • Aggression toward health care staff in general hospitals
  • Interpersonal aspects of aggression toward health care staff
  • Aggression toward social workers

Areas of teaching

Module leader for postgraduate courses:

    • Theories & Perspectives in Health Psychology
    • Mind, Body & Health

Module Leader for undergraduate courses:

    • Violence & Aggressio
    • Stress, Coping & Health

Further teaching:

    • Abnormal Psycholog
    • Empirical Psycholog
    • Psychology in Contex
    • Psychology of Chronic Illness

Membership of professional associations and societies

  • Member of the British Psychological Society
  • Member of the Division of Health Psychology - BPS

Current research students

Currently first supervisor of a PhD student working on ‘Early maladaptive cognitive schema as a predictor of post stroke depression’.

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