Deakin-Aston Cotutelle - Help seeking for period pain in adolescence

This is a doctoral cotutelle project between Deakin University (Australia) and Aston University (UK)

The successful PhD Student will be awarded a scholarship from Deakin University with the supervision team being drawn from Deakin University and Aston University. The PhD Student will graduate with two testamurs, one from Deakin University and one from Aston University, each of which recognises that the program was carried out as part of a jointly supervised doctoral program. The PhD Student is anticipated to spend a minimum 6 months of the total period of the program at Aston University, including for 8 consecutive weeks in their final year of study to comply with UK Research Excellence Framework (REF) regulations, with the remainder of the program based at Deakin University.

The program is for a duration of 3 years and scheduled to commence in October 2025.

This research project offers an exciting opportunity to increase knowledge and understanding of adolescents’ experience of dysmenorrhea (moderate-to-severe period pain) and what support they seek for this.

Dysmenorrhea can be either primary (not caused by a health condition) or secondary (caused by a health condition, such as endometriosis, which are often not diagnosed until adulthood). The disease burden associated with dysmenorrhea is significant, including the restriction of social activity and diminished quality of life ^{(Culley et al., 2013; Evans et al., 2019; Iacovides et al., 2015)}. It is critical that dysmenorrhea is treated as early as possible to mitigate symptom burden and optimise quality of life ^{(Gagnon et al., 2022; Hennegan et al., 2021)}. Given that dysmenorrhea starts in adolescence ^{(Gagnon et al., 2022)}, the current study aims to better understand help seeking in adolescents experiencing dysmenorrhea.

Help-seeking for dysmenorrhea is variable amongst adolescents. This may be due to normalization of symptoms, lack of knowledge about treatment and management options, and/or lack of knowledge about secondary dysmenorrhea. Help-seeking is an example of problem-focused coping, which can be influenced by a number of factors, including the person’s own interpretation of symptoms, significant others/credible sources, and social media.

Applications close 5pm, Sunday 2 February 2025

This scholarship is supported by Deakin University, is available over 3 years and includes:

• Stipend of $35,550 per annum  tax exempt (2025 rate)
• Full Tuition Fee Waiver for up to 4 years
• Funding to support single travel between Deakin University and Aston University.
• Travel insurance support during residency at partner institution.

To be eligible you must:

• be a domestic candidate. Domestic includes candidates with Australian Citizenship, Australian Permanent Residency or New Zealand Citizenship.
• meet the PhD entry requirements of both Deakin University and Aston University, including English language proficiency requirements
• hold a Bachelor's degree with research experience or Master's degree (research) in a relevant subject area
• be enrolling full time
• be able to physically locate to both Aston University (UK) and Deakin University (Australia)

Please refer to the research degree entry pathways page and Aston’s research entry criteria page for further information.