Dr Mark McCann

  • Research Fellow (MRC/CSO Social & Public Health Sciences Unit)

telephone: 0141 353 7588
email: Mark.McCann@glasgow.ac.uk
pronouns: He/him/his

MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow, Berkeley Square, 99 Berkeley Street, Glasgow, G3 7HR

ORCID iDhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-6100-1416

Biography

Mark is the workstream lead for the Peer networks workstream in the SPHSU relationships programme.

His research focuses on systems science methods, and how they can help to understand and improve health. His current research looks at relationships and adolescent health (Mark co-leads the Social connections and relationships theme of the UK TRIUMPH network; and substance use (including projects on the effect of COVID19 on people who use substance treatment services ICAROS ) 

He is also interested in collaborative, systems science and social network approaches to designing and evaluating health improvement interventions, such as the Scottish Drug Related Deaths Study, the evaluation of Minimum Unit Pricing and the STASH social network intervention.  

Research interests

Mark is interested in supervising PhD and Masters Students who would want to do work in one, or a combination of the following topics or areas. Mark would encourage those from disciplines not traditionally associated with public health (e.g. computing science, engineering, ecology) to get in touch to find out about interdisciplinary projects.

Substantive topics

Alcohol and other drug use, dependence and recovery.

Mental health, suicide, self-harm.

Family, friend, social and cultural influences on health and health behaviours.

Social isolation, social support and health.

Systems thinking methods and visualising complex causal processes.

Methodological areas

Social Network Analysis: Studying the formation of social networks, and how networks influence health outcomes and health behaviours. For example:

‘Peer pressure’ versus ‘choosing similar friends’ as explanations for friendship group structure and drinking & drug use among school pupils.

Social support and social isolation, and the influence they have on health behaviours and outcomes.

Methodology for collecting data on social networks.

Complex systems science: Understanding the interaction of individuals with each other, their environment, or with organisations leads to complex structures and patterns at the system level, and methods for understanding systems. Systems mapping and group model building.

Statistical methods: The application of advanced and novel statistical methods to the topics outlined above. For example:

Multilevel modelling, Latent Class, Latent Profile, and Latent Transition Analysis, Directed acyclic graphs and causal inference methods, Simulation Investigation for Empirical Network Analysis (SIENA).

Publications

List by: Type | Date

Jump to: 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2012 | 2011 | 2009
Number of items: 28.

2020

Vo, D.-B. , Lazarova, K., Purchase, H. C. and McCann, M. (2020) Visual Causality: Investigating Graph Layouts for Understanding Causal Processes. In: 11th International Conference on the Theory and Application of Diagrams (Diagrams 2020), Tallinn, Estonia, 24-28 Aug 2020, pp. 332-347. ISBN 9783030542481 (doi:10.1007/978-3-030-54249-8_26)

Higgins, K., Perra, O., Jordan, J.-A., O'Neill, T. and McCann, M. (2020) School bonding and ethos in trajectories of offending: results from the Belfast Youth Development Study. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 90(2), pp. 424-448. (doi: 10.1111/bjep.12303) (PMID:32065389) (PMCID:PMC7317740)

Long, E. , Gardani, M., McCann, M. , Sweeting, H. , Tranmer, M. and Moore, L. (2020) Mental health disorders and adolescent peer relationships. Social Science and Medicine, 253, 112973. (doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.112973) (PMID:32283352) (PMCID:PMC7248572)

Ferguson, K. D., McCann, M. , Katikireddi, S. V. , Thomson, H. , Green, M. J. , Smith, D. J. and Lewsey, J. D. (2020) Evidence synthesis for constructing directed acyclic graphs (ESC-DAGs): a novel and systematic method for building directed acyclic graphs. International Journal of Epidemiology, 49(1), pp. 322-329. (doi: 10.1093/ije/dyz150) (PMID:31325312) (PMCID:PMC7124493)

Sinclair, J. M.A., Dutey-Magni, P. F., Anderson, A. S., Baird, J., Barker, M. E., Cutress, R. I., Kaner, E. F.S., McCann, M. , Priest, C. K. and Copson, E. R. (2020) A context-specific digital alcohol brief intervention in symptomatic breast clinics (Abreast of Health): development and usability study. JMIR Research Protocols, 9(1), e14580. (doi: 10.2196/14580) (PMID:32012091)

2019

McCann, M. , Jordan, J.-A., Higgins, K. and Moore, L. (2019) Longitudinal social network analysis of peer, family and school contextual influences on adolescent drinking frequency. Journal of Adolescent Health, 65(3), pp. 350-358. (doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2019.03.004) (PMID:31196786) (PMCID:PMC6710020)

Higgins, K., O’Neill, N., O’Hara, L., Jordan, J.-A., McCann, M. , O’Neill, T., Clarke, M., O’Neill, T. and Campbell, A. (2019) Evidence for public health on novel psychoactive substance use: a mixed-methods study. Public Health Research, 7(14), pp. 1-150. (doi: 10.3310/phr07140)

Sinclair, J., McCann, M. , Sheldon, E., Gordon, I., Brierley-Jones, L. and Copson, E. (2019) The acceptability of addressing alcohol consumption as a modifiable risk factor for breast cancer: a mixed method study within breast screening services and symptomatic breast clinics. BMJ Open, 9, e027371. (doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-027371) (PMID:31209091) (PMCID:PMC6609127)

Jordan, J.-A., McCann, M. , Katikireddi, S. V. and Higgins, K. (2019) Harmonising alcohol consumption, sales and related outcomes data across the UK and Ireland: an insurmountable barrier to policy evaluation? Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy, 26(5), pp. 385-393. (doi: 10.1080/09687637.2018.1488948)

2018

Forsyth, R. et al. (2018) Peer-led intervention to prevent and reduce STI transmission and improve sexual health in secondary schools (STASH): protocol for a feasibility study. Pilot and Feasibility Studies, 4, 180. (doi: 10.1186/s40814-018-0354-9) (PMID:30519482) (PMCID:PMC6264037)

Mccann, M. , Broccatelli, C. , Moore, L. and Mitchell, K. (2018) Distribution of Sexual Health Knowledge and Attitudes in Adolescent Social Networks: Social Network Analysis of Data from the STIs and Sexual Health Feasibility Study. Lancet Public Health Science 2018, Belfast, UK, 23 Nov 2018. S60. (doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(18)32047-6)

Higgins, K., McLaughlin, A., Perra, O., McCartan, C., McCann, M. , Percy, A. and Jordan, J. A. (2018) The Belfast Youth Development Study (BYDS): A prospective cohort study of the initiation, persistence and desistance of substance use from adolescence to adulthood in Northern Ireland. PLoS ONE, 13(5), e0195192. (doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0195192) (PMID:29791433) (PMCID:PMC5965826)

Tay Wee Teck, J. and Mccann, M. (2018) Tracking internet interest in anabolic-androgenic steroids using Google Trends. International Journal of Drug Policy, 51, pp. 52-55. (doi: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2017.11.001) (PMID:29197722) (PMCID:PMC5788329)

Yerima, S. Y. et al. (2018) MobiQ: a modular Android application for collecting social interaction, repeated survey, GPS and photographic data. Software X, 7, pp. 143-149. (doi: 10.1016/j.softx.2018.04.006)

2017

Maguire, A., Moriaty, J., O'Reilly, D. and McCann, M. (2017) Education as a predictor of antidepressant and anxiolytic medication use after bereavement: a population-based record linkage study. Quality of Life Research, 26(5), pp. 1251-1262. (doi: 10.1007/s11136-016-1440-1) (PMID:27770330) (PMCID:PMC5376389)

2016

Vanderbloemen, L., Minton, J. , Green, M., Mccann, M. and Shaw, R. (2016) Visualising Age-Period-Cohort Patterns in Health Data Using Lexis Surfaces. 60th Anniversary of the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Society for Social Medicine, York, UK, 14-16 Sep 2016. (Unpublished)

Maguire, L. K., Niens, U., Mccann, M. and Connolly, P. (2016) Emotional development among early school-age children: gender differences in the role of problem behaviours. Educational Psychology, 36(8), pp. 1408-1428. (doi: 10.1080/01443410.2015.1034090) (PMID:27570322) (PMCID:PMC4975098)

Mccann, M. , Perra, O., McLaughlin, A., McCartan, C. and Higgins, K. (2016) Assessing elements of a family approach to reduce adolescent drinking frequency: parent-adolescent relationship, knowledge management, and keeping secrets. Addiction, 111(5), pp. 843-853. (doi: 10.1111/add.13258) (PMID:26638189) (PMCID:PMC4949705)

2015

Moriarty, J., Maguire, A., O’Reilly, D. and McCann, M. (2015) Bereavement following informal care-giving: assessing mental health burden using linked population data. American Journal of Public Health, 105(8), pp. 1630-1637. (doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2015.302597) (PMID:26066918) (PMCID:PMC4504303)

Dunne, L., Mccann, M. , Millen, S., Wilson, J. and Macdonald, G. (2015) Overconfidence, sexual health awareness and sexual health risk among young female users of sexual health clinics. International Journal of Educational Research, 71, pp. 26-31. (doi: 10.1016/j.ijer.2015.02.007)

Hintsa, T., Kouvonen, A., McCann, M. , Jokela, M., Elovainio, M. and Demakakos, P. (2015) Higher effort-reward imbalance and lower job control predict exit from the labour market at the age of 61 years or younger: evidence from the English longitudinal study of ageing. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 69(6), pp. 543-549. (doi: 10.1136/jech-2014-205148) (PMID:25631860) (PMCID:PMC4453492)

2014

McCann, M. , Grundy, E. and O’Reilly, D. (2014) Urban and rural differences in risk of admission to a care home: a census-based follow-up study. Health and Place, 30, pp. 171-176. (doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2014.09.009) (PMID:25299173)

Mccann, M. , Higgins, K., Perra, O., McCartan, C. and McLaughlin, A. (2014) Adolescent ecstasy use and depression: cause and effect, or two outcomes of home environment? European Journal of Public Health, 24(5), pp. 845-850. (doi: 10.1093/eurpub/cku062)

2012

McCann, M. , Donnelly, M. and O'Reilly, D. (2012) Gender differences in care home admission risk: partner's age explains the higher risk for women. Age and Ageing, 41(3), pp. 416-419. (doi: 10.1093/ageing/afs022)

McCann, M. , Grundy, E. and O'Reilly, D. (2012) Why is housing tenure associated with a lower risk of admission to a nursing or residential home? Wealth, health and the incentive to keep 'my home'. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 66(2), pp. 166-169. (doi: 10.1136/jech-2011-200315)

2011

McCann, M. and Wheeler, S. (2011) Gender diversity in the FTSE 100: the business case claim explored. Journal of Law and Society, 38(4), pp. 542-574. (doi: 10.1111/j.1467-6478.2011.00558.x)

McCann, M. , Donnelly, M. and O'Reilly, D. (2011) Living arrangements, relationship to people in the household and admission to care homes for older people. Age and Ageing, 40(3), pp. 358-363. (doi: 10.1093/ageing/afr031)

2009

McCann, M. , O'Reilly, D. and Cardwell, C. (2009) A Census-based longitudinal study of variations in survival amongst residents of nursing and residential homes in Northern Ireland. Age and Ageing, 38(6), pp. 711-717. (doi: 10.1093/ageing/afp173)

This list was generated on Wed Sep 16 23:21:44 2020 BST.
Jump to: Articles | Conference or Workshop Item | Conference Proceedings
Number of items: 28.

Articles

Higgins, K., Perra, O., Jordan, J.-A., O'Neill, T. and McCann, M. (2020) School bonding and ethos in trajectories of offending: results from the Belfast Youth Development Study. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 90(2), pp. 424-448. (doi: 10.1111/bjep.12303) (PMID:32065389) (PMCID:PMC7317740)

Long, E. , Gardani, M., McCann, M. , Sweeting, H. , Tranmer, M. and Moore, L. (2020) Mental health disorders and adolescent peer relationships. Social Science and Medicine, 253, 112973. (doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.112973) (PMID:32283352) (PMCID:PMC7248572)

Ferguson, K. D., McCann, M. , Katikireddi, S. V. , Thomson, H. , Green, M. J. , Smith, D. J. and Lewsey, J. D. (2020) Evidence synthesis for constructing directed acyclic graphs (ESC-DAGs): a novel and systematic method for building directed acyclic graphs. International Journal of Epidemiology, 49(1), pp. 322-329. (doi: 10.1093/ije/dyz150) (PMID:31325312) (PMCID:PMC7124493)

Sinclair, J. M.A., Dutey-Magni, P. F., Anderson, A. S., Baird, J., Barker, M. E., Cutress, R. I., Kaner, E. F.S., McCann, M. , Priest, C. K. and Copson, E. R. (2020) A context-specific digital alcohol brief intervention in symptomatic breast clinics (Abreast of Health): development and usability study. JMIR Research Protocols, 9(1), e14580. (doi: 10.2196/14580) (PMID:32012091)

McCann, M. , Jordan, J.-A., Higgins, K. and Moore, L. (2019) Longitudinal social network analysis of peer, family and school contextual influences on adolescent drinking frequency. Journal of Adolescent Health, 65(3), pp. 350-358. (doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2019.03.004) (PMID:31196786) (PMCID:PMC6710020)

Higgins, K., O’Neill, N., O’Hara, L., Jordan, J.-A., McCann, M. , O’Neill, T., Clarke, M., O’Neill, T. and Campbell, A. (2019) Evidence for public health on novel psychoactive substance use: a mixed-methods study. Public Health Research, 7(14), pp. 1-150. (doi: 10.3310/phr07140)

Sinclair, J., McCann, M. , Sheldon, E., Gordon, I., Brierley-Jones, L. and Copson, E. (2019) The acceptability of addressing alcohol consumption as a modifiable risk factor for breast cancer: a mixed method study within breast screening services and symptomatic breast clinics. BMJ Open, 9, e027371. (doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-027371) (PMID:31209091) (PMCID:PMC6609127)

Jordan, J.-A., McCann, M. , Katikireddi, S. V. and Higgins, K. (2019) Harmonising alcohol consumption, sales and related outcomes data across the UK and Ireland: an insurmountable barrier to policy evaluation? Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy, 26(5), pp. 385-393. (doi: 10.1080/09687637.2018.1488948)

Forsyth, R. et al. (2018) Peer-led intervention to prevent and reduce STI transmission and improve sexual health in secondary schools (STASH): protocol for a feasibility study. Pilot and Feasibility Studies, 4, 180. (doi: 10.1186/s40814-018-0354-9) (PMID:30519482) (PMCID:PMC6264037)

Higgins, K., McLaughlin, A., Perra, O., McCartan, C., McCann, M. , Percy, A. and Jordan, J. A. (2018) The Belfast Youth Development Study (BYDS): A prospective cohort study of the initiation, persistence and desistance of substance use from adolescence to adulthood in Northern Ireland. PLoS ONE, 13(5), e0195192. (doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0195192) (PMID:29791433) (PMCID:PMC5965826)

Tay Wee Teck, J. and Mccann, M. (2018) Tracking internet interest in anabolic-androgenic steroids using Google Trends. International Journal of Drug Policy, 51, pp. 52-55. (doi: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2017.11.001) (PMID:29197722) (PMCID:PMC5788329)

Yerima, S. Y. et al. (2018) MobiQ: a modular Android application for collecting social interaction, repeated survey, GPS and photographic data. Software X, 7, pp. 143-149. (doi: 10.1016/j.softx.2018.04.006)

Maguire, A., Moriaty, J., O'Reilly, D. and McCann, M. (2017) Education as a predictor of antidepressant and anxiolytic medication use after bereavement: a population-based record linkage study. Quality of Life Research, 26(5), pp. 1251-1262. (doi: 10.1007/s11136-016-1440-1) (PMID:27770330) (PMCID:PMC5376389)

Maguire, L. K., Niens, U., Mccann, M. and Connolly, P. (2016) Emotional development among early school-age children: gender differences in the role of problem behaviours. Educational Psychology, 36(8), pp. 1408-1428. (doi: 10.1080/01443410.2015.1034090) (PMID:27570322) (PMCID:PMC4975098)

Mccann, M. , Perra, O., McLaughlin, A., McCartan, C. and Higgins, K. (2016) Assessing elements of a family approach to reduce adolescent drinking frequency: parent-adolescent relationship, knowledge management, and keeping secrets. Addiction, 111(5), pp. 843-853. (doi: 10.1111/add.13258) (PMID:26638189) (PMCID:PMC4949705)

Moriarty, J., Maguire, A., O’Reilly, D. and McCann, M. (2015) Bereavement following informal care-giving: assessing mental health burden using linked population data. American Journal of Public Health, 105(8), pp. 1630-1637. (doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2015.302597) (PMID:26066918) (PMCID:PMC4504303)

Dunne, L., Mccann, M. , Millen, S., Wilson, J. and Macdonald, G. (2015) Overconfidence, sexual health awareness and sexual health risk among young female users of sexual health clinics. International Journal of Educational Research, 71, pp. 26-31. (doi: 10.1016/j.ijer.2015.02.007)

Hintsa, T., Kouvonen, A., McCann, M. , Jokela, M., Elovainio, M. and Demakakos, P. (2015) Higher effort-reward imbalance and lower job control predict exit from the labour market at the age of 61 years or younger: evidence from the English longitudinal study of ageing. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 69(6), pp. 543-549. (doi: 10.1136/jech-2014-205148) (PMID:25631860) (PMCID:PMC4453492)

McCann, M. , Grundy, E. and O’Reilly, D. (2014) Urban and rural differences in risk of admission to a care home: a census-based follow-up study. Health and Place, 30, pp. 171-176. (doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2014.09.009) (PMID:25299173)

Mccann, M. , Higgins, K., Perra, O., McCartan, C. and McLaughlin, A. (2014) Adolescent ecstasy use and depression: cause and effect, or two outcomes of home environment? European Journal of Public Health, 24(5), pp. 845-850. (doi: 10.1093/eurpub/cku062)

McCann, M. , Donnelly, M. and O'Reilly, D. (2012) Gender differences in care home admission risk: partner's age explains the higher risk for women. Age and Ageing, 41(3), pp. 416-419. (doi: 10.1093/ageing/afs022)

McCann, M. , Grundy, E. and O'Reilly, D. (2012) Why is housing tenure associated with a lower risk of admission to a nursing or residential home? Wealth, health and the incentive to keep 'my home'. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 66(2), pp. 166-169. (doi: 10.1136/jech-2011-200315)

McCann, M. and Wheeler, S. (2011) Gender diversity in the FTSE 100: the business case claim explored. Journal of Law and Society, 38(4), pp. 542-574. (doi: 10.1111/j.1467-6478.2011.00558.x)

McCann, M. , Donnelly, M. and O'Reilly, D. (2011) Living arrangements, relationship to people in the household and admission to care homes for older people. Age and Ageing, 40(3), pp. 358-363. (doi: 10.1093/ageing/afr031)

McCann, M. , O'Reilly, D. and Cardwell, C. (2009) A Census-based longitudinal study of variations in survival amongst residents of nursing and residential homes in Northern Ireland. Age and Ageing, 38(6), pp. 711-717. (doi: 10.1093/ageing/afp173)

Conference or Workshop Item

Mccann, M. , Broccatelli, C. , Moore, L. and Mitchell, K. (2018) Distribution of Sexual Health Knowledge and Attitudes in Adolescent Social Networks: Social Network Analysis of Data from the STIs and Sexual Health Feasibility Study. Lancet Public Health Science 2018, Belfast, UK, 23 Nov 2018. S60. (doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(18)32047-6)

Vanderbloemen, L., Minton, J. , Green, M., Mccann, M. and Shaw, R. (2016) Visualising Age-Period-Cohort Patterns in Health Data Using Lexis Surfaces. 60th Anniversary of the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Society for Social Medicine, York, UK, 14-16 Sep 2016. (Unpublished)

Conference Proceedings

Vo, D.-B. , Lazarova, K., Purchase, H. C. and McCann, M. (2020) Visual Causality: Investigating Graph Layouts for Understanding Causal Processes. In: 11th International Conference on the Theory and Application of Diagrams (Diagrams 2020), Tallinn, Estonia, 24-28 Aug 2020, pp. 332-347. ISBN 9783030542481 (doi:10.1007/978-3-030-54249-8_26)

This list was generated on Wed Sep 16 23:21:44 2020 BST.

Grants

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

  • SPHSU/MRC EU - Participatory Systems Mapping
    Medical Research Council
    2021 - 2021
     
  • A systems approach to exploring syndemic health and social condition clustering among individuals who experience a drug-related death: developmental work for co-produced intervention(s)
    Chief Scientist Office
    2020 - 2022
     
  • Quinquennial Funding for Social and Public Health Sciences Unit
    Medical Research Council
    2020 - 2025
     
  • PHASE: The Population HeAlth Simulation nEtwork
    Medical Research Council
    2019 - 2023
     
  • Transdisciplinary Research for the Improvement of Youth Mental Public Health (TRIUMPH) Network
    Economic and Social Research Council
    2018 - 2022
     
  • An N of 1 study of the psychosocial determinants of `stopping, `switching and `seeking treatment behaviour following MUP implementation
    Alcohol Research UK
    2017 - 2018
     
  • Exploring the teachable moment for alcohol reduction in breast clinics: formative work to inform intervention design, development, and process evaluation 516776101 and MR/P016960/1
    Medical Research Council
    2017 - 2018
     
  • Harmonising alcohol-related outcomes data across the UK & Ireland
    Public Health Agency
    2015 - 2016
     
  • Variation and Determinants of Novel Psychoactive Substance (NPS) Use: Potential Implications for Policy and Practice
    National Institute for Health Research
    2015 - 2016
     
  • Know your own numbers (KYON): Adding primary prevention to the NHS Breast Screening Programme
    Cancer Research UK
    2014 - 2015
     
  • Scoping study for Deaf BSL User's cancer risks and prevention
    Cancer Research UK
    2014 - 2015
     
  • ESRC-IAA: Developing complex systems methods capacity in NHS Health Scotland
    Economic and Social Research Council
    2014 - 2019
     
  • MRC SPHSU/GU Transfer Fellowships
    Medical Research Council
    2013 - 2021
     

Supervision

Sebastián Martinez Bustos - Causal Inferential Dynamic Network Analysis for Public Health

Martin Anderson - Social networks and identity in Scotland's first 'recovery village' for Alcohol or other Drug (AOD) addiction.

Joe Tay – From the Individual, to the Social, to the Political: Older People Who Use Drugs and Deliberative Democracy

Jelena Milicev – Using social network analysis to understand social support, wellbeing and academic progress of postgraduate researchers.

  • Anderson, Martin
    .
  • Milicev, Jelena
    Using social network analysis to understand social support, wellbeing and academic progress of postgraduate researchers - a mixed method approach

Karl Ferguson - Evidence Synthesis methods for constructing Directed Acyclic Graphs 

Teaching

Mark teaches on quantitative research methods, and advanced quantitative methods including delivering a National Centre for Research Methods Course on Multilevel Modelling. He also runs the annual 'Introduction to Networks and Health Improvement' short course at the SPHSU

Research datasets

Jump to: 2021
Number of items: 1.

2021

Mitchell, K. , Purcell, C. , Forsyth, R., Barry, S., Hunter, R., Simpson, S. , McDaid, L. , Elliot, L., McCann, M. , Wetherall, K., Broccatelli, C., Bailey, J. V. and Moore, L. (2021) A peer-led intervention to promote sexual health in secondary schools: the STASH feasibility study. [Data Collection]

This list was generated on Sun Oct 2 00:18:23 2022 BST.

Professional portrait of Mark McCann