Carol Scott
Research Fellow
School of Information
Information
PhD in Social Welfare from the University at Buffalo
MSW (masters of social work) from the University of Windsor, Canada
Bachelor (in experimental psychology) from McMaster University, Canada
My research centers on youth social media use and its relation to development and well-being, including problem drinking and mental health. Given that today’s youth are connected to some form of digital technology daily, if not constantly, I argue that frequency of use may not be a cause for concern. Instead, what may matter more is engagement – what youth do while they are online. My work also distinguishes between general and domain-specific user generated content (e.g., alcohol-related, which is posting about drinking online). Understanding and exploring the impact that youth social media engagement has will help to inform how it influences well-being, including problem drinking and mental health. Leveraging this knowledge, we can transform prevention and intervention approaches by integrating digital technology/tools into care and tailoring services to suit our digital age. For example, we could use to technology to augment clinical care and extend our reach, including delivering in-the-moment alcohol and/or mental health interventions to youth through social media, online gaming platforms, and/or smartphone applications
Projects:
The PROMPT Study
Research Area(s)
Health outcomes | Other | Public policy and social science | Sensors and Wearables | alcohol and substance use/addictions | mental health | social media use | technology | youth well-being and development
Publications