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Cited by 210COVID-19 and Mental HealthSocial impacts of COVID-19Psychology Research and Bibliometrics

Research priorities for the COVID‐19 pandemic and beyond: A call to action for psychological science

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O'Connor, Daryl B., Aggleton, John P., Chakrabarti, Bhismadev, Cooper, Cary L., Creswell, Cathy, Dunsmuir, Sandra, Fiske, Susan T., Gathercole, Susan +21 more·2020·British Journal of Psychology
DOI 10.1111/bjop.12468PMC PMC7404603
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Abstract

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) that has caused the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic represents the greatest international biopsychosocial emergency the world has faced for a century, and psychological science has an integral role to offer in helping societies recover. The aim of this paper is to set out the shorter‐ and longer‐term priorities for research in psychological science that will (a) frame the breadth and scope of potential contributions from across the discipline; (b) enable researchers to focus their resources on gaps in knowledge; and (c) help funders and policymakers make informed decisions about future research priorities in order to best meet the needs of societies as they emerge from the acute phase of the pandemic. The research priorities were informed by an expert panel convened by the British Psychological Society that reflects the breadth of the discipline; a wider advisory panel with international input; and a survey of 539 psychological scientists conducted early in May 2020. The most pressing need is to research the negative biopsychosocial impacts of the COVID‐19 pandemic to facilitate immediate and longer‐term recovery, not only in relation to mental health, but also in relation to behaviour change and adherence, work, education, children and families, physical health and the brain, and social cohesion and connectedness. We call on psychological scientists to work collaboratively with other scientists and stakeholders, establish consortia, and develop innovative research methods while maintaining high‐quality, open, and rigorous research standards.

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Authors
O'Connor, D. B., Aggleton, J. P., Chakrabarti, B., Cooper, C. L., Creswell, C., Dunsmuir, S., Fiske, S. T., Gathercole, S., Gough, B., Ireland, J. L., Jones, M. V., Jowett, A., Kagan, C., Karanika‐Murray, M., Kaye, L. K., Kumari, V., Lewandowsky, S., Lightman, S., Malpass, D., Meins, E., Morgan, B. P., Morrison Coulthard, L. J., Reicher, S. D., Schacter, D. L., Sherman, S. M., Simms, V., Williams, A., Wykes, T., & Armitage, C. J.
Affiliations
  • University of Leeds (GB)
  • Cardiff University (GB)
  • University of Reading (GB)
  • University of Manchester (GB)
  • University of Oxford (GB)
  • University College London (GB)
  • Princeton University (US)
  • University of Cambridge (GB)
  • Leeds Beckett University (GB)
  • University of Lancashire (GB)
  • Manchester Metropolitan University (GB)
  • Coventry University (GB)
  • Nottingham Trent University (GB)
  • Edge Hill University (GB)
  • Brunel University of London (GB)
  • University of Bristol (GB)
  • British Psychological Society (GB)
  • University of York (GB)
  • British Psychological Society Leicester UK
  • University of St Andrews (GB)
  • Harvard University (US)
  • Keele University (GB)
  • University of Ulster (GB)
  • University of Sheffield (GB)
  • King's College London (GB)
  • Manchester Academic Health Science Centre (GB)
Corresponding author
O'Connor, Daryl B.
ORCID
Venue
British Journal of Psychology
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2020-07-19
Volume
111
Issue
4
Pages
603-629
ISSN
  • 0007-1269 (ISSN-L)
  • 2044-8295
DOI
10.1111/bjop.12468
PMC
PMC7404603
OpenAlex
W3038946213
Cited by
210
References
59
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 42 · 2022: 57 · 2021: 60 · 2020: 16
FWCI
17.51
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • British Journal of Psychology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Ulster University Research Portal (Ulster University) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Bristol Research (University of Bristol) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • CLOK (University of Central Lancashire) (acceptedVersion)
  • White Rose Research Online (University of Leeds, The University of Sheffield, University of York) (acceptedVersion)
  • ORCA Online Research @Cardiff (Cardiff University) (acceptedVersion)
  • Nottingham Trent University's Institutional Repository (Nottingham Trent Repository) (acceptedVersion)
  • CentAUR (University of Reading) (acceptedVersion)
  • e-space (Manchester Metropolitan University) (acceptedVersion)
  • Leeds Beckett Repository (Leeds Beckett University) (submittedVersion)
  • Pure (Coventry University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Edge Hill University Research Information Repository (Edge Hill University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Brunel University Research Archive (BURA) (Brunel University London) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Keele Research Repository (Keele University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
  • Research Explorer (The University of Manchester) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • St Andrews Research Repository (St Andrews Research Repository) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Funders
  • Wellcome Trust (217065/Z/19/Z)
  • National Institute for Health and Care Research (RP_2014-04-018, NF-SI-0514-10028, NIHR201370)
  • NIHR Greater Manchester Patient Safety Translational Research Centre
  • Patient Safety Translational Research Centre
  • Manchester Biomedical Research Centre
  • Medical Research Council (MC_PC_19009)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
  • Social Sciences › Safety Research › Social impacts of COVID-19
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Psychology Research and Bibliometrics
Keywords
COVID-19 pandemic, research priorities, biopsychosocial impact, mental health, behavior change, adherence, work, children and families, physical health, brain, social cohesion, connectedness, post-pandemic recovery, research funding, interdisciplinary collaboration
MeSH terms
COVID-19, Adult, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Pneumonia, Viral, Psychology, Research Design, Coronavirus Infections, Pandemics

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