Social Care

Rebecca Penco

Assistant Lecturer

Background: Rebecca Penco is an Assistant Lecturer in Social Care at Technological University Dublin. She has experience across a range of social care settings, including residential and secure care for young people, disability services and school completion programmes. Rebecca is also registered with CORU on the Social Care Workers register.

Rebecca’s primary areas of interest include wellbeing enhancement through social support systems, effective coping strategies, and the influence of physical activity. She is eager to further develop her research profile through collaborative work with both industry and academic partners, and to expand her existing research projects.

Qualifications

BA (Honors) in Applied Social Studies in Social Care

MA (Res): The impact of coping strategies and social supports on the experience of stress in high performance athletes

Postgraduate Certificate in University Learning and Teaching

Publications

McLean, L. & Penco, R. (2020) Physical activity: Exploring the barriers and facilitators for the engagement of young people in residential care in Ireland. Children and Youth Services Review: Vol.119: ISSN 0190 – 7409. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105471

Gaul, D., McLean, L., Penco, R. (2022) Perceived Social Support and Stress: a Study of 1st Year Students in Ireland. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction: Vol: 21, 2101-2121. doi:10.1007/s11469-021-00710-z

Conference Presentations

Penco, R. (2019) Everyone is a Winner if They Play Sport? - Single paper presentations at the UK Sports Development Conference, London, July 2019

McLean, L. & Penco, R. (2019) Exploring Wellbeing and Stress in Children in Care in Ireland – Scientific paper presentation at the International Conference on Addiction, Psychiatry and Mental Health, Italy, November 2019

Poster

McLean, L. & Penco, R (2019) Winning with Stress: The Role of Coping Strategies - International Conference on Addiction, Psychiatry and Mental Health, Italy, November 2019