TY students to tackle mental health in an increasingly online world

26 Apr 2024

• 100 transition year students to compete in psychology competition at UCC.
• As social media channels fuel misinformation, TY students will investigate real world challenges using evidence-based psychology practice.
• Future psychologists to explore the factors that influence good health and wellbeing.

The mental health impact of SnapChat, the benefits of cold-water swimming and the relationship between altruism and wellbeing are among the topics will be explored by transition year students at a psychology and science communication competition at University College Cork (UCC) today.

Hosted by UCC School of Applied Psychology, PsychSlam will see more than 100 transition year students from across Ireland investigate and apply psychology knowledge to real-world challenges.

Countering misinformation 

With the rise of social media platforms like TikTok and SnapChat, there has been a surge in mental health misinformation and disinformation that can negatively impact users’ mental well-being, luring users with sensational headlines, hyperbolic language, or emotional triggers. Hosted annually, Psychslam is designed to introduced transition year students to psychology practice and research to benefit individuals and society.

Transition year students receive training and mentoring in science communication and choose to investigate a range of diverse topics including privacy online, the effects of parents praising children and the mental health impact of having pets. Since 2015, more than 1100 transition year students have participated in the competition and gained experience in teamwork and science communication while collaborating with UCC’s psychologist, researchers and psychology students.

Collaborating with leading psychologists

Teams have the opportunity to learn from world-leading researchers and collaborate with students on UCC’s BA in Applied Psychology. Undergraduate students mentor and train the transition year teams, growing their own professional development while developing connections with peers and UCC Faculty.

The PsychSlam Team includes Dr Gillian Murphy, Dr Marica Cassarino, Ms Catherine O'Sullivan, Dr Sinead Kelleher and Dr Samantha Dockray from UCC’s School of Applied Psychology.

Dr Samanatha Dockray said: “Today’s competition is the culmination of weeks of preparation as our TY students showcase their knowledge and communication skills on various psychological topics. Although we’re excited to see which team will win today, we know that PsychSlam experience goes beyond the competition. PsychSlam serves as a catalyst for sparking interest in psychology among young minds.”

“This year, the competition will be compered by three final year students: Cecily Reverman, Tea Falade, and Fergal Crowley. These students have played pivotal roles in previous PsychSlam events and will ensure that this year’s competition is engaging and memorable. We're delighted to have such enthusiastic and experienced students leading the competition heats, as well as so many UCC students participate in our community engagement activities such as PsychSlam,” Dr Dockray said.

The event is sponsored by the Lero Institute and has received support from the British Council Famelab programme, the world's leading science communication competition.

For more information visit the about PsychSlam page.