Dr Leyla De Amicis

Lecturer in Education (People, Place & Social Change)

Biography

I had my Bachelor and Master degrees in Psychology at the University of Padua (Italy) under the supervision of Professor Luciano Arcuri and Professor Mara Cadinu. My dissertation focused on the relation between the self and the ingroup (if unidirectional or reciprocal). I had my PhD in Psychology at the University of Sussex, under the supervision of Professor Rupert Brown and Professor Robin Banerjee. My PhD thesis was about children's emotions involved in behavioural responses to peers in interracial contexts.

I worked as researcher on various national (Welcome Trust) and international (e.g. Erasmus Plus) projects at different Universities (most recently at GCU, UWS and University of Edinburgh) on topics as prejudice based bullying, children's and parents' perceptions of child chronic pain and perceptions of health services in people with disabilities and their families/carers.

I also worked and volunteered for many non-profit organisations for children and people with disabilities, in different countries (Italy, UK, Bosnia, Nepal and Costa Rica).

I have been a Temporary Lecturer and Associate Tutor at several Universities in the UK (e.g. University of Sussex, CCC, Kingston University), teaching in many areas of Psychology, although my main expertise is in Social and Developmental Psychology.

I am an Associate Tutor at the University of Glasgow since 2018, supervising MSc students with their dissertations, leading seminars on different areas of Psychology in the MSc Psychological Studies (Conv) course and seminars on research methods in the MSc Educational Studies. From last year I have covered to role of course leader of Cognitive Psychology both in the MSc Psychological Studies (Conv) course and the MSc Psychology (Conv) online course.

Research interests

My research interests are on exploring how implicit and explicit stereotypes, emotional prejudices and discrimination affect people from majority and minority groups. More specifically, I am interested in developing and evaluating strategies for improving intergroup relations among people from different status groups, within both children and adults.

Another area of interest consists of exploring and encouraging children’s and adults’ bystander intervention in bullying, considering different stategies to intervene and stop bullying/harassment/violence, safely.

A third research area on which I have recently started to work is the positive role that social media can have when it is used to facilitate online communities, for improving students’ and academics’ wellbeing and academic performance in higher education.

Finally, I am interested in exploring how information about climate change can be shared within families, empowering their child and adult members and leading to pro-environmental behaviour change and social action.

For my research I use qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches and I also run systematic reviews.

Publications

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Jump to: 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2005 | 2004 | 1999

Number of items: 39.

2025

Görzig, Anke, Betts, Lucy R., Maunder, Rachel, Monks, Claire P., De Amicis, Leyla and Bennett, Samuel (2025) Teachers’ responses to identity-based bullying: Social inequality, identity, and diversity at teacher and school level. International Journal of Bullying Prevention, (doi: 10.1007/s42380-024-00281-2) (Early Online Publication)

2024

De Amicis, Leyla, Shelly, Catriona, Camilleri, Lynette, Albayrak-Aydemir, Nihan and Uluğ, Özden Melis (2024) Turning a BPS symposium into a safe and hopeful space for challenging social inequalities within and outside our communities. Social Psychological Review, 26(2), pp. 12-14.

De Amicis, L., Vincent, M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3076-5659, Mair, C. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8885-7161 and Hosseini, D. (2024) Self-Reflecting on Decolonising One Own’s Learning and Teaching: Could a Self-Assessment Tool Work. SERA Annual Conference 2024, Dundee, UK, 27-29 November 2024.

Vincent, M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3076-5659, De Amicis, L., Ghazali-Mohammed, Z. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2975-5581, Saleh, A., Mair, Colette ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8885-7161 and Hosseini, Dustin ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5846-9993 (2024) Experiences and Challenges in Decolonising the Curriculum: What We Learned and Where Should We Go Now. SERA Annual Conference 2024, Dundee, UK, 27-29 November 2024.

Sapouna, Maria and De Amicis, Leyla (2024) Scotland. In: Bullying of Children and Adolescents: A Global Perspective. Edward Elgar. (Accepted for Publication)

Willems, Roy A., Sapouna, Maria, De Amicis, Leyla, Völlink, Trijntje, Dehue, Francine, Dimakos, Ioannis, Priovolou, Konstantina, Nikolaou, Georgios and Rosinský, Rastislav (2024) Encouraging positive bystander responses to bias-based bullying in primary schools through a serious game approach: a non-randomized controlled evaluation of the ‘GATE-BULL’ program. International Journal of Bullying Prevention, (doi: 10.1007/s42380-024-00243-8) (Early Online Publication)

2023

Sapouna, Maria, De Amicis, Leyla and Vezzali, Loris (2023) Bullying victimization due to racial, ethnic, citizenship and/or religious status: a systematic review. Adolescent Research Review, 8(3), pp. 261-294. (doi: 10.1007/s40894-022-00197-2)

Lawrence, M. et al. (2023) The HEADS: UP development study: working with key stakeholders to adapt a mindfulness-based stress reduction course for people with anxiety and depression after stroke. Healthcare, 11(3), 355. (doi: 10.3390/healthcare11030355) (PMID:36766930) (PMCID:PMC9914141)

Vezzali, L. et al. (2023) Using sport media exposure to promote gender equality: counter-stereotypical gender perceptions and the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, 26(2), pp. 265-283. (doi: 10.1177/13684302221075691)

2022

De Amicis, Leyla and Xue, Y. (2022) Chinese Parents’ Attitudes Towards Children’s Defending Behaviour in Typical and Prejudice Based Bullying Contexts. AIP Annual Conference, Padua, Italy, 27th 30th September 2022.

De Amicis, Leyla and Brazil, J. (2022) Home Schooling During Lockdown: Working Mothers’ Experiences of Managing Multiple Roles. BPS Educational Psychology Section Conference, Oxford University, 14-15 September 2022.

De Amicis, Leyla and Jiang, Y. (2022) Different Views on the Astrazeneca Vaccine from the UK Right and Left Oriented Views. BPS Social Psychology Section Conference, University of Greenwich, London, 5-7 September 2022.

De Amicis, Leyla and Ma, Y. (2022) Discrimination Against Women Scientists, Gender Inequality, Stereotypes and Science Attitudes. BPS Social Psychology Section Conference, University of Greenwich, London, 5-7 September 2022.

Kang, M. and De Amicis, Leyla (2022) How UK Newspapers Reported Face Masks During the Pandemic According to Political Orientation. BPS Social Psychology Section Conference, University of Greenwich, London, 5-7 September 2022.

2021

Lido, Catherine ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6255-9905, Sawyer, Ariel and De Amicis, Leyla (2021) Social psychology of identity and stereotyping in the media: the case of refugee media bias. In: Coen, Sharon and Bull, Peter (eds.) The Psychology of Journalism. Oxford University Press, pp. 168-199. ISBN 9780190935856 (doi: 10.1093/oso/9780190935856.003.0007)

2020

McGarrigle, Leona, Wesson, Carolyn, De Amicis, Leyla, Connoly, Shannon and Ferreira, Nuno (2020) Psychological mediators in the relationship between paediatric chronic pain and adjustment: an investigation of acceptance, catastrophising and kinesiophobia. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 18, pp. 294-305. (doi: 10.1016/j.jcbs.2020.10.009)

De Amicis, Leyla, Banerjee, R. and Brown, R. (2020) Bystander Interventions in Intra- and Inter-Ethnic Bullying Contexts. Talk within the Symposium “Helping Victims of School Bullying”. EARA Conference, 2-5 Sept 2020.

Sapouna, M., De Amicis, Leyla, Willems, R., Vollink, T., Dehue, F., Rosinsky, R., Dimakos, I. and Nikolaou, G. (2020) Using a Games Approach to Teach Children About Discriminatory Bullying (GATE_BULL). Intellectual Output 1 Report to European Commission: Determinants of Involvement in Prejudice-based Bullying Situations and Bystander Intervention. Project Report. University of the West of Scotland.

2019

De Amicis, Leyla, Sapouna, M., Willems, R., Vollink, T., Dehue, F., Rosinsky, R., Dimakos, J. and Nikoalou, G. (2019) Predictors of defending behaviour in prejudice-based bullying: GATEBULL project’s findings from four European countries. AEDP Conference, Athens, Greece, 29 Aug - 01 Sep 2019.

Lorimer, Karen, De Amicis, Leyla, Dalrymple, Jenny, Frankis, Jamie, Jackson, Louise, Lorgelly, Paula, McMillan, Lesley and Ross, Jonathan (2019) A rapid review of sexual wellbeing definitions and measures: should we now include sexual wellbeing freedom? Journal of Sex Research, 56(7), pp. 843-853. (doi: 10.1080/00224499.2019.1635565)

Connolly, Shannon, Ferreira, Nuno, McGarrigle, Leona and De Amicis, Leyla (2019) Further validation of the chronic pain acceptance questionnaire for adolescents in a broader paediatric context. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 12, pp. 314-321. (doi: 10.1016/j.jcbs.2018.12.005)

Finlayson, Janet, De Amicis, Leyla, Gallacher, Stephen, Munro, Robin, Crockett, Jennifer, Godwin, Jon, Feeney, Wendy and Skelton, Dawn A. (2019) Reasonable adjustments to provide equitable and inclusive assessment, screening and treatment of osteoporosis for adults with intellectual disabilities: a feasibility study. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 32(2), pp. 300-312. (doi: 10.1111/jar.12526) (PMID:30175427)

2018

Willems, R., Sapouna, M., De Amicis, Leyla, Vollink, T. and Dehue, F. (2018) Determinants of Defending in Prejudice-Based Bullying Situations. EARA Conference, Ghent, Belgium, 13-15 Sept 2018.

Sapouna, M. and De Amicis, Leyla (2018) Tackling Prejudice-Based Bullying in Primary Schools. UWS Annual Learning, Teaching and Research Conference 2018, Paisley, UK, 27-28 June 2018.

Dalrymple, J., De Amicis, Leyla and Lorimer, K. (2018) How is Sexual Wellbeing Defined and Measured? A Rapid Review with Implications for Evaluation of Complex Sexual Health Interventions. Fourth Joint Conference of BHIVA with BASHH, Edinburgh, Scotland, 17-20 April 2018.

2017

De Amicis, Leyla, Finlayson, J., Gallacher, S., Munro, R., Crockett, J., Goodwin, J. and Skelton, D. (2017) Making Reasonable Adjustments to Provide Equitable Osteoporosis Assessment, Screening and Management for People with Learning Disabilities. Falls, Frailty, Bone Health, Dublin, Ireland, 9-10 Nov 2017.

2012

De Amicis, Leyla, D'Antoni, M. and Ramellini, T. (2012) Protected by Men, Against Demanding Women, and Satisfied of Life: Exploring Hostile and Benevolent Sexism and Life Satisfaction in Costarican Self-Employed Low Status Women. From Discrimination to Empowerment, Trieste, Italy, 12-14 Apr 2012.

2011

De Amicis, Leyla, Alfieri, S., Marta, E. and Tenenbaum, H. (2011) Majority Religious Group Children and Preadolescents’ Moral Reasoning, Emotions, and Intentional Behaviour Toward Ingroup and Outgroup Peers, Depending on their Religious Rights or Personal Needs. C-SPI, Conference on Social Psychology in Ireland, “A two-way street: Social issues and social psychological research”, Limerick, Ireland, 28-29 Apr 2011.

De Amicis, Leyla, Banerjee, R. and Brown, R. (2011) Do Children’s Emotions Count? The Role of Affect, Above and Beyond Cognition as Predictors of Children’s Intra- and Inter- Group Intentional Contact. C-SPI, Conference on Social Psychology in Ireland, “A two-way street: Social issues and social psychological research”, Limerick, Ireland, 28-29 Apr 2011.

2010

De Amicis, Leyla, Banerjee, R. and Brown, R. (2010) The Cognitive Side of Emotions and Action Tendencies in Children’s Inter-and Intra-Racial Negative Interactions. BPS Developmental Section Conference, Goldsmiths, University of London, UK, 2010.

De Amicis, Leyla, Banerjee, R. and Brown, R. (2010) I Bambini Provano Emozioni! Aspetti Affettivi come Predittori di Potenziale Contatto Intra- e Inter-Etnico. AIP, X Congresso Nazionale della Sezione di Psicologia Sociale, Turin, Italy, 14-16 Sep 2010.

De Amicis, Leyla, Banerjee, R. and Brown, R. (2010) The Relationship between Peer Victimization and Inter-Ethnic Prejudice. Launch of the Research Centre for Children, Schools and Families, University of Greenwich, UK, 2010.

2009

De Amicis, Leyla, Brown, R. and Banerjee, R. (2009) Children as Bystanders at Intra- and Inter-Racial Bullying Scenarios: Can their Appraisals and Emotions Predict their Actions? BPS Social Section Conference, Sheffield, UK, 2009.

2008

De Amicis, Leyla, Brown, R. and Banerjee, R. (2008) Improving Inter-Ethnic Behaviour Among children: How and When Cognitive- and Emotion- Focused Strategies Can Help. PsyPAG 23rd Annual Conference, 2008.

2007

Castelli, Luigi, De Amicis, Leyla and Sherman, Steven J. (2007) The loyal member effect: On the preference for ingroup members who engage in exclusive relations with the ingroup. Developmental Psychology, 43(6), pp. 1347-1359. (doi: 10.1037/0012-1649.43.6.1347) (PMID:18020816)

Castelli, L., De Amicis, Leyla, Carnaghi, L. and Arcuri, L. (2007) L'influenza dei processi intragruppo sul contatto intergruppi (The influence of intragroup processes on intergroup contact: the case of preschool children). In: Brown, Rupert, Capozza, Dora and Licciardello, Orazio (eds.) Immigrazione, Acculturazione, Modalità di Contatto. Series: Psicologia (303). FrancoAngeli: Milan. ISBN 9788846485250

2005

Castelli, Luigi, Zecchini, Alexia, De Amicis, Leyla and Sherman, Steven J. (2005) The impact of implicit prejudice about the elderly on the reaction to stereotype confirmation and disconfirmation. Current Psychology, 24(2), pp. 134-146. (doi: 10.1007/s12144-005-1012-y)

2004

De Amicis, Leyla and Castelli, L. (2004) Relazioni fra pari: Quando intrattenere rapporti positivi con un bambino in sedia a rotelle conduce ad emarginazione (Peer relations: When being on good terms with a wheel-chair child conduces to social exclusion). Età Evolutiva, 79, pp. 5-19.

1999

Cadinu, Maria Rosaria and De Amicis, Leyla (1999) The relationship between the self and the ingroup: When having a common conception helps. Swiss Journal of Psychology, 58(4), pp. 226-232. (doi: 10.1024/1421-0185.58.4.226)

This list was generated on Tue Jul 15 20:42:31 2025 BST.

Jump to: Articles | Book Sections | Research Reports or Papers | Conference or Workshop Item

Number of items: 39.

Articles

Book Sections

Sapouna, Maria and De Amicis, Leyla (2024) Scotland. In: Bullying of Children and Adolescents: A Global Perspective. Edward Elgar. (Accepted for Publication)

Research Reports or Papers

Conference or Workshop Item

Willems, R., Sapouna, M., De Amicis, Leyla, Vollink, T. and Dehue, F. (2018) Determinants of Defending in Prejudice-Based Bullying Situations. EARA Conference, Ghent, Belgium, 13-15 Sept 2018.

Sapouna, M. and De Amicis, Leyla (2018) Tackling Prejudice-Based Bullying in Primary Schools. UWS Annual Learning, Teaching and Research Conference 2018, Paisley, UK, 27-28 June 2018.

This list was generated on Tue Jul 15 20:42:31 2025 BST.

Grants

Grants

Internal grant - UWS and Oxfam partnership to organise the Symposium on Challenging and Changing the News: Media Reporting in the Age of Migration at UWS, Dec 2018.
ESRC Social Science Festival 2018 to organise the “Act against Bullying: Discover the hero inside you!”
Internal grant to organise the event “Sharing resilience in Black History with the newly ‘othered’- the EU migrants post Brexit” at GCU on Black History Month- 2017
KE and Impact grant 2016 at the University of Edinburgh: “Barnardo’s Scotland in ACT”
Internal Equality Fund 2009-2010 at the TCD: where I organised three workshops (“Laugh clever to laugh together”) on the topic “Psychology of humour and discrimination”
Small grant at TCD (2009-2010) to host Dr Helga Dittmar (University of Sussex, UK) giving a public lecture on 13^th April 2010 on the effects of airbrushing in ads on children and adolescents and led group discussions with TCD students and faculties.

Supervision

Minority/majority group relations and bullying

How to safely defend: examining and implementing effective strategies (distraction/peace making and victim support) to prevent and/or stop bullying/harassment
Minority group students’ social identities: risk and/or protective factors against discrimination? (e.g. veiled Muslim and/or LGBTQ and/or ethnic minority students)
Exploring and reducing implicit and explicit stereotypes, prejudicial emotions and discrimination against “newly” stigmatised groups (e.g. childless women, vegans)
Evaluating policies in support of disadvantaged groups in low- and high- status groups: pros and cons from different perspectives
Use of social media to implicitly and/or explicitly promote minority status groups’ image and rights

Climate change

Exploring parent-child conversations about climate change: intergenerational learning on saving the planet
Peer learning regarding climate change: what makes a difference to change a peer’s mind and behaviour?
Children’s animism, imagination and love for animals: is there a link?
Positive interspecies attitudes and universalism: how are they linked and can we increase them?
Examination of empowering discourses about climate change and human rights

Emotions:

A cross-cultural and cross-gender approach to humility: who feels and displays it, when, why and how?
Curiosity, interest and creativity and their relation to academic achievement

Education:

Decolonializing education: what does this mean and how can it be done? Students' and academics’ views on the topic
Cognitive broadness and specificity and its relation with academic achievement

2018-2019

Public reactions to children and adults living in poverty in the UK and UK policies
Warm, competent, to choose? Evaluations of different- race Psychology counsellors in UK White people
A retrospective examination of Bullying occurred in Child and Adolescent Friendships
Ethnic identification, perceived discrimination and physical and mental well-being in Postgraduate Chinese International students in the UK: the moderating role of identity needs and psychological flexibility
Public reactions to news about crimes and support from religious groups in the community
Chinese parents’ knowledge and attitudes towards general and prejudice- based bullying
A qualitative comparison of newly qualified and experienced teachers¿ views about challenges and opportunities provided by the inclusion of children with additional needs in mainstream primary schools in Scotland.

2019-2020

Perceptions and experiences of burn out and resilience within front line Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) sector employees.
An exploration of adolescents and their parents’ perceptions regarding climate change issues and their learning from one another.
Domestic Abuse Professionals' Views about Grooming, Psychological Vulnerability and their role in Reporting Psychologically Abusive Intimate Partner Relationships.
How can knowledge about female scientists affect gender equality support, confidence and interest in science in both women and men?
Home-schooling and parental views and self-efficacy during Covid-19
Is using the "Reviewer 2 must be stopped" Facebook group useful to work in the academic environment?
Masculinity Threat, Prejudice, And Harmful Behaviour: A Review of Current Research
Perceptions of helping behaviour in multicultural societies during Coronavirus and lockdown times.

Teaching

MSc Psychological Studies (Conversion)

Developmental Psychology
Individual Differences
Educational Psychology
Cognitive Psychology (Convenor)

MSc Psychology (Conversion)

Human Development
Educational Psychology
Cognitive Psychology (Convenor)

MSc Educational Studies

Introduction to Educational and Social Research
Seminar in Contemporary Issues in Education

Additional information

Other roles

Ethics reviewer for the SoE Ethics Committee
Internal PhD examiner
Peer reviewer for the British Journal of Developmental Psychology
Peer reviewer for the Journal of Immigrant and Refugee Studies

Memberships:

BPS (British Psychological Society)
EADP (European Association of Developmental Psychology)
EARA (European Association for Research on Adolescence)
SPSSI (Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues)
ACBS (Association for Contextual Behavioural Science)

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