Expanding Research
Help shape the future of health and research in Wales

Join our research network here!

Dragon Research is an initiative supporting psychological and health research in Wales.

Through the Dragon Research Partnership, researchers and the wider community can work together on research that impacts people in Wales. By joining the Partnership, you can take part in studies, receive updates about research you have contributed to, and communicate directly with researchers to help shape future work. This creates a more accessible, inclusive, and transparent research community.

To learn more, you can read the short summaries of the ongoing research below. You may choose to take part in individual studies or join the Dragon Research Partnership to be invited to future opportunities and receive updates on ongoing research.

Participation is entirely voluntary. All information you provide is treated as confidential, and you are free to decline to take part or withdraw at any time without giving a reason. All research studies listed on this website are reviewed and approved by a university research et hics committee. Your safety, privacy, and well-being are our highest priority.

Ongoing research

We are looking for predominantly Welsh-speaking individuals who have received CAMHS interventions anywhere in Wales. Individuals must be over 18. All information provided is strictly confidential and is not used for any purpose outside of the stated research goals your can learn more by reading the information sheet at the start of the survey. 

 

This research is a collaboration between NHS Wales and Swansea University. The data for this research will be collected by Gwenno Acciaioli, Assistant Psychologist within the NHS, alongside Dr Samuel Kyle Jones and Dr Rhian Lewis, researchers from the School of Psychology at Swansea University. 


If you would like to support bilingual mental health support part please complete our survey by clicking the button or scaning the QR code and include your email for our follow up interview. 

Are you a Welsh speaker and able to get to Swansea University? Are you interested in participating in a study on language processing using advanced eye-tracking technology? 


This Swansea University based study involves completing two tasks (60 minutes in total):


  • Task 1: An eye-tracking task on Singleton Campus, Swansea University, SA2 8PP.


  • Task 2: An online computer-based task you can complete on campus or on your own device at home (within a week of Task 1).


As a thank you for taking part, participants will receive a £20 Amazon gift voucher.


For more information please get in touch with Dan Strogen here: 973256@swansea.ac.uk


The study has been approved by the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee. Approval number: SU-Ethics-Staff-180221/324.


Sign up directly here

Coming soon!

In our recent machine learning research exploring which lifestyle factors are associated with better cognitive health in later life, one finding stood out consistently: older adults who regularly use the internet tended to show greater resilience to cognitive decline.


However, previous research has reported mixed findings. This suggests that there may be certain types of internet use may be beneficial, while others, such as excessive or passive use, may have negative effects.

Our next study will investigate this in more detail. We aim to understand whether specific types of internet activities, such as communication, learning, or entertainment, differ in their relationship with cognitive health.


This study is currently in development. If you would like to be notified when it opens, please join the Dragon Research Partnership.


We also welcome suggestions from the public. If you are aged 70 or over and would be willing to share how you use the internet in daily life, your input can help us design this research.


Email: s.k.jones@swansea.ac.uk



Dr Samuel Kyle Jones

Dr Kyle Jones is a Lecturer and Head of Welsh-Medium Education in the School of Psychology at Swansea University. His research focuses on cognitive ageing, bilingualism, and data-driven approaches to understanding dementia risk, early diagnosis, and the prevention or delay of age-related cognitive decline. He applies advanced statistical modelling and interpretable machine learning to large international longitudinal datasets, including the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), and UK Biobank.

His work is grounded in the cognitive reserve hypothesis and aims to understand why individuals differ in their resilience to cognitive decline. By identifying lifestyle, hea lth, and social factors associated with healthier brain ageing, his research contributes to improving early detection and informing future prevention strategies.

Dr Jones is the founder and lead researcher of the Dragon Research Partnership, a Wales-centred research network that supports inclusive participation in psychological and health research and promotes the dissemination of contemporary scientific findings. His work has been recognised by the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol, and he has presented his research at national and international scientific conferences.

Alongside his academic research, Dr Jones is committed to science communication, leading the bilingual branch of the School of Psychology, guiding a team of funded PhD students and early career researchers and actively promotes public understanding of dementia and brain health through teaching, public engagement, and research collaboration.

Email: s.k.jones@swansea.ac.uk

 Notifications
 
Bilingualism and Dementia 
I would like to thank all 228 people you took part in our study investigating whether bilingualism can mitigate cognitive decline as a result of aging. Thanks to your participation in over two hours of cognitive tests we gathered a great deal of invaluable information. We have now published our findings which you can read here: 

Welsh medium education
We would like to thank Swansea University and the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol in helping us develop a bilingual option for new Psychologists studying at higher education. You can now study your degree in Welsh and English at the School of Psychology in Swansea Univerrsity. Find out more here: https://www.swansea.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/psychology/psychology-bsc-hons/#welsh-provision=is-expanded

International Collaboration 
The Dragon Research PRogramme as begun working with teams around the world specialising in using complex machine learning algorithms to predict mental and cognitive health outcomes in older adults. This provides useful cross cultural insights and grater understanding of how we age the way we do. Our first published study using intretive machine learning to predict depression at individual and population levels;