My name is Kathrin Karsay, and I am a communication scientist. I currently work as a post-doctoral researcher at the School of Mass Communication Research at KU Leuven (Belgium). I received my doctoral degree in February 2018 at the University of Vienna (Austria), where I held a pre-doctoral and post-doctoral research position at the Department of Communication.

My main research focuses on media effects on mental health and well-being. By applying a multi-disciplinary and multi-method approach, I cover several relevant topics in the fields of media psychology and health communication – with a focus on young media users. Moreover, I am interested in topics related to gender (e.g., sexualization, stereotypes) and body image (e.g., self-objectification, body appreciation, preventive effects of media disclaimers).

I am currently serving as a guest editor for the International Journal of Communication (“COVID-19, Digital Media, and Health”) and Mass Communication Research (“Endlessly connected? Agentic perspectives on mobile media (non-)use“). I have published my research in leading SSCI-ranked journals, including Communication Research, Mass Communication and Society, Media Psychology and Computers in Human Behavior. My work has been acknowledged with several competitive awards and scholarships (e.g., ICA Kyoon Hur Dissertation Award, Austrian Award of Excellence, Sowi-Doc.Award). 

Learn more about my current research.

Latest articles:

Schmuck, D., Stevic, A., Matthes, J., & Karsay, K. (accepted). Out of control? How parental lack of control over children’s smartphone use affects children’s self-esteem over time. New Media and Society.

Stevic, A., Schmuck, Karsay, K., & Matthes, J. (2021). Are smartphones enhancing or displacing face-to-face communication with close ties? A panel study among adults, 16, International Journal of Communication. Retrieved from https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/14796