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Dr. J. Sophie von Lieres

Assistant Professor, Department of Cognitive Sciences and Psychology, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri

Qualification: BSc, MSc, PhD
Research Interest: Mental health and well-being: psychological coping; protective factors to promote mental health (e.g., social support); cross-cultural mental health research; neurodiversity research

Bio Publications Education Projects Involved Conferences and Workshops Other Academic Activities Awards
Bio

J. Sophie von Lieres received her Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Leipzig, Germany. Her Ph. D. research was on the psychological effects of the 2004 Asian tsunami and coping strategies of the tsunami survivors in rural Kerala, India. Currently, Dr. J. Sophie von Lieres is working as an Assistant Professor at the Center for Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality (CWEGE) at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham University, Kerala, India, which hosts a UNESCO Chair for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment. She is also the Head of Research at the School of Social and Behavioural Sciences at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham University.

Apart from teaching courses on psychology and research methodology to undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctorate students, she has been guiding research projects aimed at improving living conditions in rural India. Her other research interests include the quality of life and protective factors of village people throughout India and factors that improve the mental well-being and adaptive psychological coping of rural Indian women. Moreover, she is investigating the evolutionary advantages of neurodiversity and its cross-cultural manifestation.

Publications

Journal Article

Year : 2022

Impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on the economic situation and food security of rural households in India.

Cite this Research Publication : V. Suresh, R. Fishman, J. S. von Lieres, and B. R. Rao, "Impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on the economic situation and food security of rural households in India," Journal of Agribusiness in Developing and Emerging Economies, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 491-509, Sep. 2022.

Publisher : Emerald

Year : 2020

How effectively do community health workers spread health awareness via women’s self-help groups in rural India?

Cite this Research Publication : J. S. von Lieres, A. K. Abraham, and R. Raveendran, "How effectively do community health workers spread health awareness via women's self-help groups in rural India?", Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine, vol. 20, no. Special1, pp. 299-304, Aug. 2020.

Publisher : Malaysian Public Health Physicians’ Association

Conference Paper

Year : 2022

The impact of social media use on young adults’ quality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic in South India

Cite this Research Publication : J. S. von Lieres and G. Cauvery, “The impact of social media use on young adults’ quality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic in South India,” In 2022 IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC), Santa Clara, CA, USA, Sep. 8-11, 2022, pp. 318-324.

Publisher : IEEE

Book Chapter

Year : 2019

Mental well-being and protective factors in vulnerable groups: Victims of the 2004 tsunami in Kerala, South India, and disadvantaged rural populations in North India

Cite this Research Publication :  J. S. von Lieres, “Mental well-being and protective factors in vulnerable groups: Victims of the 2004 tsunami in Kerala, South India, and disadvantaged rural populations in North India,” in Traumatic Experiences and Dyslexia. Series: Beiträge zur Pädagogischen und Rehabilitationspsychologie (Studies in Educational and Rehabilitation Psychology), vol. 8, E. Witruk and D. S. Utami, Eds. Berlin, Germany: Peter Lang, 2019, pp. 45-57.

Publisher : Peter Lang

Education
  • BSc in Psychology
  • MSc in Psychology
  • PhD in Psychology
Projects Involved

Ongoing Research Projects

  • Rural Indian women’s perspectives on social connectedness and empathy and other social skills
  • Validating scales to measure empathy and social connectedness in rural India; Mental models of women’s empowerment in rural India
  • Measuring adaptive coping strategies in rural India
  • Planned research projects: Cross-cultural manifestations and experiences of neurodiversity
  • Advantages of neurodivergent thinking for society.
Conferences and Workshops

Conferences and Workshops Attended

  • CSSR 5th International Conference on Science & Social Research, Malaysia 2018 (Won Best Paper Award)
  • International Symposium Tsunami Disaster Risk Reduction (DDR) 2020: Tsunami Risk Reduction and Community Resilience, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri, India (Panel Speaker)
  • 2022 IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC)
  • Albertian Knowledge Summit – 7th International Conference on Medical and Psychiatric Social Work Practice Across the Health Care Spectrum 2023 (Keynote Speaker)
Other Academic Activities
  • Head of Research and Member of the Research Committee, School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri Campus
Awards
  • Best paper award in 2018 at the CSSR 5th International Conference on Science & Social Research, Malaysia
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