Jen MacDonald

Jen graduated with a First Class Honours BSc in Psychology in 2006, and an MSc in Health Psychology in 2010, both from the University of Stirling. Prior to undertaking her Doctoral studies, Jen worked at the University of the West of Scotland as a Survey Assistant on the study ‘Hepatitis C Action Plan for Scotland - A Survey of Hepatitis C Prevalence and Incidence Among Prisoners in Scotland’. Jen has also been involved in fieldwork, including facilitating focus groups, for projects (Football Fans In Training and Social and Emotional Education and Development) at the MRC Social and Public Health Sciences Unit attached to the University of Glasgow.

Jen was awarded a Glasgow Caledonian University PhD Studentship in 2011, which aims to explore the suitability of the Reasoned Action Approach as an explanatory model for older adults’ condom use intentions in relation to the prevention of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. Jen has completed a systematic review of condom use interventions for the over 40 age group and undertaken Internet-based formative research to identify the condom use beliefs among online older (45+ years) women, heterosexual men, and men who have sex with men. Jen hopes that her current research will help inform the development of appropriate needs-met services and interventions for older adults engaging in risky sex.

Jen is affiliated with the new Institute for Applied Health Research and is supervised by Prof. Paul Flowers (Director of Studies), Dr Karen Lorimer, and Dr Christina Knussen.