Francesca is a psychology graduate with an MSc in Clinical Mental Health Sciences achieved at UCL and she aims to undertake a PhD in the near future. She is currently working as LSA at City Education and volunteering at Mind (mental health charity).
Francesca's main research interests include understanding the aetiology and development of disordered eating behaviours within the eating disorder spectrum, and the underlying mechanisms involved in addictive-like behaviours such as substance use disorders and gambling. In addition, she has an interest in the development and implementation of digital mental health technologies both in terms of early identification of symptoms and interventions for non-clinical and clinical populations.
Besides this, she would like to write a book targeting mental health.
Francesca Bentivegna summarises a recent study of the benefits of reading for pleasure in childhood, which finds an association 3 years later with consuming more fruit and being less exposed to both cigarette and alcohol use.
Francesca Bentivigna summarises a systematic review that explores the associations of child and adolescent anxiety with later alcohol use and disorders.
Francesca Bentivegna and Dafni Katsampa summarise a recent mixed methods study, which looks at the mental health benefits of purposeful activities in public green spaces in urban and semi-urban neighbourhoods.
