Department of Psychology

Studies

• PhD Student. Department of Psychology. School of Social Sciences. University of Crete (April 2016 – Present)
• Graduate Program (MSc) in Clinical Psychology. National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (2006 – 2009)
• Bachelor (BA) in Psychology. Department of Psychology. School of Social Sciences. University of Crete (2001 – 2005)

Doctoral Thesis Title

Three studies on breastfeeding: Personal breastfeeding experience and breastfeeding choices in relation to mother’s personality and her relationship with Significant Others.

Brief Description

The aim of this research is to explore mothers’ personal breastfeeding experience and factors that might affect their breastfeeding choices. More specifically, using semi-structured interviews and personal diaries, this research aims to analyze the personal breastfeeding experience and mothers’ relationships with their Significant Others, such as their partners and maternal grandmothers. Moreover, microanalysis of videotaped spontaneous mother-infant interactions aims to shed light on the possible relationship between patterns of dyadic communication between the two partners and breastfeeding choices. Finally, mothers’ answers on Rorschach Inkblot Test will provide evidence on the way the above variables may be related to mothers’ personality characteristics.

Research Funding

This research is co-funded by Greece and the European Union (European Social Fund- ESF) through the Operational Programme «Human Resources Development, Education and Lifelong Learning» in the context of the project: “Strengthening Human Resources Research Potential via Doctorate Research” (MIS-5000432), implemented by the State Scholarships Foundation (SSF).

Supervisors

• Theano Kokkinaki (Supervisor), Associate Professor in Developmental Psychology, University of Crete
• Sofia Triliva (Co-supervisor 1), Professor in Clinical Psychology, University of Crete
• Evangelos Karademas (Co-supervisor 2), Professor in Health Psychology, University of Crete

Publications

Conference Presentations

Poster Presentations

• Tsampanaki, A., Kokkinaki, T., Triliva, S., and Karademas, E. C. (2019). Exploring the relationship between mother-infant interaction and breastfeeding in the first year of life in Greece. Poster presented in 19th European Conference of Developmental Psychology, Athens 29th August – 1st September, 2019.