Joanne A Rathbone
PhD Social Psychology
About Me
I am a social and health psychology researcher. I use theory-driven and applied methods to investigate social determinants of health and behaviour, with a particular focus on stigma, social identities, and social change.
I completed my PhD in social psychology at the University of Queensland in November 2021. My thesis examined novel psychological and social determinants of weight stigma and discrimination and the implications for public and primary health care. I am currently a Research Fellow at the Australian National University and the Academic Lead for the ACT Wellbeing Framework project in partnership with ACT Government. I am also an Honorary Fellow at the University of Queensland and a member of The Obesty Collective Stigma Expert Group.
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You can download my CV here
Research Areas
Featured Publications
Non-stigmatising alternatives to anti-obesity public health messages: Consequences for health behaviour and well-being
Weight-inclusive public health messages have psychological benefits for people of all body sizes and provide a promising alternative to traditional weight-stigmatising message frames.
When stigma is the norm: How weight and social norms influence the healthcare we receive
Health professionals who perceived weight stigma to be more
normative among their colleagues displayed a hyper-vigilance toward weight in their treatment approach for both higher weight and "average" weight patients.
Groups 4 Health versus Cognitive Behaviour Therapy in young people with depression and loneliness: A randomized, phase 3, non-inferiority trial with 12 month follow-up.
Groups 4 Health was found to be non-inferior to gold standard CBT in reducing depression and loneliness among young people, and even outperformed CBT in reducing loneliness at 12 month follow-up.
