Lydia Harkin

Dr Lydia Harkin is an applied health researcher and Principal Lecturer in Psychology at Nottingham Trent University. Her main teaching and research interested are in cyberpsychology, health psychology, the social psychology of health, and the health psychology of chronic illness and older adulthood.

Dr Harkin's research has explore new digital technologies and their impact on health and wellbeing, typically considering ways to promote positive wellbeing through technological features. She has also examined how people impacted by health conditions and in older adulthood use technologies for their benefit. This has spanned online communities and communication online, online health information sites, videos, and podcasts, and digital applications for wellbeing. Her current research project include, amongst others, qualitative explorations of ways patients use online social media to advocate, and mixed methods examinations of trends in health and technology beliefs over time.