Dr Leyla De Amicis

Lecturer in Education (People, Place & Social Change)

Biography

I obtained my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Psychology from the University of Padua (Italy), under the supervision of Professor Luciano Arcuri and Professor Mara Cadinu. My dissertation examined the relationship between the self and the ingroup, exploring whether it is unidirectional or reciprocal. I then completed my PhD in Psychology at the University of Sussex, supervised by Professor Rupert Brown and Professor Robin Banerjee. My doctoral research focused on children’s emotional processes involved in behavioural responses to peers in interracial contexts.

I have worked as a researcher on various national (Wellcome Trust) and international (e.g., Erasmus+) projects at different universities, most recently at GCU, UWS, and the University of Edinburgh. These projects addressed topics such as prejudice-based bullying, children’s and parents’ perceptions of chronic pain, and perceptions of health services among people with disabilities and their families/carers. Additionally, I have volunteered with numerous non-profit organisations supporting children and people with disabilities in Italy, the UK, Bosnia, Nepal, and Costa Rica.

I have held roles as Temporary Lecturer and Associate Tutor at several UK universities (e.g., University of Sussex, CCC, Kingston University), teaching across many areas of Psychology, with my main expertise in Social and Developmental Psychology.

Since 2023, I have been a Lecturer in Education at the University of Glasgow and a RET Fellow since September 2025. In 2025, I also received a Teaching Excellence Award at the University of Glasgow for work on decolonising the curriculum and pedagogy, as part of the Decolonising the Curriculum Community of Practice Team: Mr Dustin Hosseini, Dr Michele Vincent, Dr Colette Mair, Dr Zayba Ghazali-Mohammed, and Dr Samuel Skipsey.

I am currently Course Convenor for Individual Differences (MSc Psychological Studies – conversion; MSc Psychology Online – conversion), Psychology of Adult Learning (MEd/PgDip Adult Learning, Community Development), and Advanced Educational Research (MSc Educational Studies). I also teach on other psychology courses, including Developmental Psychology, Educational Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, and Human Development, and I supervise dissertations for the MSc Psychological Studies.

In previous years, I convened the course Psychology of Environmental Sustainability and taught on Approaches to Inclusive Learning, Applied Qualitative Methods, Clinical Health Psychology, Introduction to Educational and Social Research, and seminars on educational issues. I have supervised dissertations for MSc Psychology (ODL), MSc Education (ODL), and MSc Educational Studies.

Research interests

I am interested in conducting research on:

Decolonising the curriculum and pedagogy
Anti-bullying and anti-discrimination strategies, such as bystander intervention and solidarity-based action
Emotions, including eco-emotions and intergroup emotions
Human–nonhuman animal relations
Climate change action and behavioural change towards more sustainable lifestyles

I employ qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods approaches, applied to both primary and secondary data.

Publications

List by: Type | Date

Jump to: 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2005 | 2004 | 1999

Number of items: 39.

2025

Görzig, Anke, Betts, Lucy R., Maunder, Rachel, Monks, Claire P., De Amicis, Leyla and Bennett, Samuel (2025) Teachers’ responses to identity-based bullying: Social inequality, identity, and diversity at teacher and school level. International Journal of Bullying Prevention, (doi: 10.1007/s42380-024-00281-2) (Early Online Publication)

2024

De Amicis, Leyla, Shelly, Catriona, Camilleri, Lynette, Albayrak-Aydemir, Nihan and Uluğ, Özden Melis (2024) Turning a BPS symposium into a safe and hopeful space for challenging social inequalities within and outside our communities. Social Psychological Review, 26(2), pp. 12-14.

De Amicis, L., Vincent, M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3076-5659, Mair, C. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8885-7161 and Hosseini, D. (2024) Self-Reflecting on Decolonising One Own’s Learning and Teaching: Could a Self-Assessment Tool Work. SERA Annual Conference 2024, Dundee, UK, 27-29 November 2024.

Vincent, M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3076-5659, De Amicis, L., Ghazali-Mohammed, Z. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2975-5581, Saleh, A., Mair, Colette ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8885-7161 and Hosseini, Dustin ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5846-9993 (2024) Experiences and Challenges in Decolonising the Curriculum: What We Learned and Where Should We Go Now. SERA Annual Conference 2024, Dundee, UK, 27-29 November 2024.

Sapouna, Maria and De Amicis, Leyla (2024) Scotland. In: Bullying of Children and Adolescents: A Global Perspective. Edward Elgar. (Accepted for Publication)

Willems, Roy A., Sapouna, Maria, De Amicis, Leyla, Völlink, Trijntje, Dehue, Francine, Dimakos, Ioannis, Priovolou, Konstantina, Nikolaou, Georgios and Rosinský, Rastislav (2024) Encouraging positive bystander responses to bias-based bullying in primary schools through a serious game approach: a non-randomized controlled evaluation of the ‘GATE-BULL’ program. International Journal of Bullying Prevention, (doi: 10.1007/s42380-024-00243-8) (Early Online Publication)

2023

Sapouna, Maria, De Amicis, Leyla and Vezzali, Loris (2023) Bullying victimization due to racial, ethnic, citizenship and/or religious status: a systematic review. Adolescent Research Review, 8(3), pp. 261-294. (doi: 10.1007/s40894-022-00197-2)

Lawrence, M. et al. (2023) The HEADS: UP development study: working with key stakeholders to adapt a mindfulness-based stress reduction course for people with anxiety and depression after stroke. Healthcare, 11(3), 355. (doi: 10.3390/healthcare11030355) (PMID:36766930) (PMCID:PMC9914141)

Vezzali, L. et al. (2023) Using sport media exposure to promote gender equality: counter-stereotypical gender perceptions and the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, 26(2), pp. 265-283. (doi: 10.1177/13684302221075691)

2022

De Amicis, Leyla and Xue, Y. (2022) Chinese Parents’ Attitudes Towards Children’s Defending Behaviour in Typical and Prejudice Based Bullying Contexts. AIP Annual Conference, Padua, Italy, 27th 30th September 2022.

De Amicis, Leyla and Brazil, J. (2022) Home Schooling During Lockdown: Working Mothers’ Experiences of Managing Multiple Roles. BPS Educational Psychology Section Conference, Oxford University, 14-15 September 2022.

De Amicis, Leyla and Jiang, Y. (2022) Different Views on the Astrazeneca Vaccine from the UK Right and Left Oriented Views. BPS Social Psychology Section Conference, University of Greenwich, London, 5-7 September 2022.

De Amicis, Leyla and Ma, Y. (2022) Discrimination Against Women Scientists, Gender Inequality, Stereotypes and Science Attitudes. BPS Social Psychology Section Conference, University of Greenwich, London, 5-7 September 2022.

Kang, M. and De Amicis, Leyla (2022) How UK Newspapers Reported Face Masks During the Pandemic According to Political Orientation. BPS Social Psychology Section Conference, University of Greenwich, London, 5-7 September 2022.

2021

Lido, Catherine ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6255-9905, Sawyer, Ariel and De Amicis, Leyla (2021) Social psychology of identity and stereotyping in the media: the case of refugee media bias. In: Coen, Sharon and Bull, Peter (eds.) The Psychology of Journalism. Oxford University Press, pp. 168-199. ISBN 9780190935856 (doi: 10.1093/oso/9780190935856.003.0007)

2020

McGarrigle, Leona, Wesson, Carolyn, De Amicis, Leyla, Connoly, Shannon and Ferreira, Nuno (2020) Psychological mediators in the relationship between paediatric chronic pain and adjustment: an investigation of acceptance, catastrophising and kinesiophobia. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 18, pp. 294-305. (doi: 10.1016/j.jcbs.2020.10.009)

De Amicis, Leyla, Banerjee, R. and Brown, R. (2020) Bystander Interventions in Intra- and Inter-Ethnic Bullying Contexts. Talk within the Symposium “Helping Victims of School Bullying”. EARA Conference, 2-5 Sept 2020.

Sapouna, M., De Amicis, Leyla, Willems, R., Vollink, T., Dehue, F., Rosinsky, R., Dimakos, I. and Nikolaou, G. (2020) Using a Games Approach to Teach Children About Discriminatory Bullying (GATE_BULL). Intellectual Output 1 Report to European Commission: Determinants of Involvement in Prejudice-based Bullying Situations and Bystander Intervention. Project Report. University of the West of Scotland.

2019

De Amicis, Leyla, Sapouna, M., Willems, R., Vollink, T., Dehue, F., Rosinsky, R., Dimakos, J. and Nikoalou, G. (2019) Predictors of defending behaviour in prejudice-based bullying: GATEBULL project’s findings from four European countries. AEDP Conference, Athens, Greece, 29 Aug - 01 Sep 2019.

Lorimer, Karen, De Amicis, Leyla, Dalrymple, Jenny, Frankis, Jamie, Jackson, Louise, Lorgelly, Paula, McMillan, Lesley and Ross, Jonathan (2019) A rapid review of sexual wellbeing definitions and measures: should we now include sexual wellbeing freedom? Journal of Sex Research, 56(7), pp. 843-853. (doi: 10.1080/00224499.2019.1635565)

Connolly, Shannon, Ferreira, Nuno, McGarrigle, Leona and De Amicis, Leyla (2019) Further validation of the chronic pain acceptance questionnaire for adolescents in a broader paediatric context. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 12, pp. 314-321. (doi: 10.1016/j.jcbs.2018.12.005)

Finlayson, Janet, De Amicis, Leyla, Gallacher, Stephen, Munro, Robin, Crockett, Jennifer, Godwin, Jon, Feeney, Wendy and Skelton, Dawn A. (2019) Reasonable adjustments to provide equitable and inclusive assessment, screening and treatment of osteoporosis for adults with intellectual disabilities: a feasibility study. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 32(2), pp. 300-312. (doi: 10.1111/jar.12526) (PMID:30175427)

2018

Willems, R., Sapouna, M., De Amicis, Leyla, Vollink, T. and Dehue, F. (2018) Determinants of Defending in Prejudice-Based Bullying Situations. EARA Conference, Ghent, Belgium, 13-15 Sept 2018.

Sapouna, M. and De Amicis, Leyla (2018) Tackling Prejudice-Based Bullying in Primary Schools. UWS Annual Learning, Teaching and Research Conference 2018, Paisley, UK, 27-28 June 2018.

Dalrymple, J., De Amicis, Leyla and Lorimer, K. (2018) How is Sexual Wellbeing Defined and Measured? A Rapid Review with Implications for Evaluation of Complex Sexual Health Interventions. Fourth Joint Conference of BHIVA with BASHH, Edinburgh, Scotland, 17-20 April 2018.

2017

De Amicis, Leyla, Finlayson, J., Gallacher, S., Munro, R., Crockett, J., Goodwin, J. and Skelton, D. (2017) Making Reasonable Adjustments to Provide Equitable Osteoporosis Assessment, Screening and Management for People with Learning Disabilities. Falls, Frailty, Bone Health, Dublin, Ireland, 9-10 Nov 2017.

2012

De Amicis, Leyla, D'Antoni, M. and Ramellini, T. (2012) Protected by Men, Against Demanding Women, and Satisfied of Life: Exploring Hostile and Benevolent Sexism and Life Satisfaction in Costarican Self-Employed Low Status Women. From Discrimination to Empowerment, Trieste, Italy, 12-14 Apr 2012.

2011

De Amicis, Leyla, Alfieri, S., Marta, E. and Tenenbaum, H. (2011) Majority Religious Group Children and Preadolescents’ Moral Reasoning, Emotions, and Intentional Behaviour Toward Ingroup and Outgroup Peers, Depending on their Religious Rights or Personal Needs. C-SPI, Conference on Social Psychology in Ireland, “A two-way street: Social issues and social psychological research”, Limerick, Ireland, 28-29 Apr 2011.

De Amicis, Leyla, Banerjee, R. and Brown, R. (2011) Do Children’s Emotions Count? The Role of Affect, Above and Beyond Cognition as Predictors of Children’s Intra- and Inter- Group Intentional Contact. C-SPI, Conference on Social Psychology in Ireland, “A two-way street: Social issues and social psychological research”, Limerick, Ireland, 28-29 Apr 2011.

2010

De Amicis, Leyla, Banerjee, R. and Brown, R. (2010) The Cognitive Side of Emotions and Action Tendencies in Children’s Inter-and Intra-Racial Negative Interactions. BPS Developmental Section Conference, Goldsmiths, University of London, UK, 2010.

De Amicis, Leyla, Banerjee, R. and Brown, R. (2010) I Bambini Provano Emozioni! Aspetti Affettivi come Predittori di Potenziale Contatto Intra- e Inter-Etnico. AIP, X Congresso Nazionale della Sezione di Psicologia Sociale, Turin, Italy, 14-16 Sep 2010.

De Amicis, Leyla, Banerjee, R. and Brown, R. (2010) The Relationship between Peer Victimization and Inter-Ethnic Prejudice. Launch of the Research Centre for Children, Schools and Families, University of Greenwich, UK, 2010.

2009

De Amicis, Leyla, Brown, R. and Banerjee, R. (2009) Children as Bystanders at Intra- and Inter-Racial Bullying Scenarios: Can their Appraisals and Emotions Predict their Actions? BPS Social Section Conference, Sheffield, UK, 2009.

2008

De Amicis, Leyla, Brown, R. and Banerjee, R. (2008) Improving Inter-Ethnic Behaviour Among children: How and When Cognitive- and Emotion- Focused Strategies Can Help. PsyPAG 23rd Annual Conference, 2008.

2007

Castelli, Luigi, De Amicis, Leyla and Sherman, Steven J. (2007) The loyal member effect: On the preference for ingroup members who engage in exclusive relations with the ingroup. Developmental Psychology, 43(6), pp. 1347-1359. (doi: 10.1037/0012-1649.43.6.1347) (PMID:18020816)

Castelli, L., De Amicis, Leyla, Carnaghi, L. and Arcuri, L. (2007) L'influenza dei processi intragruppo sul contatto intergruppi (The influence of intragroup processes on intergroup contact: the case of preschool children). In: Brown, Rupert, Capozza, Dora and Licciardello, Orazio (eds.) Immigrazione, Acculturazione, Modalità di Contatto. Series: Psicologia (303). FrancoAngeli: Milan. ISBN 9788846485250

2005

Castelli, Luigi, Zecchini, Alexia, De Amicis, Leyla and Sherman, Steven J. (2005) The impact of implicit prejudice about the elderly on the reaction to stereotype confirmation and disconfirmation. Current Psychology, 24(2), pp. 134-146. (doi: 10.1007/s12144-005-1012-y)

2004

De Amicis, Leyla and Castelli, L. (2004) Relazioni fra pari: Quando intrattenere rapporti positivi con un bambino in sedia a rotelle conduce ad emarginazione (Peer relations: When being on good terms with a wheel-chair child conduces to social exclusion). Età Evolutiva, 79, pp. 5-19.

1999

Cadinu, Maria Rosaria and De Amicis, Leyla (1999) The relationship between the self and the ingroup: When having a common conception helps. Swiss Journal of Psychology, 58(4), pp. 226-232. (doi: 10.1024/1421-0185.58.4.226)

This list was generated on Wed Dec 24 19:12:38 2025 GMT.

Jump to: Articles | Book Sections | Research Reports or Papers | Conference or Workshop Item

Number of items: 39.

Articles

Book Sections

Sapouna, Maria and De Amicis, Leyla (2024) Scotland. In: Bullying of Children and Adolescents: A Global Perspective. Edward Elgar. (Accepted for Publication)

Research Reports or Papers

Conference or Workshop Item

Willems, R., Sapouna, M., De Amicis, Leyla, Vollink, T. and Dehue, F. (2018) Determinants of Defending in Prejudice-Based Bullying Situations. EARA Conference, Ghent, Belgium, 13-15 Sept 2018.

Sapouna, M. and De Amicis, Leyla (2018) Tackling Prejudice-Based Bullying in Primary Schools. UWS Annual Learning, Teaching and Research Conference 2018, Paisley, UK, 27-28 June 2018.

This list was generated on Wed Dec 24 19:12:38 2025 GMT.

Grants

Grants

CIVIS African European Research Collaboration: Networks of Connections, from January 2026; Co-I with PI: Dr Stewart White, Dr Paulina Navrouzoglou, Professor Alasdair Skelton, Professor Mohamed Tahiri, Dr Mohamed Turki.

SCAF project (round 4): “Food mindfulness, diversity and sustainability: Wellbeing workshop development for primary and secondary school students”, from October 2025 ongoing, £.6.305, Co-I, PI: Dr Saeko Yazaki, Dr Ada Garcia, Dr Angela Curley, & ProVeg.

Team UofG Together Internship Fund- Co-I and PI: Dr Michele Vincent, other co-Is: Dr Colette Mair, Samuel Skipsey, Zayba Ghazali-Mohammed, Mr Dustin Hosseini, 2025-26.

SCAF project (round 3): SustainAble: Community-Based Microgreens Project Integrating Individuals with learning Disabilities into the Sustainability Transition (May-Dec 2025), co-investigator, with PI: Dr Paulina Navrouzoglou, Dr James Dorling, Ms Laavanya Varadarajan Shanmugapriya (Enactus Society) and Fortune Works.

SSPS (Student-Staff Partnership Scheme) funding: “Decolonising Individual Differences course”, PI, with co-Is: Dr Michele Vincent, Ms Hsin Cheng Chang, Hannah Thompson, Sijia Wen, 2025-26.
BPS Social Psychology Section pump priming and dissemination grant, PI, ““Decolonising ourselves: toolkit for self-decolonising Social Psychology teachers”.

UWS and Oxfam partnership to organise the Symposium on Challenging and Changing the News: Media Reporting in the Age of Migration at UWS, Dec 2018.

ESRC Social Science Festival 2018 to organise the “Act against Bullying: Discover the hero inside you!”

Internal grant to organise the event “Sharing resilience in Black History with the newly ‘othered’- the EU migrants post Brexit” at GCU on Black History Month- 2017.

KE and Impact grant 2016 at the University of Edinburgh: “Barnardo’s Scotland in ACT”.

Internal Equality Fund 2009-2010 at the TCD: where I organised three workshops (“Laugh clever to laugh together”) on the topic “Psychology of humour and discrimination”.

Small grant at TCD (2009-2010) to host Dr Helga Dittmar (University of Sussex, UK) giving a public lecture on 13^th April 2010 on the effects of airbrushing in ads on children and adolescents and led group discussions with TCD students and faculties.

Supervision

I am interested in researching:

Decolonial research and teaching practices
Anti-bullying and anti-discrimination strategies, such as bystander intervention and solidarity-based action
Emotions, including eco-emotions and intergroup emotions
Human–nonhuman animal relations
Climate change action and behavioural change towards more sustainable lifestyles

Examples of previous MSc dissertations I supervised.

A qualitative comparison of newly qualified and experienced teachers’ views about challenges and opportunities provided by the inclusion of children with additional needs in mainstream primary schools in Scotland
A retrospective examination of bullying occurred in child and adolescent friendships
Chinese parents’ knowledge and attitudes towards general and prejudice-based bullying
Domestic Abuse Professionals' views about grooming, psychological vulnerability and their role in reporting psychologically abusive intimate partner relationships
Ethnic identification, perceived discrimination and physical and mental well-being in postgraduate Chinese international students in the UK: the moderating role of identity needs and psychological flexibility
Home-schooling and parental views and self-efficacy during Covid-19
How can knowledge about female scientists affect gender equality support, confidence and interest in science in both women and men?
Is using the "Reviewer 2 must be stopped" Facebook group useful to work in the academic environment?
Masculinity threat, prejudice, and harmful behaviour: a review of current research
Perceptions and experiences of burnout and resilience within front-line Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) sector employees
Perceptions of helping behaviour in multicultural societies during Coronavirus and lockdown times
Public reactions to children and adults living in poverty in the UK and UK policies
Public reactions to news about crimes and support from religious groups in the community
Warm, competent, to choose? Evaluations of different-race psychology counsellors in UK White people
An exploration of adolescents and their parents’ perceptions regarding climate change issues and their learning from one another

Teaching

Academic year 2025/26

MSc Psychological Studies (Conversion)

Individual Differences (Course leader)
Developmental Psychology
Educational Psychology
Cognitive Psychology
Dissertation

MSc Psychology (Conversion)

Individual Differences (Course leader)
Human Development

MEd/Pg Dip Adult Learning, Community Development & Youth Work

The Psychology of Adult Learning (Course leader)

MSc Educational Studies

Advanced Educational Research (Course leader)

Additional information

Other roles

Ethics reviewer for the SoE Ethics Committee
Personal tutor
Senate member
Appeal committee member
Internal PhD examiner
External advisor for undegraduate dissertations and postgraduate theses (University Aldo Moro- Bari; Federico II - Naples)
Peer reviewer for international journals

Memberships:

BPS (British Psychological Society)- committee member/event planning for the Social Psychology Section
ISSAT (International Study Association on Teachers and Teaching)
SPSSI (Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues)
ACBS (Association for Contextual Behavioural Science)

Recent public engagement activities

Family Day at Kelvin Hall (15^th Nov 2025) with events: ‘SustainAble: Community-based Microgreens Project Integrating Individuals with Learning Disabilities into the Sustainability Transition’ and ‘Connecting with nature to protect ourselves and the planet!’
Seeing Pigs (Jan-Feb 2025), a series of documentaries/movies and discussions, to connect with pigs…., in collaboration with Dr Jamie Redgate and ARC Engagement Team. https://www.gla.ac.uk/events/listings/index.html/event/13951
Exploraton Family Day 2024 – “In touch with nature”
GreenPalate: Vegan Living for a Sustainable Future’ in collaboration with Dr Yingru, the Adam Smith Business School and vegan organisations (23^rd January 2024) https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/business/events/archive/2024/headline_1033784_en.html

Blogs

De Amicis, l., Navrouzoglou, P., & Varadarajan Shanmugapriya , L. (2025, Decembr 15). Inclusive Sustainability: Addressing Eco-Ableism Through a Student– Staff–Community Partnership Project https://uofgsotl.blog/day-11-sustainability/
De Amicis, L., Thompson, H., Chang, H-C., Wen, S. & Vincent, M. (2025, December 8). Unlearning and Relearning: Decolonising an Individual Differences Course Through a Student–Staff Partnership [Blog post]. University of Glasgow. Day 6: Inclusive teaching - #UofGSoTL
De Amicis, L. (2024, February 16). GreenPalate: Vegan Living for a Sustainable Future’ event: How can we make veganism and plant-based diets thrive? [Blog post]. University of Glasgow. Scottish Alliance for Food

Invited talks

De Amicis, L. (2025, September 17^th). How can psychology help environmental sustainability and biodiversity. Invited talk presented at Researchers’ Desk Seminar Series [Online].
De Amicis, L. (2022, June 13). Ethical principles and professional conduct in psychological research: Experiences from the UK and Italy. University Federico II, Naples, Italy.
De Amicis, L. (2022, June 9). Climate change and family dynamics: intergenerational learning in progress? University Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy.
De Amicis, L. (2021, December 9). When ingroup and outgroup members help someone from the other group: perceptions of the helpers and humanisation in intergroup contexts from the bystanders’ point of view, at the University of Greenwich Seminar Series [Online].

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