The VRC has a team of researchers carrying out interdisciplinary research on the causes, prevention and consequences of interpersonal violence in national and international societies.
Our research clusters include: Violence across the Life Course; Violence, Non-violent Offending and Mental Health; Institutional Violence, Terrorism and Criminal Networks; Violence Prevention Programme and Evaluation; Cross-cultural and Historical Analysis.
In the first of a series of brief profiles, we introduce Dr Maria Ttofi, who is interested in the development of antisocial behaviour, crime, and violence through the life course, particularly in the interplay between psychology and crime, including issues of family, school and social factors related to juvenile delinquency and youth offending.
Which are the three questions that drive your work?
- How can intervention strategies be better tailored to address the needs of aggressive and victimised children?
- Which parenting features of informal kinship care by non-parental guardians better predict child wellbeing and how can such information inform future programme planning?
- How can teacher victim experiences facilitate better implementation of school programmes by teachers themselves?
Which three keywords summarise your research?
- Meta-analysis
- Programme evaluation
- Violence and mental health
What is the current focus of your studies?
“I’m currently investigating the issues of dating violence based on data from Cyprus. I’m interested in early life experiences and how they impact the way in which victim experiences are presented by study participants, with a focus on issues of mental health. The study builds on earlier academic interests that focused on early life experiences of violence and victimisation, and links with mental health.”