Research Officer and PhD Student
BHSc
Alana Papageorgiou is a Research Officer with the ARC Life Course Centre. In this role, she is currently working with the Centre’s Knowledge Transfer Portfolio to identify and promote innovative ways to ensure the Centre’s research is disseminated and translated for policy and practice to the broader public and key stakeholder groups such as government, business, not-for-profit organisations, and those experiencing deep and persistent disadvantage.
Her previous role with Telethon Kids was with the AAMRI Research Impact Working Group Project, which developed a research impact framework to enhance the Australian medical research sector’s ability to translate research and knowledge into impacts that benefit the community. She has also worked on various projects within the Health Promotion and Education team, with experience working across school-based health promotion intervention projects related to mental health, bullying prevention, and technology use and online behaviours in children and adolescents.
She is currently completing her PhD in Public Health at the University of Western Australia exploring adolescent girls’ social media use and its influence on their mental health and support needs.
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Publications
April 2023
“It just Sends the Message that you’re Nothing but your body” a Qualitative Exploration of Adolescent Girls’ Perceptions of Sexualized Images on Social Media
This qualitative study used in-depth interviews to explore adolescent girls’ perceptions of sexualized images they typically find when using social media. Twenty-four participants aged 14–17 years described sexualized images of females as normalized on social media. The interplay between gendered and social norms that endorsed and rewarded girls for posting sexualized images was seen to influence an expectation for girls to conform with their peers and post such images of themselves.
Published research Child Physical Activity, Health and DevelopmentJanuary 2023Sexualized Images on Social Media and Adolescent Girls’ Mental Health: Qualitative Insights from Parents, School Support Service Staff and Youth Mental Health Service Providers
This research explored adults' perceptions of how sexualized images typically found on social media might influence adolescent girls' mental health, what support girls might need should they experience mental health difficulties, and how such difficulties could be prevented or reduced.
Published research Parenting & Families School Attendance Child Physical Activity, Health and Development Youth mental healthJune 2022“Why don’t I look like her?” How adolescent girls view social media and its connection to body image
Adolescent girls appear more vulnerable to experiencing mental health difficulties from social media use than boys. The presence of sexualized images online is thought to contribute, through increasing body dissatisfaction among adolescent girls.
Published research Parenting & Families Human Development and Community WellbeingMay 2015A social-ecological framework for understanding and reducing cyberbullying behaviours
While the CFS findings suggest the combined whole-school response to the mediators was somewhat effective, the study wasn't able to determine the relative...
Published research Bullying Cyber Safety Human Development and Community Wellbeing -
Education and Qualifications