Dr George Hales

I completed BSc (Hons) Psychology at the University of Chester, and MSc in Forensic Psychology at Birmingham City University. In 2023, I completed my PhD at University of Sheffield where I investigated the impact of adverse childhood experiences on a variety of psychosocial outcomes, using structural equation modelling and longitudinal analytic techniques. Following my PhD, I worked as a Lecturer in the School of Psychology at University of Chester before joining the University of Leicester as an Early Career Fellow in July 2024. 

I am a member of the Health and Wellbeing (with Ageing) Research Group within the School. 

I am interested in the ways in which psychology can inform our understanding of the development of psychopathological problems. My research interests and methodological expertise include: 

• Using secondary data to investigate the role of adverse developmental experiences on important psychosocial outcomes such as psychopathology. 
• Using advanced statistical techniques such as latent class analysis to explore groups of homogeneous individuals who experience similar combinations of adversities.
• Antecedents and consequences of victimisations, including childhood maltreatment and intimate partner violence. 
• Drivers of moral and legal transgressions, such as psychopathic personality traits. 

Hall, M., Debowska, A., & Hales, G. K. (2024). The effect of victim attractiveness and type of abuse suffered on attributions of victim blame and credibility in intimate partner violence: A vignette-based online experiment. Violence Against Women, 30(9), 2396-2416. https://doi.org/10.1177/10778012221150272

Debowska, A., Inglot, G., Piasek, R., Sokol, G., Horeczy, B., Hales, G. K., & Boduszek, D. (2024). Testing the spillover effect of intimate partner violence victimization on emotionally abusive and harsh parenting practices: The application of propensity score matching. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605241258998.

Hall, M., Hill, E., Moreland, G., Hales, G. K., Boduszek, D., & Debowska, A. (2023). Profiles of intimate partner violence victimization: A systematic review. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 24(5), 3280-3296. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380221126183

Hales, G., Debowska, A., Rowe, R., Boduszek, D., & Levita, L. (2023). Comparison of person-centered and cumulative risk approaches in explaining the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and behavioral and emotional problems. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 38(13-14), 8065-8087. https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605231153877

Hales, G. K., Saribaz, Z. E., Debowska, A., & Rowe, R. (2023). Links of adversity in childhood with mental and physical health outcomes: A systematic review of longitudinal mediating and moderating mechanisms. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 24(3), 1465-1482. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380221075087

Debowska, A., Hales, G., & Boduszek, D. (2021). Violence against children by stepparents. In The SAGE Handbook of Domestic Violence (Vol. 2, pp. 553-569). SAGE Publications Ltd, https://doi.org/10.4135/9781529742343

PhD in Psychology (2023) - Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, UK

MA in Social Research (2019) - Sheffield Methods Institute, University of Sheffield, UK

MSc in Forensic Psychology (2017) - Department of Psychology, Birmingham City University, UK

BSc (Hons) Psychology (2016) Department of Psychology, University of Chester, UK