Mrs Karen Crawford

  • Deputy Director of the Centre for Developmental Adversity and Resilience (CeDAR) (Mental Health & Wellbeing)
  • Honorary Research Fellow (School of Health & Wellbeing)

telephone: 0141 330 8795
email: Karen.Crawford@glasgow.ac.uk

Clarice Pears Building, 90 Byres Road, Glasgow, G12 8TB

Import to contacts

Biography

Karen is Deputy Director of the Centre for Developmental Adversity and Resilience (CeDAR). She has experience in the management of RCTs of complex interventions in mental health interventions for children with a history of maltreatment and in family support. 

Research interests

Karen's PhD work relates to issues of informed consent when participants are facing difficulties and may have statutory intervention in their lives. 

She is interested in the conduct of RCTs in child welfare and family support. Past trials she has managed include the Trial of Healthy Relationships in the Very-early Years (THRIVE), the Best Services Trial, the Relationships in Good Hands Trial (RIGHT) and Parternship for Change.

Karen is also interested in approaches to coproducing research, including parent reported outcome and experience measures, and intervention development and codevelopment. 

Publications

List by: Type | Date

Jump to: 2025 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2019
Number of items: 13.

2025

Pownall, J. et al. (2025) Infant Parent Support (IPS): a multidisciplinary intervention to improve the mental health of children with a social worker - a study protocol for a feasibility randomised controlled trial with embedded process evaluation. Pilot and Feasibility Studies, 11(1), 78. (doi: 10.1186/s40814-025-01616-6) (PMID:40474316)

Henderson, M. et al. (2025) Evaluation of parenting interventions for those with additional health and social care needs during pregnancy: THRIVE a multi-arm RCT with embedded economic and process components. Public Health Research, 13(4), pp. 1-138. (doi: 10.3310/KYMT5407) (PMID:40351091)

Crawford, K. et al. (2025) Infant mental health services for birth and foster families of maltreated pre-school children in foster care (BeST?): a cluster-randomized phase 3 clinical effectiveness trial. Nature Medicine, 31(5), pp. 1617-1625. (doi: 10.1038/s41591-025-03534-9) (PMID:40312587) (PMCID:PMC12092239)

Deidda, M. et al. (2025) Economic evaluation of a complex intervention to improve the mental health of maltreated children in foster care (BeST? services trial). Journal of Public Health, (doi: 10.1093/pubmed/fdaf038) (PMID:40188478) (Early Online Publication)

Kirby, N. et al. (2025) Interventions for pre‐school children in foster care: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials of child‐related outcomes. JCPP Advances, 5(1), e12273. (doi: 10.1002/jcv2.12273) (PMID:40059998) (PMCID:PMC11889642)

2023

Atkinson, Carol, Forde, Matt, Crawford, Karen ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1615-0575, Henderson, Marion ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7582-9516, Wilson, Philip, Ougrin, Dennis and Minnis, Helen ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2377-8945 (2023) Introducing a randomised controlled trial into family proceedings: describing the “how?” and defending the “why?”. International Journal of Law, Policy and the Family, 37(1), ebad024. (doi: 10.1093/lawfam/ebad024)

Crawford, Karen ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1615-0575, Russell, Lynda, Graham, Sharon and Turner, Fiona (2023) Helping themselves and helping others: how the passage of time influences why mothers with addictions take part in research. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14, 1204882. (doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1204882) (PMID:37860169) (PMCID:PMC10582753)

Turner, Fiona, Kainth, Gary, MacDonald, Sara ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5380-6943, O'Connor, Rory ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3650-4994, Crawford, Karen ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1615-0575 and Minnis, Helen ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2377-8945 (2023) “I will commit to this child as much as I can for the time that they are with me:” a qualitative examination of how foster carer commitment relates to short-term foster care for young children following abuse and neglect. Child Abuse and Neglect, 135, 105983. (doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2022.105983)

2022

Turner, Fiona, Venturini, Enrico, Kainth, Gary, Crawford, Karen ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1615-0575, O'Connor, Rory ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3650-4994, Balestrieri, Matteo, Macdonald, Sara ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5380-6943 and Minnis, Helen ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2377-8945 (2022) The expected and the unexpected in recovery and development after abuse and neglect: The role of early foster carer commitment on young children's symptoms of attachment disorders and mental health problems over time. Child Abuse and Neglect, 127, 105585. (doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2022.105585) (PMID:35279447)

Kainth, Gary, Turner, Fiona, Crawford, Karen ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1615-0575, Watson, Nicholas ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0364-427X, Dundas, Ruth ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3836-4286 and Minnis, Helen ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2377-8945 (2022) Process evaluation protocol for the (BeST?) Services trial. Developmental Child Welfare, 4(1), pp. 56-72. (doi: 10.1177/25161032211070861)

Crawford, K. et al. (2022) The Best Services Trial (BeST?): a cluster randomised controlled trial comparing the clinical and cost-effectiveness of New Orleans Intervention Model with Services as Usual (SAU) for infants and young children entering care. Trials, 23, 122. (doi: 10.1186/s13063-022-06007-3) (PMID:35130937) (PMCID:PMC8819875)

2021

MacLachlan, Alice ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8222-4221, Crawford, Karen ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1615-0575, Shinwell, Shona, Nixon, Catherine and Henderson, Marion ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7582-9516 (2021) Recruiting hard-to-reach pregnant women at high psychosocial risk: strategies and costs from a randomised controlled trial. Trials, 22, 402. (doi: 10.1186/s13063-021-05348-9) (PMID:34134724) (PMCID:PMC8207826)

2019

Henderson, M. et al. (2019) Trial of healthy relationship initiatives for the very early years (THRIVE), evaluating Enhanced Triple P for Baby and Mellow Bumps for those with additional social and care needs during pregnancy and their infants who are at higher risk of maltreatment: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. Trials, 20, 499. (doi: 10.1186/s13063-019-3571-5) (PMID:31412902) (PMCID:PMC6694522)

This list was generated on Wed Nov 5 22:58:51 2025 GMT.
Jump to: Articles
Number of items: 13.

Articles

Pownall, J. et al. (2025) Infant Parent Support (IPS): a multidisciplinary intervention to improve the mental health of children with a social worker - a study protocol for a feasibility randomised controlled trial with embedded process evaluation. Pilot and Feasibility Studies, 11(1), 78. (doi: 10.1186/s40814-025-01616-6) (PMID:40474316)

Henderson, M. et al. (2025) Evaluation of parenting interventions for those with additional health and social care needs during pregnancy: THRIVE a multi-arm RCT with embedded economic and process components. Public Health Research, 13(4), pp. 1-138. (doi: 10.3310/KYMT5407) (PMID:40351091)

Crawford, K. et al. (2025) Infant mental health services for birth and foster families of maltreated pre-school children in foster care (BeST?): a cluster-randomized phase 3 clinical effectiveness trial. Nature Medicine, 31(5), pp. 1617-1625. (doi: 10.1038/s41591-025-03534-9) (PMID:40312587) (PMCID:PMC12092239)

Deidda, M. et al. (2025) Economic evaluation of a complex intervention to improve the mental health of maltreated children in foster care (BeST? services trial). Journal of Public Health, (doi: 10.1093/pubmed/fdaf038) (PMID:40188478) (Early Online Publication)

Kirby, N. et al. (2025) Interventions for pre‐school children in foster care: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials of child‐related outcomes. JCPP Advances, 5(1), e12273. (doi: 10.1002/jcv2.12273) (PMID:40059998) (PMCID:PMC11889642)

Atkinson, Carol, Forde, Matt, Crawford, Karen ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1615-0575, Henderson, Marion ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7582-9516, Wilson, Philip, Ougrin, Dennis and Minnis, Helen ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2377-8945 (2023) Introducing a randomised controlled trial into family proceedings: describing the “how?” and defending the “why?”. International Journal of Law, Policy and the Family, 37(1), ebad024. (doi: 10.1093/lawfam/ebad024)

Crawford, Karen ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1615-0575, Russell, Lynda, Graham, Sharon and Turner, Fiona (2023) Helping themselves and helping others: how the passage of time influences why mothers with addictions take part in research. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14, 1204882. (doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1204882) (PMID:37860169) (PMCID:PMC10582753)

Turner, Fiona, Kainth, Gary, MacDonald, Sara ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5380-6943, O'Connor, Rory ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3650-4994, Crawford, Karen ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1615-0575 and Minnis, Helen ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2377-8945 (2023) “I will commit to this child as much as I can for the time that they are with me:” a qualitative examination of how foster carer commitment relates to short-term foster care for young children following abuse and neglect. Child Abuse and Neglect, 135, 105983. (doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2022.105983)

Turner, Fiona, Venturini, Enrico, Kainth, Gary, Crawford, Karen ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1615-0575, O'Connor, Rory ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3650-4994, Balestrieri, Matteo, Macdonald, Sara ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5380-6943 and Minnis, Helen ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2377-8945 (2022) The expected and the unexpected in recovery and development after abuse and neglect: The role of early foster carer commitment on young children's symptoms of attachment disorders and mental health problems over time. Child Abuse and Neglect, 127, 105585. (doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2022.105585) (PMID:35279447)

Kainth, Gary, Turner, Fiona, Crawford, Karen ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1615-0575, Watson, Nicholas ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0364-427X, Dundas, Ruth ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3836-4286 and Minnis, Helen ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2377-8945 (2022) Process evaluation protocol for the (BeST?) Services trial. Developmental Child Welfare, 4(1), pp. 56-72. (doi: 10.1177/25161032211070861)

Crawford, K. et al. (2022) The Best Services Trial (BeST?): a cluster randomised controlled trial comparing the clinical and cost-effectiveness of New Orleans Intervention Model with Services as Usual (SAU) for infants and young children entering care. Trials, 23, 122. (doi: 10.1186/s13063-022-06007-3) (PMID:35130937) (PMCID:PMC8819875)

MacLachlan, Alice ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8222-4221, Crawford, Karen ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1615-0575, Shinwell, Shona, Nixon, Catherine and Henderson, Marion ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7582-9516 (2021) Recruiting hard-to-reach pregnant women at high psychosocial risk: strategies and costs from a randomised controlled trial. Trials, 22, 402. (doi: 10.1186/s13063-021-05348-9) (PMID:34134724) (PMCID:PMC8207826)

Henderson, M. et al. (2019) Trial of healthy relationship initiatives for the very early years (THRIVE), evaluating Enhanced Triple P for Baby and Mellow Bumps for those with additional social and care needs during pregnancy and their infants who are at higher risk of maltreatment: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. Trials, 20, 499. (doi: 10.1186/s13063-019-3571-5) (PMID:31412902) (PMCID:PMC6694522)

This list was generated on Wed Nov 5 22:58:51 2025 GMT.

Grants

Grants and Awards listed are those received whilst working with the University of Glasgow.

  • Treatments costs for the Relationships in Good Hands Trial
    Department of Health and Social Care
    2023 - 2024
     
  • What works for Children's Social Care
    What Works for Children's Social Care
    2022 - 2023
     
  • A phase II RCT to measure the cost and consequences of Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy compared with 'usual treatment' for children referred with maltreatment-associated psychiatric problems
    National Institute for Health Research
    2020 - 2024
     
  • Working on Hearts and Minds
    Chief Scientist Office
    2018 - 2018