Our people

Associate Professor Megan Willis

School of Behavioural and Health Sciences

Areas of expertise: intimate partner violence; child maltreatment; narcissism; emotion

Phone: (02) 9701 4501

Email: Megan.Willis@acu.edu.au

Location: ACU Strathfield Campus

HDR Supervisor accreditation status: HDR Supervisor (Full)

ORCID ID: 0000-0002-2310-0018

I completed my PhD in 2010 at Macquarie University under the supervision of Professor Romina Palermo. I joined ACU in 2012 and am currently an Associate Professor in the School of Behavioural and Health Sciences.

My early research examined the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying emotion recognition and first impressions. Using cognitive neuropsychological, electrophysiological, and behavioural methods, this work investigated how people perceive emotional expressions and how these signals shape first impressions.

Extending this work, my current research program focuses on harmful and avoidant interpersonal behaviours, including child maltreatment, intimate partner violence, and relationship dissolution behaviours such as ghosting and family estrangement. This work examines the psychological mechanisms that shape interpersonal behaviour - particularly attachment, narcissism, alexithymia, and emotion regulation -and investigates the prevalence and mental health impacts of different forms of interpersonal harm. This research aims to improve understanding of interpersonal harm and inform prevention and intervention efforts.

From 2014 to 2025, I served as the Psychology Honours Course Coordinator at the Strathfield campus. I now serve on the Australian Catholic University Human Research Ethics Committee. I have supervised over 40 Honours theses, more than 20 Master of Psychology (Clinical) theses, and three PhD students to completion.

Select publications

• Song, W., Tziliaskopoulos, R., & Willis, M. L. (2026).

• The relationship between narcissism and alexithymia: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Personality and Individual Differences, 253, 113617. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2025.113617

• Willis, M. L., Miller, M. J., More, A., & de la Piedad Garcia, X. (2025).

• Alexithymia and facial expression recognition: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders, 391, 119953. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2025.119953

• Mohay, J., Cheng, K., de la Piedad Garcia, X., & Willis, M. L. (2025).

• The relationship between attachment styles and narcissism: A systematic and meta-analytic review. Personality and Individual Differences, 244, 113255. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2025.113255

• Harris, L. G., Higgins, D. J., Willis, M. L., … Meinck, F., & Haslam, D. M. (2025).

• Determining the effect of out-of-home care on mental health disorders: A propensity score-matched study of child maltreatment intensity. Child Abuse & Neglect, 167, 107571. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2025.107571

• Harris, L. G., Higgins, D. J., Willis, M. L., … Pacella, R., & Haslam, D. M. (2025).

• Dimensions of child maltreatment in Australians with a history of out-of-home care. Child Maltreatment, 30(3), 525-539. https://doi.org/10.1177/10775595241297944

• White, L. K., Valos, N., de la Piedad Garcia, X., & Willis, M. L. (2024). Machiavellianism and intimate partner violence perpetration: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 25 (5), 4159-4172. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380241270027

• Hunt, G. R., Mathews, B., Higgins, D. J., Finkelhor, D., Willis, M. L., Haslam, D. M., Lawrence, D., Meinck, F., & Thomas, H. J. (2024). The prevalence of child sexual abuse perpetrated by leaders or other adults in religious organizations in Australia. Child Abuse & Neglect, 155, 106946. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.106946

• Harris, L. G., Higgins, D. J., Willis, M. L., Lawrence, D., Mathews, B., Thomas, H. J., Malacova, E., Pacella, R., Scott, J. G., & Finkelhor, D. (2024). The prevalence and patterns of maltreatment, childhood adversity, and mental health disorders in an Australian out-of-home care sample. Child Maltreatment. 30(1), 42-54. https://doi.org/10.1177/10775595241246534

• Oliver, E., Coates, A., Bennett, J. M., & Willis, M. L. (2024). Narcissism and intimate partner violence: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 25(3), 1871-1884. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838023119611

• Willis, M. L., Oliver, E., & March, E. (2023). Dating in the dark: Vulnerable narcissism predicts inauthentic self-presentation in online dating. Telematics and Informatics, 81, 101985. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2023.101985

Editorial roles

• Reviewer

• Clinical Psychology Review

• Computers in Human Behavior

• Journal of Affective Disorders

• Journal of Personality

• Personality and Individual Differences

• Scientific Reports

• Telematics and Informatics

• Women's Health

Public engagement

• I regularly engage with media to communicate research on interpersonal relationships and harm to broader audiences. My work has been featured in outlets including The Conversation, ABC Radio, The Briefing podcast, and national media such as The Sydney Morning Herald, where I discuss topics including narcissism, attachment, ghosting, and family estrangement.

• A list of my articles for The Conversation can be viewed here: https://theconversation.com/profiles/megan-willis-8914/articles