Dr Prince Atorkey

Lecturer, Psychological Sciences

Contact Prince

Qualifications

PhD (Behavioural Science) University of Newcastle, Australia

MPhil (Clinical Psychology University of Ghana, Ghana

BSc (Hons) (Psychology) University of Cape Coast, Ghana

Diploma (Human Resource Development) Institute of Commercial Management-UK

Overview

Prince is a clinical psychologist and a behavioural scientist. He completed his PhD (Behavioural Science In Relation to Medicine) at the University of Newcastle, Australia. His PhD thesis examined multiple health risk factors (smoking tobacco, inadequate fruit intake, inadequate vegetable intake, risky alcohol intake, physical inactivity, obesity/overweight, anxiety and depression) among Technical and Further Education (TAFE) students.
Prior to commencing his doctoral studies, Prince completed a Master of Philosophy degree in Clinical Psychology at the University of Ghana, Legon and a Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree in Psychology at the University of Cape Coast. He also completed a Diploma in Human Resource Development with the Institute of Commercial Management in the United Kingdom.
Prince has also taught first and final year students Introduction to General Psychology and Criminal Psychology at the Regent University College of Science and Technology. He also assisted Lecturers as a graduate assistant and teaching assistant and taught various undergraduate courses at the University of Ghana and University of Cape Coast.

Research

Prince is interested in conducting research that seeks to reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases. Prince’s research interests are in the field of health psychology, clinical psychology, behaviour medicine and public health. As a clinical psychologist and a behavioural scientist, my research has focused on the interrelationship between mental health and physical health. Specifically, I conduct research in the following areas:

Health risk behaviours/factors (e.g., smoking tobacco, inadequate fruit intake, inadequate vegetable intake, risky alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, sleep, screen time and obesity/overweight)
School-based interventions
Clustering and/or co-occurrence of health risk behaviours and multiple health behaviour change
Preventive medicine/Lifestyle medicine
Mental ill-health (e.g., depression, anxiety, and suicide)
Religiosity/Spirituality and Health
Digital interventions to improve mental and physical health

Teaching/coordination responsibilities

PSYC1042/5162 Psychology History, Science & Application
PSYC 4212 Applications of Psychology: Applied Research

Expert Comment Topics

Multiple health risk behaviours
Mental health
Electronic and Mobile health
Non-communicable diseases

Research and scholarship

Grants

Year: 2020

Grant Type: Publication Grant (Uptake of proactively offered online and telephone support services targeting multiple health risk behaviours among vocational education students: Process Evaluation of a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial)

Funding Body: Priority Research Centre for Health Behaviour (PRCHB)

Amount: $4,072

Year: 2019

Grant Type: Qualitative Research Project (Barriers and facilitators to the uptake of online and telephone support services targeting multiple health risk behaviours: A qualitative study)

Funding Body: Priority Research Centre for Health Behaviours (PRCHB)

Amount: $2,500

Publications

Journal Articles

1. GBD 2020 Alcohol Collaborators (2022). Population-level risks of alcohol consumption by amount, geography, age, sex, and year: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2020. Lancet (London, England), 400(10347), 185–235. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(22)00847-9

2. Prince Atorkey, Christine Paul, John Wiggers, Billie Bonevski, Aimee Mitchell & Flora Tzelepis (2022) Intention to change multiple health risk behaviors and predictors of behavior change in vocational education students, Journal of American College Health, DOI: 10.1080/07448481.2022.2068960

3. Global Burden of Disease 2019 Cancer Collaboration. Cancer Incidence, Mortality, Years of Life Lost, Years Lived With Disability, and Disability-Adjusted Life Years for 29 Cancer Groups From 2010 to 2019: A Systematic Analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. JAMA Oncol. Published online December 30, 2021. doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2021.6987

4. GBD 2019 Adolescent Young Adult Cancer Collaborators (2022). The global burden of adolescent and young adult cancer in 2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. The Lancet. Oncology, 23(1), 27–52. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(21)00581-7

5. GBD 2019 Diabetes Mortality Collaborators (2022). Diabetes mortality and trends before 25 years of age: an analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. The lancet. Diabetes & endocrinology, 10(3), 177–192. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2213-8587(21)00349-1

6. Quarshie, E.NB., Davies, P.A., Acharibasam, J.W., Owiredua, C., Atorkey, P., Quarshie, D.A., Quarshie, S.N.S. Clergy-Perpetrated Sexual Abuse in Ghana: A Media Content Analysis of Survivors, Offenders, and Offence Characteristics. J Relig Health (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-021-01430-3

7. Atorkey, Prince, Christine Paul, John Wiggers, Billie Bonevski, Aimee Mitchell, and Flora Tzelepis. 2021. Barriers and Facilitators to the Uptake of Online and Telephone Services Targeting Health Risk Behaviours among Vocational Education Students: A Qualitative Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18, no. 17: 9336. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18179336

8. Quarshie, E.NB., Atorkey, P., García, K.P.V. et al. Suicidal Behaviors in a Nationally Representative Sample of School-Going Adolescents Aged 12–17 Years in Eswatini. Trends in Psychol. (2021).

9. Prince Atorkey, Christine Paul, John Wiggers, Billie Bonevski, Erin Nolan, Christopher Oldmeadow, Aimee Mitchell, Emma Byrnes, Flora Tzelepis, Clustering of multiple health-risk factors among vocational education students: a latent class analysis, Translational Behavioral Medicine, 2021; ibab068, https://doi.org/10.1093/tbm/ibab068

10. Atorkey, P., Akwei, M., & Asare-Doku, W. (2021). Consumption of carbonated soft drinks among Ghanaian adolescents: associations with socio-demographic factors, health risk factors and psychological distress. Nutrition and Health. https://doi.org/10.1177/0260106021996933

11. Atorkey, P., Byaruhanga, J., Paul, C., Wiggers, J., Bonevski, B., & Tzelepis, F. (2021). Multiple Health Risk Factors in Vocational Education Students: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(2), 637. https://doi:10.3390/ijerph18020637

12. Atorkey, P., Paul, C., Bonevski, B., Wiggers, J., Mitchell, A., Byrnes, E., Lecathelinais, C., & Tzelepis, F. (2021). Uptake of Proactively Offered Online and Telephone Support Services Targeting Multiple Health Risk Behaviors Among Vocational Education Students: Process Evaluation of a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of medical Internet research, 23(1), e19737. https://doi.org/10.2196/19737

13. Atorkey, P., Asante, K.O. Clustering of multiple health risk factors among a sample of adolescents in Liberia: a latent class analysis. Journal of Public Health (Berl.) (2021).

14. Atorkey, P., & Owiredua, C. (2021). Clustering of multiple health risk behaviours and association with socio-demographic characteristics and psychological distress among adolescents in Ghana: A Latent Class Analysis. SSM-Population Health, 100707. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2020.100707

15. Byaruhanga, J., Atorkey, P., McLaughlin, M., Brown, A., Byrnes, E., Paul, C., … & Tzelepis, F. (2020). Effectiveness of Individual Real-Time Video Counseling on Smoking, Nutrition, Alcohol, Physical Activity, and Obesity Health Risks: Systematic Review. Journal of medical Internet research, 22(9), e18621. https://doi.org/10.2196/18621

16. Atorkey, P., Owiredua, C., Mohammed, Z., & Gyimah, F. T. (2019). Physical activity and sedentary behaviour research in Ghana: A systematic review protocol. Global Epidemiology, 100010, doi.org/10.1016/j.gloepi.2019.100010

17. Christiana Owiredua, Emmanuel Nii-Boye Quarshie, Prince Atorkey & Lawrence T. Lam (2018) Living with diabetes: An exploratory study of illness representation and medication adherence in Ghana, Cogent Medicine, 5:1, DOI: 10.1080/2331205X.2018.1463599

18. Atorkey, P., Doku N.P., Danquah, S., Owiredua, C., Akwei, M. (2017). Illness perceptions and medication adherence in adolescents with sickle cell disease in two selected hospitals in greater Accra. IFE PsychologIA: An International Journal 25 (2), 180-194

Awards

Highly Commended Poster Award, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, The University of Newcastle, Australia

The University of Newcastle, School of Medicine and Public Health-Best HDR Publication Award (1^st Runner Up)

The University of Newcastle, Centre for African Research, Engagement and Partnership and African Postgraduate Student Association inaugural conference

The University of Newcastle, Hunter Cancer Research Alliance- Best Poster Presentation in Implementation Science and Impact

College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing and The University of Newcastle, PhD Scholarship

ORCID iD profile URL

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9665-1139

Professional registrations or accreditation

General Registration with the Ghana Psychological Council.

Professional Affiliations and Fellowships

Associate Member – Australian Psychological Society
Member- Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine
Member – Ghana Psychological Association
Member – Australasian Society of Behavioural Health Medicine (ASBHM)
Member – Public Health Association of Australia