Dr Cecile Muller
About
Research Interests
My research interests fall within three overlapping domains:
1. Health Psychology and Genomics
In brief, this first line of research has focused on the psychosocial and ethical challenges inherent to advances in genomic technologies. I am particularly interested in the roles that psychological factors (e.g., tolerance towards uncertainty, risk perception, worry etc.) and personality attributes (e.g., trait anxiety, curiosity) may play in preventative health behaviours decision-making in the context of genetic testing.
2. Lives with Chronic Conditions
The second area of research focuses on the psychological aspects related to living with chronic conditions. My work has been aimed at finding out more about the underlying factors affecting well-being, such as condition perception, condition acceptance, coping skills, and certain personality traits (e.g., optimism and resilience).
3. Carers and Caring for
The last strand of research aims to explore challenges associated with looking after loved ones with long term conditions (e.g., Parkinson's disease, dementia). This investigation, mainly qualitative, aims to better our understanding of experiences of caregivers, their own mental health, and their relationships with others.
Selection of Own Work / Supervised Projects
Below are examples of past / current research projects:
1. Health Psychology and Genomics
- Consumers of direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing: motivations, expectations and personal characteristics
- Health beliefs and intention to undergo genetic testing for susceptibility to addiction
- Interest in gene editing technology during pregnancy
- the EDGE: a European investigation of how psychosocial and personality traits guide our interest in genetic testing:
- Co-I: Prof Mark Cropley
- RA: Josie Niemira
- To have or not to have genetic testing for breast cancer: how do women decide?
- PI: Mark Wherry, PhD candidate in Health Psychology
2. Lives with Chronic Conditions
- Bowel cancer: Psychological factors influencing part-taking in UK national programme
- Autoimmune disease: Investigation of perceived causal attribution
- Health perception of siblings of individuals with autoimmune disease - a quantitative investigation
- PI: Lauren Purdy
- Health perception of siblings of individuals with autoimmune disease - a qualitative approach
- PI: Afrida Ahmed
- Co-I: Lauren Purdy
- Understanding and living with migraines
- PI: Jess Cox
3. Carers and Caring for
- Caring for a spouse with Parkinson's disease: investigation of the relationships between caregivers and their social networks
- Co-I: Dr Anne Arber
- Growing caring up: does this role impact on own health perception?
- PI: Helena Wells
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Departmental Duties
- Programme Director for the MSc Psychology Conversion
- Lecturer in Health Psychology
- Convenor of PSYM091: Preparation for Academic Research in Psychology
- Convenor of PSYM004: Chronic Conditions (MSc Health Psychology)
- MSc / UG Dissertation supervisor
Publications
Halliday, J., Muller, C., Charles, T., Norris, F., Kennedy, J., Lewis, S., Meiser, B., Donath, S., Stark, Z., McGillivray, G., Menezes, M., Smith, S.K., Forster, Della, Walker, S., Pertile, M. & Amor, D.J (2018). Offering pregnant women different levels of genetic information from prenatal chromosome microarray: a prospective study. European Journal of Human Genetics, doi:10.1038/s41431-017-0084-0
Fawcett, S., Halliday, J., Charles, T., Lewis, S., Kennedy, J., Muller, C., et al (2016). Genomes and pregnancy, the gap study: Providing choice of fetal genomic results to women having prenatal diagnosis: TA-5. Prenatal Diagnosis. 36, 21–22.
Muller, C. & Cameron, L. D. (2015). It's complicated - decisional conflict and prenatal genetic testing decision-making. Health Expectations; doi: 10.1111/hex.12363
Muller, C. & Cameron, L. D. (2014). Trait anxiety, information modality, and responses to communications about prenatal genetic testing. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 37, 988-999; doi: 10.1007/s10865-014-9555-8
Muller, C. & Halliday, J. (2014). Prenatal Diagnostic Testing in Victoria, 2012. Online report available on http://www.mcri.edu.au
Willis, A.M., Smith, S., Meiser, B., Muller, C., Lewis, S. & Halliday, J. (2014). How do prospective parents prefer to receive information about prenatal screening and diagnostic testing? Prenatal Diagnosis; 35(1); 100-2; doi: 10.1002/pd.4493
Cameron, L. D. & Muller, C. (2009). Psychosocial aspects of genetic testing. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 22, 218-223. doi: 10.1097/YCO.0b013e3283252d80.
Muller, C. & Shepherd, D. (2009). Attitudes towards reproductive technologies for humans. New Zealand Journal of Social Sciences Online, 4, 225-238. doi: 10.1080/ 1177083X.2009.9522457