Between the Sheets Research
MEET THE RESEARCH TEAM
Dr Andrew Allen
Dr Rachael Sharman
Paige Hibbins
As a Senior Lecturer in Clinical Psychology at the University of the Sunshine Coast, Dr Andrew Allen coordinates and teaches in the Master of Psychology (Clinical) and Master of Professional Psychology programs. Additionally, Andrew provides clinical and research supervision for students, and co-supervision for PhD students. Andrew is a registered Clinical Psychologist and Board-Approved Supervisor with the Psychology Board of Australia, under the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency. His teaching, collaboration, and supervision with students is underpinned by clinical experience spanning private and public sectors. This includes the provision of psychological intervention to support those with psychosocial and mental health difficulties across the lifespan. Andrew has also held senior leadership roles focused on coordinating, delivering, and managing wellbeing programs for public organisations.
Rachael Sharman is a senior lecturer and researcher in the field of psychology, with a focus on the optimal and healthy development of the paediatric brain. Her research has covered the psychological and cognitive impacts of: rare genetic disorders (phenylketonuria; PKU); dietary intake; physical activity/sports involvement; concussion; brain injury; social media use and high-conflict custody disputes. Rachael supervises Honours, Masters and PhD students and has a current interest in the impact of social media/screen use in children, adolescents and young adults. She has published over 30 peer reviewed journal articles, two book chapters, one book and is a volume editor for The Encyclopedia of Child and Adolescent Development (Wiley). Rachael is a highly engaging and popular lecturer, who concentrates on cultivating work-relevant skills in her teaching and assessment. Rachael frequently presents at national and international conferences, as well as in schools, professional development and community groups. Her expert commentary has been regularly published in popular media, including newspapers, magazines (eg Time), internet (ABC news, The Conversation), local, national and international radio, and television (eg ABC and commercial news, SBS Insight and The Project).
In 2022, Paige graduated with a Bachelor of Social Sciences (Psychology) (Honours Class I) at the University of the Sunshine Coast. Paige is a Provisional Psychologist, undertaking her Master of Psychology (Clinical) at the University of the Sunshine Coast. Paige has a strong interest in the psychology of relationships and sex. Her master’s thesis is focused on identifying the themes and patterns present in cognitions pre- and post-sexual activity. She hopes to pursue this research further through a PhD in later years.
CURRENT RESEARCH
Thinking in between the sheets: How do we think about sex in between sexual encounters?
The current study will address the recognised gap in the research by identifying themes among pre- and post-sex cognitions, specifically sex-related repetitive negative thinking (RNT) including worry and rumination. Understanding these themes will support accurate assessment, formulation, and tailored interventions for individuals and couples who may be experiencing sexual distress and/or dysfunction. Additionally, this study forms the basis for the development of a scale specifically designed to measure post-sex RNT.
Essentially, the research question is “How do people experience and describe repetitive negative thinking concerning sexual activity pre- and post-sexual encounters?”. This study aims to answer this question by collecting qualitative data and performing an inductive analysis to identify themes among pre- and post-sex cognitions. The overarching goal is to build a conceptual map of sex-related RNT pre- and post-sex which can then be used to develop a preliminary scale of pre- and post-sex RNT. The objective of this study is to identify common themes and specific thoughts associated with sex-related RNT through qualitative survey and interview questions.