Dr Lizzy Winstone
MSc, BA, PhD
Expertise
Current positions
Senior Research Associate
Bristol Medical School (PHS)
Contact
Press and media
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Research interests
I am a mixed methods researcher interested in young people's mental health, well-being and self-harm. My PhD focused on how young people use social media (in terms of different online activities), and whether this relates to their mental health. I also explored how connected young people feel to their peers, family and school, and how this relates to their social media use.
Before starting my PhD I worked for several years as a survey methodologist for the European Social Survey, a cross-sectional general attitudes survey conducted every two years in more than 20 countries. Based at City University London, I specialised in questionnaire design, (cross-national) equivalence, survey non-response and survey project management. I have also previously worked in local authority public health teams as a data analyst, researcher and strategist, specialising in Joint Strategic Needs Assessments of local populations.
Projects and supervisions
Research projects
Churchill Fellowship: Teaching algorithmic literacy to young people to promote positive social media use
Principal Investigator
Description
Understanding social media algorithms is an important tool in having control over the material we see online. This is particularly important for young people struggling with their mental health, who…Managing organisational unit
Bristol Medical School (PHS)Dates
22/07/2024 to 02/09/2024
Developing recommendations to support the mental well-being of academic mental health researchers
Principal Investigator
Description
Surveying UK-wide academic mental health researchers to develop recommendations for mental health support that addresses challenges arising from exposure to distressing research material, such as self-harm and suicide.Managing organisational unit
Bristol Medical School (PHS)Dates
01/11/2023 to 31/07/2024
Developing a proposal to examine the role of social media literacy in self-harm prevention
Principal Investigator
Description
This short project is funded by the Brigstow Institute Ideas Exchange Fund and will enable me to engage with the McPin Foundation Young People's Advisory Group (YPAG) to develop a…Managing organisational unit
Bristol Medical School (PHS)Dates
17/04/2023 to 30/06/2023
Publications
Selected publications
20/06/2022Adolescent social media user types and their mental health and well-being
JCPP Advances
Social media use and social connectedness among adolescents in the United Kingdom
BMC Public Health
Is social media screen time really associated with poor adolescent mental health?
Journal of Affective Disorders
Recent publications
11/06/2024Cyberbullying Perpetration and Victimization as Risk Factors for Self-Harm
Journal of Adolescent Health
Investigating How People Who Self-harm Evaluate Web-Based Lived Experience Stories
JMIR Mental Health
Adolescent Experiences of the COVID-19 Pandemic and School Closures and Implications for Mental Health, Peer Relationships and Learning: A Qualitative Study in South-West England
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Adolescent social media user types and their mental health and well-being
JCPP Advances
A Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies Exploring Lived Experiences, Perceived Impact, and Coping Strategies of Children and Young People Whose Parents Use Substances
Trauma, Violence, and Abuse
Thesis
Adolescent Social Media User Types and Their Mental Health, Well-being, and Social Connectedness
Supervisors
Award date
21/06/2022