Professor Julia Allan

Professor in Psychology

Psychology 3B97, Cottrell Building, University of Stirling, FK9 4LA

Professor Julia Allan

Contact details

About me

Prof Julia Allan is a Professor of Psychology, Chartered Psychologist and HCPC registered Psychologist working in Health Psychology and Behavioural Science. She graduated from the University of Aberdeen in 2001 and completed a PhD (2001-2004) investigating the effects of cognitive inhibition on visual motion perception. Moving into applied psychology as a postdoctoral fellow, she worked with Prof Derek Johnston (2004-2006) investigating the psychophysiological correlates of stress and activity limitations after illness / injury. She was awarded a Chief Scientist's Office research training fellowship in 2006 to apply cognitive psychology theory and methods to public health questions (2006-2011). She was a Lecturer and Senior Lecturer at the University of Aberdeen (2012-2023) where she was Deputy Lead of the Health Psychology Group and Programme Director of the MSc Health Psychology. She joined the University of Stirling in Sep 2023 as Professor of Psychology.

She is a Past Chair of the British Psychological Society's Division of Health Psychology Scotland (2018-2020), a former Executive Committee member of the European Health Psychology Society (2020-2024) and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (since 2017).

Her research focuses on (i) the control of effortful health behaviour (e.g. how people stick to diets; how people self manage health conditions over time); (ii) how behaviour can be modified or supported by changing environmental cues (e.g. how consumers can be prompted to make healthier choices; how self management can be supported remotely using apps); and (iii) health professional effort, fatigue, stress and decision making (e.g. decision fatigue in medical decision making; patterns of stress and fatigue during delivery of healthcare).

Research projects (2)

Outputs (99)

Book Chapter

Professionalisation of Health Psychology

Matvienko-Sikar K, Allan J, Hynes L, McSharry J, Marques M, Swanson V & Chater A (2025) Professionalisation of Health Psychology. In: Sanderman R & Morgan K (eds.) The Routledge International Handbook of Health Psychology. Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/The-Routledge-International-Handbook-of-Health-Psychology-Global-and-Contemporary-Issues/Sanderman-Morgan/p/book/9781032330648?srsltid=AfmBOorYXCEEoWNTfA3ieb6KOHr5qRIYvPiDPlwFrhXHJvC6aDo0UKxD

Article

Free-living physical activity and executive function: A multi-study analysis of age groups and times of day

Eppinger-Ruiz de Zarate A, Powell D, Kühnhausen J, Allan JL, Johnstone A, Crabtree DR, Buosi W, Fyfe CL, McMinn D, McCavour B, Gawrilow C & Stadler G (2024) Free-living physical activity and executive function: A multi-study analysis of age groups and times of day. International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, 24 (1), Art. No.: 100425. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijchp.2023.100425

Article

Barriers and facilitators of adherence to the use of ASICA, a digital app designed to support people previously treated for melanoma: concise report of a qualitative study

Ntessalen M, McCorkindale S, Krasniqi A, Morgan HM, Allan JL & Murchie P (2023) Barriers and facilitators of adherence to the use of ASICA, a digital app designed to support people previously treated for melanoma: concise report of a qualitative study. Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, 48 (12), pp. 1358-1360. https://doi.org/10.1093/ced/llad279

Article

Habits and Reflective Processes in COVID-19 Transmission-reducing Behaviors: Examining Theoretical Predictions in a Representative Sample of the Population of Scotland

den Daas C, Dixon D, Hubbard G, Allan J & Johnston M (2023) Habits and Reflective Processes in COVID-19 Transmission-reducing Behaviors: Examining Theoretical Predictions in a Representative Sample of the Population of Scotland. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 57 (11), pp. 910-920. https://doi.org/10.1093/abm/kaad025

Article

User Experiences of a Digital Intervention to Support Total-Skin-Self-Examination by Melanoma Survivors: Nested Qualitative Evaluation Embedded in a Randomized Controlled Trial

Reilly F, Wani N, Hall S, Morgan {M, Allan J, Constable L, Ntessalen M & Murchie P (2023) User Experiences of a Digital Intervention to Support Total-Skin-Self-Examination by Melanoma Survivors: Nested Qualitative Evaluation Embedded in a Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Dermatology, 6 (1). https://doi.org/10.2196/39544

Article

The Achieving Self-directed Integrated Cancer Aftercare Intervention for Detection of Recurrent and Second Primary Melanoma in Survivors of Melanoma: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Murchie P, Constable L, Hall S, Brant W, Allan J, Johnston M, Masthoff J, Lee A, Treweek S, Ayansina D, Proby C, Rahman K, Walter F, Burrows N, Durrani A & Maclennan G (2022) The Achieving Self-directed Integrated Cancer Aftercare Intervention for Detection of Recurrent and Second Primary Melanoma in Survivors of Melanoma: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR cancer, 8 (3). https://doi.org/10.2196/37539

Article

Achieving integrated self-directed Cancer aftercare (ASICA) for melanoma: how a digital intervention to support total skin self-examination was used by people treated for cutaneous melanoma

Reilly F, Constable L, Brant W, Rahman K, Durrani A, Burrows N, Proby C, Allan J, Johnston M, Johnston D, Walter F & Murchie P (2021) Achieving integrated self-directed Cancer aftercare (ASICA) for melanoma: how a digital intervention to support total skin self-examination was used by people treated for cutaneous melanoma. BMC Cancer, 21, Art. No.: 1217. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-021-08959-2

Article

Protocol of the COVID-19 Health and Adherence Research in Scotland (CHARIS) study: understanding changes in adherence to transmission-reducing behaviours, mental and general health, in repeated cross-sectional representative survey of the Scottish population

Den Daas C, Hubbard G, Johnston M, Dixon D, CHARIS Consortium, Allan J, Fitzgerald N, Farquharson B, Hunt K, Macaden L, Maltinsky W & O'Carroll R (2021) Protocol of the COVID-19 Health and Adherence Research in Scotland (CHARIS) study: understanding changes in adherence to transmission-reducing behaviours, mental and general health, in repeated cross-sectional representative survey of the Scottish population. BMJ Open, 11 (2), Art. No.: e044135. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-044135

Article

Achieving Self-Directed Integrated Cancer Aftercare (ASICA) in melanoma: Protocol for a randomised patient-focused pilot trial of delivering the ASICA intervention as a means to earlier detection of recurrent and second primary melanoma

Murchie P, Masthoff J, Walter FM, Rahman K, Allan JL, Burrows N, Proby C, Lee AJ, Johnston M, Durrani A, Depasquale I, Brant B, Neilson A, Meredith F & Treweek SP (2019) Achieving Self-Directed Integrated Cancer Aftercare (ASICA) in melanoma: Protocol for a randomised patient-focused pilot trial of delivering the ASICA intervention as a means to earlier detection of recurrent and second primary melanoma. Trials, 20, Art. No.: 318. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-019-3453-x

Technical Report

Performance Pay and Stress: An Experimental Study

Allan J, Bender {A & Theodossiou I (2017) Performance Pay and Stress: An Experimental Study. University of Aberdeen. Discussion Paper in Economics, 17-5. Aberdeen: University of Aberdeen: Business School. https://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/handle/2164/8788/DP_2017_5.pdf?sequence=1

Article

Dietary iodine exposure and brain structures and cognition in older people: Exploratory analysis in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936

Hernández MdCV, Kyle J, Allan J, Allerhand M, Clark H, Maniega SM, Royle NA, Gow AJ, Pattie A, Corley J, Bastin ME, Starr JM, Wardlaw JM, Deary IJ & Combet E (2017) Dietary iodine exposure and brain structures and cognition in older people: Exploratory analysis in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936. Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging, 21, pp. 971-979. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-017-0954-8

Article

What do Demand-Control and Effort-Reward work stress questionnaires really measure? A Discriminant Content Validity study of relevance and representativeness of measures

Bell C, Johnston D, Allan J, Pollard B & Johnston M (2017) What do Demand-Control and Effort-Reward work stress questionnaires really measure? A Discriminant Content Validity study of relevance and representativeness of measures. British Journal of Health Psychology, 22 (2), pp. 295-329. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjhp.12232

Article

Multilevel structural equation models for longitudinal data where predictors are measured more frequently than outcomes: an application to the effects of stress on the cognitive function of nurses

Steele F, Clarke P, Leckie G, Allan JL & Johnston D (2017) Multilevel structural equation models for longitudinal data where predictors are measured more frequently than outcomes: an application to the effects of stress on the cognitive function of nurses. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society. Series A, (Statistics in Society), 180 (1), p. 263–283. https://doi.org/10.1111/rssa.12191

Article

Stressors, Appraisal of Stressors, Experienced Stress and Cardiac Response: A Real-Time, Real-Life Investigation of Work Stress in Nurses

Johnston DW, Bell C, Jones MC, Farquharson B, Allan JL, Schofield P, Ricketts I & Johnston M (2016) Stressors, Appraisal of Stressors, Experienced Stress and Cardiac Response: A Real-Time, Real-Life Investigation of Work Stress in Nurses. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 50 (2), pp. 187-197. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-015-9746-8

Article

Exploratory analysis of dietary intake and brain iron accumulation detected using magnetic resonance imaging in older individuals: the Lothian Birth cohort 1936

Valdes-Hernandez MdC, Allan J, Glatz A, Kyle J, Corley J, Brett CE, Munoz-Maniega S, Royle NA, Bastin ME, Starr JM, Deary IJ & Wardlaw JM (2015) Exploratory analysis of dietary intake and brain iron accumulation detected using magnetic resonance imaging in older individuals: the Lothian Birth cohort 1936. Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging, 19, pp. 64--69. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-014-0523-3

Book Chapter

Theory

Allan J (2013) Theory. In: Gellman MD & Turner JR (eds.) Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine. 1 ed. New York: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1005-9_1182

Book Chapter

Cognitions

Allan J (2013) Cognitions. In: Gellman MD & Turner JR (eds.) Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine. 1 ed. New York: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1005-9_1114

Article

Nursing stress and patient care: real-time investigation of the effect of nursing tasks and demands on psychological stress, physiological stress, and job performance: study protocol

Farquharson B, Bell C, Johnston D, Jones M, Schofield P, Allan J, Ricketts I, Morrison K & Johnston M (2013) Nursing stress and patient care: real-time investigation of the effect of nursing tasks and demands on psychological stress, physiological stress, and job performance: study protocol. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 69 (10), pp. 2327-2335. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.12090

Article

Developing a community-based intervention to improve quality of life in people with colorectal cancer: a complex intervention development study

Gray NM, Allan JL, Murchie P, Browne S, Hall S, Hubbard G, Johnston M, Lee AJ, McKinley A, Macleod U, Presseau J, Samuel L, Wyke S & Campbell NC (2013) Developing a community-based intervention to improve quality of life in people with colorectal cancer: a complex intervention development study. BMJ Open, 3 (4), Art. No.: e002596. http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/3/4/e002596.full; https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2013-002596

Article

Stress amongst nurses working in a healthcare telephone-advice service: relationship with job satisfaction, intention to leave, sickness absence, and performance

Farquharson B, Allan JL, Johnston DW, Johnston M, Choudhary CJ & Jones MC (2012) Stress amongst nurses working in a healthcare telephone-advice service: relationship with job satisfaction, intention to leave, sickness absence, and performance. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 68 (7), pp. 1624-1635. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2012.06006.x

Article

A Taxometric Analysis of Type-D Personality

Ferguson E, Williams L, O'Connor R, Howard S, Hughes BM, Johnston DW, Allan JL, O'Connor DB, Lewis CA, Grealy MA & O'Carroll R (2009) A Taxometric Analysis of Type-D Personality. Psychosomatic Medicine, 71 (9), pp. 981-986. https://doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0b013e3181bd888b

Article

Stress in telephone helpline nurses: research protocol for a study of theoretical determinants, physiological aspects and behavioural consequences

Allan JL, Farquharson B, Choudhary CJ, Johnston DW, Jones MC & Johnston M (2009) Stress in telephone helpline nurses: research protocol for a study of theoretical determinants, physiological aspects and behavioural consequences. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 65 (10), pp. 2208-2215. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2009.05118.x

Article

Why do people fail to turn good intentions into action?: The role of executive control processes in the translation of healthy eating intentions into action in young Scottish adults

Allan JL, Johnston M & Campbell N (2008) Why do people fail to turn good intentions into action?: The role of executive control processes in the translation of healthy eating intentions into action in young Scottish adults. BMC Public Health, 8, Art. No.: 123. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-8-123

Research programmes

Research centres/groups