Qualifications
Fellow of Advance HE
Doctor of Philosophy (Psychology)
University of Sydney
Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Psychology
University of Sydney
Overview
Dr Rachel Maunder is a Senior Lecturer in the Discipline of Psychological Science. Rachel most commonly coordinates the third-year Social and Community Psychology unit and is currently acting as the Course Coordinator for the Bachelor of Psychological Science and Counselling. Rachel also supervises the research of Psychology Honours and Masters students at ACAP, and chairs the Aspiring Scholars and Researchers Initiative.
Prior to joining ACAP University College in late 2020, Rachel worked as a tutor, teaching fellow, and lecturer in psychology at the University of Sydney. Rachel completed her Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Psychology at the University of Sydney in 2020 and 2016, respectively. For her doctoral and Honours research, Rachel was awarded the Dick Thompson Prize for the Best Empirical Honours Thesis in Social Psychology, the University of Sydney Faculty of Science Postgraduate Research Prize for Outstanding Academic Achievement, and the Society of Australasian Social Psychologists’ (SASP) Outstanding Postgraduate Research Award.
Rachel’s research is concerned with public stigma against and self-stigma in people with mental ill-health. Rachel’s research has been published in peer-reviewed journals and has been presented at national and international conferences.
Research
Rachel’s research is focused on understanding and reducing public and self-stigma in relation to mental illness and other marginalised social group memberships, including sexual and gender minorities. She has examined multiple types of interventions for reducing prejudice and stigma, as well as various moderators and mediators of these interventions, using quantitative cross-sectional, longitudinal, and experimental research paradigms.
Research and scholarship
Publications
- Maunder, R. D. (in press). Mental health narratives: Do they reduce public and self-stigma? Stigma and Health.
https://doi.org/10.1037/sah0000698 - Fletcher, A., & Maunder, R. D. (2026). Beneath the belief: Does shame explain the relationship between religiosity and spirituality with mental health self-stigma? Mental Health, Religion, & Culture, 28(5), 511-526.
https://doi.org/10.1080/13674676.2025.2546628 - Maunder, R. D., Atorkey, P., du Plooy, D., Jyant, N., Chapman, A., & Sipes, J. (2026). Key components of effective contact interventions for reducing public mental health stigma: An updated meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 126, Article 102741.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2026.102741 - Maunder, R. D. (2025). Factors moderating the relationship between peer contact and self-stigma in people with mental illness. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 38(2), 361-381.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09515070.2024.2384424 - Maunder, R. D., & White, F. A. (2023). Exemplar typicality in interventions to reduce public stigma against people with mental illness. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 53(9), 819-834.
https://doi.org/10.1111/jasp.12970 - Maunder, R. D., & White, F. A. (2022). The relationship between contact with peers and self-stigma in people with mental illness. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 35(4), 880-896.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09515070.2021.1970514 - Marinucci, M., Maunder, R. D., Sanchez, K., Thai, M., McKeown, S., Turner, R., & Stevenson, C. (2021). Intimate intergroup contact across the lifespan. Journal of Social Issues, 77(1), 64-85.
https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12399 - Boccanfuso, E., White, F. A., & Maunder, R. D. (2021). Reducing transgender stigma via an E-contact intervention. Sex Roles, 84, 326–336.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-020-01171-9 - White, F. A., Maunder, R. D., Verrelli, S. (2020). Text-based E-contact: Harnessing cooperative Internet interactions to bridge the social and psychological divide. European Review of Social Psychology, 31, 76-119.
https://doi.org/10.1080/10463283.2020.1753459 - Maunder, R. D., Day, S. C., & White, F. A. (2020). The benefit of contact for prejudice-prone individuals: The type of stigmatized outgroup matters. Journal of Social Psychology, 160, 92-104.
https://doi.org/10.1080/00224545.2019.1601608 - Maunder, R. D., & White, F. A. (2019). Intergroup contact and mental health stigma: A comparative effectiveness meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 72, 101749.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2019.101749 - Maunder, R. D., White, F. A., & Verrelli, S. (2019). Modern avenues for intergroup contact: Using E-contact and intergroup emotions to reduce stereotyping and social distancing against people with schizophrenia. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 22, 947-963.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1368430218794873 - White, F. A., Verrelli, S., Maunder, R. D., & Kervinen, A. (2019). Using electronic contact to reduce homonegative attitudes, emotions, and behavioural intentions among heterosexual women and men: A contemporary extension of the contact hypothesis. The Journal of Sex Research, 56, 1179-1191.
https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2018.1491943 - White, F. A., Maunder, R. D., Verrelli, S. (2018). How research is helping to reduce prejudice between people online. The Conversation.
https://theconversation.com/how-research-is-helping-to-reduce-prejudice-between-people-online-106175
Conference Presentations
- Kolff, L., & Maunder, R. D. (2026, April). Students as Co-Creators: Mad Studies and Mental Health Narratives. [Conference presentation]. Creativity and Wellbeing Research Initiative Conference: Creating Wellbeing – Youth, Arts, and Mental Health, Melbourne, Australia.
- Maunder, R. D., du Plooy, D., & Sipes, J. (2025, November). Improving intergroup contact interventions for reducing mental health stigma. [Conference presentation]. Conference of the Society of Australasian Social Psychologists, Melbourne, Australia.
- Maunder, R. D., & Chapman, A. (2025, October). Improving intergroup contact interventions for reducing mental health stigma. [Conference presentation]. ACAP 2025 Research Conference: Critical Thinking, Critical Inquiry: Curiosity in Action.
- Maunder, R. D. (2024, November). Expanding intergroup contact into peer contact and internalised stigma. [Conference presentation]. Conference of the Society of Australasian Social Psychologists, Canberra, Australia.
- Maunder, R. D. (2023, November). Intergroup and peer contact for reducing mental health stigma in the classroom. [Conference presentation]. ACAP 2023 Conference: Scholarship in Action.
- Maunder, R. D. (2023, April). Can contact with peers reduce mental health self-stigma? [Conference presentation]. Mental Ill-Health Stigma Researchers Australia 2023 Symposium.
- Maunder, R. D. (2021, November). Longitudinal peer contact for reducing self-stigma in people with mental illness. [3-minute research showcase]. ACAP 2021 Research and Conference: Transformation in the time of COVID-19.
- Maunder, R. D. (2021, November). Contact with peers is related to reduced self-stigma in people with mental illness [3-minute research showcase]. ACAP 2021 Research and Conference: Transformation in the time of COVID-19.
- Maunder, R. D., & White, F. A. (2020, April). The role of exemplar typicality in intergroup contact [Standard presentation]. Outstanding Graduate Award Session, 49th Annual Conference of the Society of Australasian Social Psychologists, Auckland, New Zealand. (Conference cancelled).
- Maunder, R. D., & White, F. A. (2019, April). Reducing internalised stigma with contact [Blitz presentation]. SASP-SPSSI Small Group Conference: Advances in Intergroup Contact Research: Showcasing, Consolidating, Deconstructing and Innovating the Science of Social Integration, Newcastle, Australia.
- Maunder, R. D., & White, F. A. (2019, April). Intergroup contact and mental health stigma: A comparative effectiveness meta-analysis [Standard presentation]. Overcoming Barriers to Intergroup Contact: Perspectives on Intergroup Segregation and Negative Contact [Symposium], 48th Annual Conference of the Society of Australasian Social Psychologists, Sydney, Australia.
- Maunder, R. D., & White, F. A. (2018, April). The role of exemplar typicality and perceived variability in reducing mental health stigma [Standard presentation]. 47th Annual Conference of the Society of Australasian Social Psychologists, Wellington, New Zealand.
- Maunder, R. D., & White, F. A. (2017, November). The role of exemplar typicality and perceived variability in reducing mental health stigma [Standard presentation]. Sydney Postgraduate Psychology Conference, Sydney, Australia.
- Maunder, R. D., & White, F. A. (2017, April). Stigma against people with schizophrenia: A new model and E-Contact Intervention [Standard presentation]. Outstanding Postgraduate Research Award Session, 46th Annual Conference of the Society of Australasian Social Psychologists, Melbourne, Australia.