dr. Melanie de Looper

Bio

As an assistant professor at the Scientific Center for Care and Wellbeing (Tranzo) of the Tilburg School of Social and Behavioral Sciences of Tilburg University, I am working on research projects as well as teaching in the medical and clinical psychology master program and the health wellbeing & society master program. In my research, I focus on digitalization and the role of online health information in the mental well-being of vulnerable populations. My work has been published in several journals such as the Journal of Medical Internet Research, Journal of Health Communication, and BMC Cancer, and received multiple awards.

Expertise

My two current research lines are:

1. New digital media & mental health

In this research line, I focus on the effects of several forms of new digital media (e.g., online short videos on social media, AI, apps) and the effects on mental health. For example, studying the mental health information needs of young adults, their motivations to use social media to fulfill those needs, and the effects of using social media and encountering mental health information on their wellbeing.

2. Digitalization in mental healthcare & inequality

Here, I focus on how new digital media use differs based on individual characteristics (e.g., ethnic background, socio-economic status, media/health literacy) and how to develop digital messages without increasing the digital divide. Current projects are studies on how the use of digital media for one's mental health differs based on individual characteristics, but also studies into population-specific needs/barriers to using digital media for one's mental health.

Courses

• Master's thesis Sociology: HWS

Recent publications

1. Development and implementation of a multilingual online platform to i…

   de Looper, M., Hernandez, G., van Weert, J., Schouten, B. C., & Mentalhealth4all consortium (2023). Development and implementation of a multilingual online platform to improve access to mental healthcare for migrants and refugees in Europe. The 7th Biennial D.C. Health Communication Conference (DCHC), Fiarfax, Virginia, United States.

2. The Patient Navigator - Can a systematically developed online health …

   De looper, M., Smets, E. M. A., Schouten, B. C., Bolle, S., Belgers, E. H. J., Eddes, E. H., Leijtens, J. W. A., & Van weert, J. C. M. (2022). The Patient Navigator: Can a systematically developed online health information tool improve patient participation and outcomes related to the consultation in older patients newly diagnosed with colorectal cancer? BMC Cancer, 22(1), Article 109.

3. Improving online health information provision for older cancer patien…

   de Looper, M. (2021). Improving online health information provision for older cancer patients: Online health information usage and its influence on patient outcomes. Universiteit van Amsterdam. https://dare.uva.nl/search?identifier=6b23a774-f67d-43a5-8963-ece12f7aba4c

4. The influence of online health information seeking before a consultat…

   De looper, M., Van weert, J. C. M., Schouten, B. C., Bolle, S., Belgers, E. H. J., Eddes, E. H., & Smets, E. M. A. (2021). The influence of online health information seeking before a consultation on anxiety, satisfaction, and information recall, mediated by patient participation: Field study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 23(7), Article e23670.

5. Adapting online patient decision aids - Effects of modality and narra…

   De looper, M., Damman, O., Smets, E., Timmermans, D., & Van weert, J. (2020). Adapting online patient decision aids: Effects of modality and narration style on patients’ satisfaction, information recall and informed decision making. Journal of Health Communication, 25(9), 712-726.