Dr Georgina Constantinou
Contact details
About
Overview
Georgina is a Research Fellow in the Centre for Maternal and Child Health Research. Her background is in Health Psychology, with key interests in parent experiences of children’s healthcare services. Her PhD focused on understanding the needs of families caring for a child with a life-limiting or life-threatening condition to understand access issues and the role of expectations in children’s palliative care, end of life care and bereavement care services. Georgina is experienced in qualitative interviewing including in-depth exploration of sensitive subject areas with potentially vulnerable participants and emotionally charged topics.
While at City St George's, her work has focused on Perinatal Mental Health with an interest in perinatal anxiety (the MAP Study), birth-trauma (the INTERSECT Study), while also focusing on perinatal loss and women's experiences of interventions in maternity care. Her current role is on the Matrix 2 study (the MATRIX Study), an experienced-based co-design study with women and health professionals in East London focusing on co-creating a culturally tailored care pathway for perinatal mental health.
Qualifications
- PhD Philosophy (children’s palliative care), Institute for Health Research, University of Bedfordshire, United Kingdom, March 2017 - January 2023
- MSc Health Psychology, University of Bedfordshire, United Kingdom, September 2015 - November 2016
- BSc (Hons) Psychology, Leeds Trinity University, United Kingdom, September 2012 - June 2015
Employment
- Research Fellow (part-time), City, University of London, United Kingdom, May 2025 - present
- Research Fellow (full-time), City, University London, United Kingdom, June 2020 - April 2025
- PhD Candidate (3-year Funded), University of Bedfordshire, United Kingdom, March 2017 - March 2020
- Research Assistant (part-time), University of Bedfordshire, United Kingdom, June 2016 - March 2020
- Visiting Lecturer (part-time), University of Bedfordshire, United Kingdom, January 2016 - March 2017
Publications
Publications by category
Conference papers and proceedings (3)
- Webb, R., Ayers, S., Constantinou, G. and Uddin, N. The impact of childbirth-related PTSD on the mother-baby bond: Results from the International Survey of Childbirth-Related Trauma. .
- Newman, T., Ayers, S., Darwin, Z. and Constantinou, G. What are stakeholders' experiences and views of non-pharmacological interventions used by women and birthing people with symptoms of anxiety in the perinatal period? A systematic review of qualitative research. .
- Constantinou, G., Randhawa, G. and Cook, E. P-110 Children’s palliative care: an exploration of the unmet needs of children and their families. Dying for change: evolution and revolution in palliative care, Hospice UK 2019 National Conference, 20–22 November 2019, Liverpool.doi:10.1136/bmjspcare-2019-huknc.133
Journal articles (24)
- Constantinou, G., Ayers, S., Webb, R., Handelzalts, J., Wright, D.B., Grollman, C.... Zedan, H.S. (2026). Symptom presentation of childbirth-related post-traumatic stress in 31 countries: the INTERSECT study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 412, pp. 122092-122092. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2026.122092
- Meades, R., Dudeney, E., Sinesi, A., Cheyne, H., Maxwell, M., Best, C.... Ayers, S. (2026). Prevalence and risk factors for suicidal intent in pregnancy and after birth. BJPsych International pp. 1-10. doi:10.1192/bji.2026.10117
- Webb, R., Uddin, N., Constantinou, G. and Ayers, S. (2026). Risk factors for birth trauma and postpartum posttraumatic stress in the United Kingdom : Results from the international survey of childbirth‐related trauma. Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, 105(6), pp. 1163-1172. doi:10.1111/aogs.70236
- Daniels, J.P., Walker, K.F., Bradshaw, L., Dorling, J., Ojha, S., Gray, J.... Moody, S. (2026). Universal maternal testing for group B streptococcus in late pregnancy: process outcomes and alongside qualitative study for the GBS3 trial. Early Human Development, 213, pp. 106442-106442. doi:10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2025.106442
- Webb, R., Uddin, N., Constantinou, G., Cheyne, H. and Ayers, S. (2026). Prevalence of Birth Trauma and Childbirth-Related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in UK Women: Results from the International Survey of Childbirth-Related Trauma. Women's Reproductive Health, 13(1), pp. 16-27. doi:10.1080/23293691.2025.2545307
- Ciuffo, G., Ionio, C., Epifania, O.M., Landoni, M., Bianchi, S., Webb, R.... Ayers, S. (2025). Validation of the City Birth Trauma Scale in Italian: addressing childbirth-related posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology pp. 1-19. doi:10.1080/02646838.2025.2546969
- Jones, N.W., Mitchell, E.J., Walker, K.F., Ayers, S., Bradshaw, L., Constantinou, G.... Wakefield, N. (2025). Glycaemic control in labour with diabetes: GILD, a scoping study. Health Technology Assessment pp. 1-150. doi:10.3310/khgd2761
- Ayers, S., Brooks Wright, D., Caparros-Gonzalez, R.A., Ciuffo, G., Constantinou, G., Dikmen-Yildiz, P.... Webb, R. (2025). A brief international screening tool for traumatic birth and childbirth-related PTSD: the city BiTS-short form. BMJ Global Health, 10(8), pp. e019216-e019216. doi:10.1136/bmjgh-2025-019216
- Daniels, J., Walker, K., Bradshaw, L., Dorling, J., Ojha, S., Gray, J.... Abramson, J. (2025). Routine testing for group B streptococcus in pregnancy: protocol for a UK cluster randomised trial (GBS3). BMJ Open, 15(6), pp. e087887-e087887. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2024-087887
- Sinesi, A., Constantinou, G., Yuill, C., Meades, R., Cheyne, H., Maxwell, M.... Howard, G. (2025). Implementing routine assessment of perinatal anxiety: case studies. Health and Social Care Delivery Research pp. 1-17. doi:10.3310/wwmd9982
- Ayers, S., Meades, R., Sinesi, A., Cheyne, H., Maxwell, M., Best, C.... Yuill, C. (2025). COVID-19 and anxiety in pregnancy and postpartum: a longitudinal survey. BMC Public Health, 25(1). doi:10.1186/s12889-025-22257-7
- Handelzalts, J.E., Ayers, S., Webb, R., Constantinou, G., Lucas, G., Grollman, C.... Žutić, M. (2025). Cross-national risk factors for childbirth-related PTSD: Findings from the INTERSECT study. Psychological Medicine, 55. doi:10.1017/s0033291725102298
- Constantinou, G., Cook, E.J., Tolliday, E. and Randhawa, G. (2024). ‘A team around the child’ professionals’ experiences of unmet needs, access and expectations in children’s palliative care services, a phenomenological study in the UK. Journal of Child Health Care, 28(4), pp. 729-746. doi:10.1177/13674935221147716
- Best, C., Ayers, S., Sinesi, A., Meades, R., Cheyne, H., Maxwell, M.... Yuill, C. (2024). Socioeconomic deprivation and perinatal anxiety: an observational cohort study. BMC Public Health, 24(1). doi:10.1186/s12889-024-20608-4
- Constantinou, G., Ayers, S., Mitchell, E.J., Walker, K.F., Downe, S., Jones, A.-.M.... Daniels, J.P. (2024). The acceptability of implementation of group B Streptococcus testing: Perspectives from women and health professionals in the GBS3 trial: A qualitative study. Women and Birth, 37(6), pp. 101832-101832. doi:10.1016/j.wombi.2024.101832
- Yuill, C., Sinesi, A., Meades, R., Williams, L.R., Delicate, A., Cheyne, H.... Ayers, S. (2024). Women's experiences and views of routine assessment for anxiety in pregnancy and after birth: A qualitative study. British Journal of Health Psychology, 29(4), pp. 958-971. doi:10.1111/bjhp.12740
- Constantinou, G., Ayers, S., Mitchell, E.J., Moore, S., Jones, A.-.M., Downe, S.... Daniels, J. (2024). The acceptability of group B streptococcal bacteria (GBS) testing to women, including self-swabbing procedures: A qualitative study. Midwifery, 135. doi:10.1016/j.midw.2024.104063
- Webb, R., Uddin, N., Constantinou, G., Ford, E., Easter, A., Shakespeare, J.... Ayers, S. (2023). Meta-review of the barriers and facilitators to women accessing perinatal mental healthcare. BMJ Open, 13(7), pp. e066703-e066703. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2022-066703
- Constantinou, G., Ayers, S., Mitchell, E.J., Walker, K.F., Daniels, J., Moore, S.... Downe, S. (2023). Women’s knowledge of and attitudes towards group B streptococcus (GBS) testing in pregnancy: a qualitative study. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 23(1). doi:10.1186/s12884-023-05651-0
- Romano, G., Ayers, S., Constantinou, G., Mitchell, E.J., Plachcinski, R., Wakefield, N.... Walker, K.F. (2023). The acceptability and feasibility of a randomised trial exploring approaches to managing impacted fetal head during emergency caesarean section: a qualitative study. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 23(1). doi:10.1186/s12884-023-05444-5
- Boyle, G., Constantinou, G. and Garcia, R. (2023). Does gender influence children's and young people's caring? A qualitative, systematic review and meta‐ethnography. Children & Society, 37(2), pp. 404-423. doi:10.1111/chso.12598
- Cook, E.J., Powell, F.C., Ali, N., Penn-Jones, C.P., Ochieng, B., Constantinou, G.... Randhawa, G. (2021). ‘They Are Kids, Let Them Eat’: A Qualitative Investigation into the Parental Beliefs and Practices of Providing a Healthy Diet for Young Children among a Culturally Diverse and Deprived Population in the UK. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(24). doi:10.3390/ijerph182413087
- Constantinou, G., Garcia, R., Cook, E. and Randhawa, G. (2019). Children’s unmet palliative care needs: a scoping review of parents’ perspectives. BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care, 9(4), pp. 439-450. doi:10.1136/bmjspcare-2018-001705
- Papadopoulos, C., Lodder, A., Constantinou, G. and Randhawa, G. (2019). Systematic Review of the Relationship Between Autism Stigma and Informal Caregiver Mental Health. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 49(4), pp. 1665-1685. doi:10.1007/s10803-018-3835-z