Key details
Dr Michèle Denise Birtel
Associate Professor of Social Clinical Psychology and Centre Lead of the Centre for Mental Health
Dr. Michèle Denise Birtel is an Associate Professor of Social Clinical Psychology, Centre Lead of the Centre for Mental Health and the Director of the Health Inequalities and Stigma Lab.
Education:
- PhD in Social Psychology, University of Kent (UK)
- Diploma in Psychology (equivalent to 2-year BSc, 4-year MSc & MRes), University of Mannheim (Germany).
Research Areas:
- Social stigma (e.g. relating to mental health, menstruation, infant-feeding, ethnic background)
- Women’s health
- Loneliness
- Societal threats (e.g. infectious diseases, political polarization, climate change) and health
For more detailed information visit: www.michelebirtel.com
PhD applications are welcome. Apply here.
Teaching: psychopathology and clinical psychology, social psychology, research methods and statistics.
Recent publications
Article
Birtel, Michèle D. and , Tausch, Nicole (2025), Brexit and wellbeing: strained intergroup relations and positive intergroup contact predict wellbeing of Remainers and Leavers post Brexit. Wiley. In: , , , . Wiley, Journal of Applied Social Psychology ISSN: 0021-9029 (Print), 1559-1816 (Online) (doi: ) NB Item availability restricted.
Yin, Jiaqi , Liu, Shihan, Lee, Shao-Wen, Kitsios, Andreas , Gillies, Marco , Birtel, Michèle Denise , Farmer, Harry , Pan, Xueni (2025), Immersive intergroup contact: using virtual reality to enhance empathy and reduce stigma towards schizophrenia. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). In: , , , IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics (TVCG) ISSN: 1077-2626 (Print), 1941-0506 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1109/TVCG.2025.3616759).
Wallace, Deborah , Newton, Paul, Mccrone, Paul, Birtel, Michèle D. (2025), A narrative review into gendered ethnic mental health inequalities before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The British Psychological Society (BPS). In: , , , . The British Psychological Society (BPS), Educational & Child Psychology, 42 (2) . pp. 83-101 ISSN: 0267-1611 (Print), 2396-8702 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.53841/bpsecp.2025.42.2.83).
Tausch, Nicole , Birtel, Michèle D., Górska, Paulina, Bode, Sidney , Rocha, Carolina (2024), A post-Brexit intergroup contact intervention reduces affective polarization between Leavers and Remainers short-term. Nature. In: , , , . Nature, Communications Psychology, 2: 95 2731-9121 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44271-024-00146-w).
Birtel, Michèle D. , Di Bernardo, Gian Antonio, Vezzali, Loris, Turner, Rhiannon N. , Crisp, Richard J. , Martin, Robin (2024), Dispositional empathy and personality as predictors of contact quality: the mediating roles of contact self-efficacy and effort towards contact. Elsevier. In: , , , . Elsevier, International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 102: 101986 ISSN: 0147-1767 (Print), 1873-7552 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2024.101986).
Birtel, Michèle D. , Di Bernardo, Gian Antonio, Hobson, Hannah, Collins-Quirk, Ashleigh , Vezzali, Loris (2023), Avoiding affect in intergroup relations: the roles of dispositional and intergroup empathy in the relationship between alexithymia and prejudice. Wiley. In: , , , . Wiley, Journal of Applied Social Psychology ISSN: 0021-9029 (Print), 1559-1816 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/jasp.13015).
Azevedo, Flavio , Pavlović, Tomislav, Rêgo, Gabriel Gaudencio do, Ay, F. Ceren , Gjoneska, Biljana , Etienne, Tom , Ross, Robert M , Schönegger, Philipp , Riaño, Julian , Cichocka, Aleksandra (2023), Social and moral psychology of COVID-19 across 69 countries. Nature Research. In: , , , Social and moral psychology of COVID-19 across 69 countries. Nature Research, Scientific Data, 10: 272 . pp. 1-26 2052-4463 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-023-02080-8).
Zingora, Tibor , Birtel, Michele, Graf, Sylvie, Hrebickova, Martina , Lacko, David , Rupar, Mirjana , Tocik, Jaroslav , Voca, Shpend (2022), Change in anti-COVID-19 behavior and prejudice against minorities during the COVID- 19 pandemic: longitudinal evidence from five European countries. Wiley. In: , , , Change in Anti-COVID-19 Behavior and Prejudice against Minorities during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Longitudinal Evidence from Five European Countries. Wiley, European Journal of Social Psychology, 53 (4) . pp. 645-663 ISSN: 0046-2772 (Print), 1099-0992 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.2928).
Birtel, Michèle D. and , Mitchell, Briana L. (2022), Cross-cultural differences in depression between white British and South Asians: causal attributions, stigma by association, discriminatory potential. Wiley-The British Psychological Society. In: , , , . Wiley-The British Psychological Society, Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 96 (1) . pp. 101-116 2044-8341 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/papt.12428).
Birtel, Michele and , Oldfield, Gemma (2022), Affective, cognitive, and behavioral mental illness stigma in healthcare: a comparison between general ward nurses and the general population. American Psychological Association (APA). In: , , , . American Psychological Association (APA), Stigma and Health, 7 (4) . pp. 380-388 ISSN: 2376-6972 (Print), 2376-6964 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1037/sah0000416).
Pavlović, Tomislav , Azevedo, Flavio, De, Koustav, Riaño-Moreno, Julián C , Maglić, Marina , Gkinopoulos, Theofilos , Donnelly-Kehoe, Patricio Andreas , Payán-Gómez, César , Huang, Guanxiong , Kantorowicz, Jaroslaw (2022), Predicting attitudinal and behavioral responses to COVID-19 pandemic using machine learning. Oxford Academic Press. In: , , , . Oxford Academic Press, PNAS Nexus, 1: pgac093 (3) ISSN: 2752-6542 (Print), (doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac093).
Van Bavel, Jay J. , Cichocka, Aleksandra, Capraro, Valerio, Sjåstad, Hallgeir , Nezlek, John B. , Pavlović, Tomislav , Alfano, Mark , Gelfand, Michele J. , Azevedo, Flavio , Birtel, Michele D. (2022), Author Correction: National identity predicts public health support during a global pandemic. Nature. In: , , , . Nature, Nature Communications, 13: 1949 ISSN: 2041-1723 (Print), (doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-29658-x).
Drury, Lisbeth , Birtel, Michele D., Randsley de Moura, Georgina, Crisp, Richard J. (2022), Remembrance of contact past: when intergroup contact meta-cognitions decrease outgroup tolerance. Sage. In: , , , . Sage, Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, 26 (3) . pp. 652-668 ISSN: 1368-4302 (Print), 1461-7188 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/13684302221079220).
Van Bavel, Jey J. , Cichocka, Aleskandra, Capraro, Valerio, Sjåstad, Hallgeir , Nezlek, John B. , Pavlović, Tomislav , Alfano, Mark , Gelfand, Michele J. , Azevedo, Flavio , Birtel, Michele (2022), National identity predicts public health support during a global pandemic. Nature Research. In: , , , . Nature Research, Nature Communications, 13: 517 2041-1723 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-27668-9).
Di Bernardo, Gian Antonio , Vezzali, Loris, Birtel, Michèle D., Stathi, Sofia , Ferrari, Barbara , Giovannini, Dino , Pettigrew, Thomas F. (2021), The role of optimal conditions and intergroup contact in promoting positive intergroup relations in and out of the workplace: A study with ethnic majority and minority workers. SAGE. In: , , , . SAGE, Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 25 (6) . pp. 1516-1533 ISSN: 1368-4302 (Print), 1461-7188 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/13684302211010929).
Russell, Pascale Sophie , Birtel, Michele D., Smith, Debbie M., Hart, Kathryn , Newman, Rebecca (2021), Infant feeding and internalized stigma: the role of guilt and shame. In: , , , . , Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 51 (9) . pp. 906-919 ISSN: 0021-9029 (Print), (doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/jasp.12810).
Birtel, Michèle D. , Di Bernardo, Gian Antonio, Vezzali, Loris (2021), Fading affect bias in intergroup relations: The role of intergroup contact in fading outgroup affect. Hogrefe. In: , , , . Hogrefe, Social Psychology, 52 (4) . pp. 203-214 ISSN: 1864-9335 (Print), 2151-2590 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1027/1864-9335/a000449).
Russell, Pascale Sophie , Smith, Debbie M., Birtel, Michèle D., Hart, Kathryn H. , Golding, Sarah E. (2021), The role of emotions and injunctive norms in breastfeeding: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Taylor and Francis. In: , , , . Taylor and Francis, Health Psychology Review, 16 (2) . pp. 257-279 ISSN: 1743-7199 (Print), 1743-7202 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/17437199.2021.1893783).
Cadamuro, Alessia , Birtel, Michèle D., Di Bernardo, Gian Antonio, Crapolicchio, Eleonora , Vezzali, Loris , Drury, John (2021), Resilience in children in the aftermath of disasters: a systematic review and a new perspective on individual, interpersonal, group, and intergroup level factors. Wiley. In: , , , . Wiley, Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology, 31 (3) . pp. 259-275 ISSN: 1052-9284 (Print), 1099-1298 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/casp.2500).
Book section
Birtel, Michèle D. and , (2024), Chapter 10. Intergroup and intercultural relations. SAGE. In: , , In: Stefania Paolini, Rhiannon N. Turner, Milica Vasiljevic, Richard J. Crisp (eds.), Social Psychology Foundations, Advances and Applications. SAGE, London; California; New Delhi; Singapore (1st) . pp. 477-536 . ISBN: 978526428141; 9781526428134 (doi: https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/social-psychology/book258042) NB Item availability restricted.
Conference proceedings
Zhang, Ju , Ma, Fang, Birtel, Michèle D., Pan, Xueni , Farmer, Harry (2025), Squeeze the pain away: using a wireless ball to measure efforts to reduce other’s pain expressions in VR. Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). In: CHI EA '25: "CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems", 26th Apr - 1st May, 2025, Yokohama Japan In: Naomi Yamashita, Vanessa Evers, Koji Yatani, Xianghua (Sharon) Ding (eds.), CHI EA '25: Proceedings of the Extended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), New York, NY, United States Proceedings of the Extended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (493) . pp. 1-10 . ISBN: 9798400713958 (doi: https://doi.org/10.1145/3706599.3720164).
Zhang, Ju , Ma, Fang, Birtel, Michèle Denise, Pan, Xueni , Farmer, Harry (2025), Squeeze the pain away: using a wireless ball to measure efforts to reduce other’s pain expressions in VR. Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). In: , , In: Naomi Yamashita, Vanessa Evers, Koji Yatani, Xianghua (Sharon) Ding, Bongshin Lee, Marshini Chetty, Phoebe Toups-Dugas (eds.), CHI '25: Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), New York , 493 . pp. 1-10 . ISBN: 9798400713941 (doi: https://doi.org/10.1145/3706599.3720164).