King's University College · Western University
Psychology researcher investigating digital reassurance-seeking, anxiety, and social media use in emerging adults.
About
I am a psychology researcher and post-bachelor's Research Assistant at King's University College, Western University, where I recently completed an Honours Specialization in Psychology (Dean's Honour List; 90%+ cumulative average). My work sits at the intersection of digital behaviour, clinical psychology, and developmental science.
My Honours thesis investigated digital reassurance-seeking (the tendency to seek relief from anxiety through online platforms), examining how cognitive and attachment factors predict these behaviours in emerging adults. This project involved developing and validating two novel psychological measurement scales, from ethics submission through to data collection and quantitative analysis in R.
I am currently extending this research as a post-bachelor's Research Assistant, contributing to manuscript preparation for peer-reviewed journal submission, follow-up data collection via Prolific, and continued analysis in R and Mplus. I bring a strong background in quantitative methods and open-science practices, alongside over a decade of direct experience in community mental health, crisis intervention, and child and family services.
Research
Post-Bachelor's Research Assistant and Undergraduate Honours Thesis, King's University College, May 2025–Present
This project examines the cognitive and attachment factors that predict online reassurance-seeking behaviours in emerging adults (the tendency to seek relief from anxiety through digital platforms such as social media and messaging). Working under the supervision of Dr. Wendy Ellis, the thesis involved an independent full-cycle research project: ethics submission, novel scale development and validation (two new measures), Qualtrics survey construction, participant recruitment, and comprehensive quantitative analysis in R.
I am currently continuing as a post-bachelor's Research Assistant, contributing to manuscript preparation for peer-reviewed journal submission, additional participant recruitment via Prolific, and further analysis including structural equation modelling in Mplus.
Jan – Apr 2025
Designed and conducted a community-based survey in partnership with the London Arts Council to examine arts engagement, mental health, and barriers to participation across London, Ontario. Led data collection and analysis, and developed recommendations for improving arts accessibility and community connection.
Nov 2024 – Feb 2025
Research Assistant on a scoping review examining public and professional attitudes toward cannabis use during pregnancy. Contributed to literature screening and data extraction using Covidence and Excel, gaining experience in systematic review methodology.
Sep – Dec 2024
Developed a best-practices document for emotionally supporting fraud and scam victims at Libro Credit Union, standardizing frontline responses and coordinating referrals to appropriate mental health resources. Applied psychological principles to real-world organizational practice.
Jan – Apr 2023
Collaborated with Changing Ways to design and produce an educational video on women's programming. Responsibilities included content development, script drafting, and coordination of multi-stakeholder feedback to produce a psychoeducational resource for community use.
Presentations
Morrow, S., Ellis, W., & Hutchinson, L. Problematic social-media use mediates the link between the importance of likes and anxiety in emerging adults. Poster presented at the 87th Annual Canadian Psychological Association National Convention, Montreal, QC, June 2026.
Morrow, S., Ellis, W. Digital Reassurance Seeking: Attachment, Anxiety, and the Urge to Seek Reassurance Online. Poster presented at Development 2026: A Canadian Developmental Psychology Conference, Montreal, QC, June 2026.
Ellis, W., Bubela, R., Hutchinson, L., Morrow, S. More Than Screen Time: Adolescent Shyness, Social Media Use, and Well-Being. Poster presented at Development 2026: A Canadian Developmental Psychology Conference, Montreal, QC, June 2026.
Methods
Distinctions
Contact
I welcome inquiries about my research, potential collaborations, or graduate study opportunities. Please don't hesitate to reach out.
smorrow9@uwo.caDepartment of Psychology
King's University College, Western University
London, Ontario, Canada