Global Mental Health | Papoula Petri-Romão

Information synthesis

Making sense of complex psychological data

Critical science

Embedding results in complex lived realities

Wider systems

Connecting isolated results to the broader picture

Bottom Up

Understanding what resilience means to us as human beings

hello!

I'm Papoula :)

I am an early career researcher in Psychology and Global Mental Health with a particular interest in understanding and promoting resilience through a both qualitative and quantitative approach. From a young age, I’ve been interested in mental health. My international background lead me to a passion for contextual and cultural analysis of what mental health means to us. I am a PhD candidate at the Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research in Mainz, Germany.

My methods include: observational longitudinal studies, RCTs, mediation analysis, behavioral studies and qualitative analysis.

To learn more about me, keep exploring my site or reach out to me directly.

Unlocking the Hidden Power of Forgotten Data

Much of psychology’s most valuable data is already out there — forgotten on old servers. Our new project unites nine European studies and over 50,000 participants to show how harmonizing existing data can unlock fresh insights into mental health and resilience, without starting from scratch.

Beyond the Breaking Point: Understanding Resilience in Healthcare Workers During Global Crises

When global health emergencies hit, healthcare workers face intense pressure that can strain their mental health. Our study of over 2,000 workers reveals most respond with resilience — their stress levels match the challenges they face.

Papoula Petri-Romão at Dalhousie University

Exploring Resilience Beyond Borders: Lessons from Halifax on Mental Health and Social Justice

During a five-week research visit in Halifax, I explored how resilience intersects with cultural and social contexts. Working with diverse communities and experts, I discovered that protecting mental health requires balancing individual strengths with structural realities. This experience reinforced that resilience is deeply connected to, and cannot replace, social justice.

Blog

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Publications

Petri-Romão, P., … Kalisch, R. (in press). Evidence for a causal-mechanistic role for positive appraisal style in stress resilience. Nature Communications. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/dgx4k
Petri-Romão, P., ... Mediavilla, R. (2025). Resilience changes and occupational resilience factors among healthcare workers during and after the COVID-19 pandemic: A 2-year prospective cohort study. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 29263. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-09829-8
Petri-Romão, P., Stoffers-Winterling, J., ... Lieb, K. (2025). Co-RESPOND: A federated network of cohorts on mental health and adversity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Challenges, solutions and recommendations for retrospective data harmonization. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 16(1), 2517920. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008066.2025.2517920
Petri-Romão, P., ..., & Kalisch, R. (2024). Self-report assessment of Positive Appraisal Style (PAS): Development of a process-focused and a content-focused questionnaire for use in mental health and resilience research. PloS One, 19(2), e0295562. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0295562
Petri-Romão, P., … Kalisch, R. (2024). Comparative investigation of appraisal style measures in their predictive potential for stress resilience and implications for predictive modeling of resilience. OSF. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/58ft9

Co-authored

Atarodi, V., ... Petri-Romão, P., ... Gémes, K. (2025). Specialized mental healthcare use for common mental disorders and prescription of antidepressants before and during the COVID-19 pandemic among working-age refugees and Swedish-born individuals – a nationwide register-based study. BMC Public Health, 25(1), 840. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-22028-4
Bali, P., Petri-Romão, P., Turner, F., Dyas, R., English, O., MacLean, J., O’Neil, I., & Minnis, H. (2025). How do families cope with major societal stressors: A qualitative study of family coping during the pandemic? (p. 2025.05.08.25327227). medRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.05.08.25327227
Compri, B., ... Petri-Romão, P., ... Barbui, C. (2025). Context, implementation and mechanisms of impact of a stepped-care WHO psychological intervention for migrants with psychological distress. Cambridge Prisms: Global Mental Health, 12, e62. https://doi.org/10.1017/gmh.2025.10024
Czepiel, Di., ... Petri-Romão, P., … van der Ven, E. (2025). From pre-pandemic to pandemic: Unravelling mental health trajectories in clinical and general population cohorts. OSF. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/zykhn_v1
Hecker, I., ... Petri-Romão, P., … Melchior, M. (2025). Psychological distress and compliance with sanitary measures during the Covid-19 pandemic. PLOS ONE, 20(7), e0317272. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0317272
Lang, J., Kerr, D. M., Petri-Romão, P., McKee, T., Smith, H., Wilson, N., Zavrou, M., Shiels, P., & Minnis, H. (2020). The hallmarks of childhood abuse and neglect: A systematic review. PLOS ONE, 15(12), e0243639. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0243639
Mediavilla, R., ... Petri-Romão, P., … Ayuso-Mateos, J. L. (2023). Effectiveness of a mental health stepped-care programme for healthcare workers with psychological distress in crisis settings: A multicentre randomised controlled trial. BMJ Ment Health, 26(1). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjment-2023-300697
Mediavilla, R., ... Petri-Romão, P., … Ayuso-Mateos, J. L. (2024). Beyond effectiveness in eHealth trials: Process evaluation of a stepped-care programme to support healthcare workers with psychological distress (RESPOND-HCWs). DIGITAL HEALTH, 10, 20552076241287678. https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076241287678
Mediavilla, R., ... Petri-Romão, P. … Ayuso-Mateos, J. L. (2022). Effectiveness of a stepped-care programme of internet-based psychological interventions for healthcare workers with psychological distress: Study protocol for the RESPOND healthcare workers randomised controlled trial. DIGITAL HEALTH, 8, 20552076221129084. https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076221129084
Mediavilla, R., … Petri-Romão, P., … RESPOND Consortium. (2022). Mental health problems and needs of frontline healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain: A qualitative analysis. Frontiers in Public Health, 10, 956403. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.956403
Mediavilla, R., ... Petri-Romão, P., … Roos, R. (2022). Mental health problems and needs of frontline healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain: A qualitative analysis. Frontiers in Public Health, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.956403
Melchior, M., ... Petri-Romão, P., … Tortelli, A. (2023). Addressing mental health problems among persons without stable housing in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: Study protocol for a randomised trial. RESPOND – France. BMC Public Health, 23(1), 2275. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-17238-7
Purgato, M., ... Petri-Romão, P., … Barbui, C. (2025). Effectiveness of a stepped-care programme of WHO psychological interventions in a population of migrants: Results from the RESPOND randomized controlled trial. World Psychiatry, 24(1), 120–130. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.21281
Purgato, M., ... Petri-Romão, P.,… Barbui, C. (2023). Effectiveness of a stepped-care programme of WHO psychological interventions in migrant populations resettled in Italy: Study protocol for the RESPOND randomized controlled trial. Frontiers in Public Health, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1100546
Roos, R., …, Petri-Romão, P., … the RESPOND Consortium. (2023). Effectiveness of a scalable, remotely delivered stepped-care intervention to reduce symptoms of psychological distress among Polish migrant workers in the Netherlands: Study protocol for the RESPOND randomised controlled trial. BMC Psychiatry, 23(1), 801. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-023-05288-5

How to cite and pronounce my name

Always cite my name as Petri-Romão, P.

I have two surnames, so no other version of my name is correct.

My first name (Papoula) is pronounced as if there was no 'u'. It should resemble the words 'granola' or 'cola'. In other words, it's like pah-POH-lah, not pah-pooh-lah (for example, like the word shampoo).

Petri is pronounced like the Petri dish and Romao is pronouned ro-MAO (it should rhyme with now).

Full Name: pah-POH-lah pe-tree ro-MAO

Papoula Petri-Romão