Contact

• workRoom B13 YANG Fujia Building
  Jubilee Campus
  Wollaton Road
  Nottingham
  NG8 1BB
  UK
• Eirini.Kontou@nottingham.ac.uk

Biography

Dr Eirini Kontou is a clinical academic clinical psychologist who holds appointments at Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and at the University of Nottingham. She currently holds the prestigious NIHR/HEE ICA Clinical Lectureship that supports her career development and a multi-phased iterative research project for optimising psychological care pathways for people after transient ishaemic attack and minor stroke. She is a Senior Research Fellow based at the School of Medicine and the Institute of Mental Health. Dr Kontou supervises research projects in the Trent Doctorate in Clinical Psychology with a focus in stroke, MS and neuropsychology. In 2020, she was awarded the NIHR Development Skills & Enhancement award to develop her expertise in developing and evaluating complex interventions in clinical trials.

Dr Kontou achieved her BA (hons) in Psychology from the American College of Greece. She obtained her MSc in Rehabilitation Psychology from the University of Nottingham and then she received a training research bursary from the Stroke Association to undertake her PhD on the impact of communication problems on post-stroke depression. She qualified in clinical psychology in September 2012 from the University of Sheffield (DClinPsy) and she returned back to the university to work as a part-time researcher. As a qualified clinical psychologist, she has worked in health psychology and stroke rehabilitation. She has successfully completed a prestigious Stroke Association Postdoctoral Fellowship to develop an intervention that offers educational, psychological and social support for people after TIA and minor stroke. Dr Kontou is interested in the development, delivery and evaluation of psychological interventions in the context of rehabilitation and physical health.

Expertise Summary

Depression and communication problems after stroke, psychological adjustment interventions for people with multiple sclerosis and other long-term physical health problems, assessing fitness to drive in neurological conditions.

Dr Kontou's has a long-standing interest in stroke rehabilitation and in psychosocial difficulties following physical health conditions.

Teaching Summary

Teaching on the MSc Rehabilitation Psychology and Health Psychology courses.

Research Summary

Optimising Psychoeducation for Transient Ischaemic Attack and Minor Stroke Management (OPTIMISM). 2015-2018. Kontou E. (CI) et al. Funded by a Stroke Association Postdoctoral Fellowship.… read more

Recent Publications

• TURNER, GRACE M., HERON, NEIL, CROW, JENNIFER, KONTOU, EIRINI and HUGHES, SALLY, 2022. Stroke and TIA Survivors' Perceptions of the COVID-19 Vaccine and Influences on Its Uptake: Cross Sectional Survey INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH. 19(21),
• HILL, GEORGINA, REGAN, SANDRA and FRANCIS, RICHARD, 2022. Research priorities to improve stroke outcomes LANCET NEUROLOGY. 21(4), 312-313
• WEBB, SAM S., KONTOU, EIRINI and DEMEYERE, NELE, 2022. The COVID-19 pandemic altered the modality, but not the frequency, of formal cognitive assessment DISABILITY AND REHABILITATION. 44(21), 6365-6373
• WALKER, MARION F., BIRCHALL, SHEILA, COBLEY, CHRISTINE, CONDON, LAURA, FISHER, REBECCA, FLETCHER-SMITH, JOANNA, GOLDING-DAY, MIRIAM R., GREENSMITH, CHRISTOPHER, KONTOU, EIRINI, MATIAS, OLIVER, SPRIGG, NIKOLA, THOMAS, SHIRLEY A. and WHITEHEAD, PHILLIP J., 2020. Biopsychosocial intervention for stroke carers (BISC): results of a feasibility randomised controlled trial and nested qualitative interview study CLINICAL REHABILITATION.

• View all publications

Current Research

Optimising Psychoeducation for Transient Ischaemic Attack and Minor Stroke Management (OPTIMISM). 2015-2018. Kontou E. (CI) et al. Funded by a Stroke Association Postdoctoral Fellowship. https://www.stroke.org.uk/research/psychological-educational-and-social-support-people-after-tia-and-minor-stroke

Biopsychosocial Intervention for Stroke Carers (BISC). 2015-2018. Walker M. (CI) et al. Funded by NIHR RfPB. https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/research/groups/strokerehabilitation/projects/bisc.aspx

Past Research

Comparing individual versus group adjustment psychological interventions for people with multiple sclerosis (2014). Nair R. (CI) et al. Funded by Nottingham Hospitals Charity.

Validation of two neuropsychological batteries for assessing fitness to drive in people with multiple sclerosis. DClinPsy thesis project, University of Sheffield.

Factors relating to depression and aphasia after stroke (2008). PhD thesis project, University of Nottingham.

• TURNER, GRACE M., HERON, NEIL, CROW, JENNIFER, KONTOU, EIRINI and HUGHES, SALLY, 2022. Stroke and TIA Survivors' Perceptions of the COVID-19 Vaccine and Influences on Its Uptake: Cross Sectional Survey INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH. 19(21),
• HILL, GEORGINA, REGAN, SANDRA and FRANCIS, RICHARD, 2022. Research priorities to improve stroke outcomes LANCET NEUROLOGY. 21(4), 312-313
• WEBB, SAM S., KONTOU, EIRINI and DEMEYERE, NELE, 2022. The COVID-19 pandemic altered the modality, but not the frequency, of formal cognitive assessment DISABILITY AND REHABILITATION. 44(21), 6365-6373
• WALKER, MARION F., BIRCHALL, SHEILA, COBLEY, CHRISTINE, CONDON, LAURA, FISHER, REBECCA, FLETCHER-SMITH, JOANNA, GOLDING-DAY, MIRIAM R., GREENSMITH, CHRISTOPHER, KONTOU, EIRINI, MATIAS, OLIVER, SPRIGG, NIKOLA, THOMAS, SHIRLEY A. and WHITEHEAD, PHILLIP J., 2020. Biopsychosocial intervention for stroke carers (BISC): results of a feasibility randomised controlled trial and nested qualitative interview study CLINICAL REHABILITATION.
• KNAPP P, DUNN-ROBERTS A, SAHIB N, COOK L, ASTIN F, KONTOU E and THOMAS SA, 2020. Frequency of anxiety after stroke: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. International journal of stroke : official journal of the International Stroke Society. 15(3), 244-255
• 2020. Optimising Psychoeducation for Transient Ischaemic Attack and Minor Stroke Management (OPTIMISM): Protocol for a feasibility randomised controlled trial [version 1; peer review: 2 approved] AMRC Open Research.
• KNAPP, PETER, DUNN-ROBERTS, ALEXANDER, SAHIB, NIMAH, COOK, LIZ, ASTIN, FELICITY, KONTOU, EIRINI and THOMAS, SHIRLEY A., 2020. Frequency of anxiety after stroke: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF STROKE. 15(3), 244-255
• GERAGHTY, JENNIFER, ABLEWHITE, JOANNE, DAS NAIR, ROSHAN, LINCOLN, NADINA, KONTOU, EIRINI, ROFFE, JACK, LANNIN, NATASHA and DRUMMOND, AVRIL, 2020. Results of a UK-wide vignette study with occupational therapists to explore cognitive screening post stroke INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF THERAPY AND REHABILITATION. 27(7),
• CONDON, L., BENFORD, P., KONTOU, E., THOMAS, S. and WALKER, M., 2019. The use of carer perspectives and expert consensus to define key components of a biopsychosocial support intervention for stroke carers. Topics in stroke rehabilitation. 26(6), 440-447
• KONTOU, E., MARION, M. F., THOMAS, S., GRIFFITHS, H., RICHARDSON, C., SPRIGG, N. and WATKINS, C., 2019. Optimising Psychoeducation for Transient Ischaemic Attack and MInor Stroke Management (OPTIMISM): a feasibility randomised controlled trial of a psychoeducational intervention after TIA and minor stroke INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF STROKE. 14(4_SUPPL), 49-49
• ALAHMARI, W., ALHOWIMEL, A., ALOTAIBI, M., KONTOU, E., LOGAN, P. and COULSON, N., 2019. Exploring the perception of health care professionals around Post-stroke fatigue in Saudi Arabia: a qualitative interview study INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF STROKE. 14(4_SUPPL), 38-38
• WALKER, MF, THOMAS, SA, WHITEHEAD, PJ, CONDON, L, FISHER, RJ, KONTOU, E, BENFORD, P and COBLEY, C, 2017. Biopsychosocial Intervention for Stroke Carers (BISC): protocol for a feasibility randomised controlled trial (RCT) BMJ Open. 7(10), e018309
• KONTOU, E, WALKER, MF, SPRIGG, N, THOMAS, S, CONDON, L and WATKINS, C, 2017. A systematic review of psychoeducational interventions for transient ischaemic attack and minor stroke management Available at: <https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=56734>
• WALKER, MARION F., THOMAS, SHIRLEY A., WHITEHEAD, PHILLIP J., CONDON, LAURA, FISHER, REBECCA J., KONTOU, EIRINI, BENFORD, PENNY and COBLEY, CHRISTINE, 2017. Biopsychosocial Intervention for Stroke Carers (BISC): protocol for a feasibility randomised controlled trial (RCT) BMJ OPEN. 7(10),
• DAS NAIR R, KONTOU E, SMALE K, BARKER A and LINCOLN NB, 2015. Comparing individual and group intervention for psychological adjustment in people with multiple sclerosis: a feasibility randomised controlled trial. Clinical rehabilitation. 30(12), 1156-1164
• KONTOU, E., THOMAS, S.A. and LINCOLN, N.B., 2012. Psychometric properties of a revised version of the visual analog mood scales Clinical Rehabilitation. 26(12), 1133-40