Anna Freytag

Dr. Anna Freytag is a Researcher at the Department of Journalism and Communication Research, Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media, where she has been active since September 2018. Her academic background includes a PhD and studies in Media Management, complemented by international experience at Université Stendhal III in Grenoble. She holds memberships in prominent academic associations including the International Communication Association (ICA), European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA), and German Society of Mass Communication (DGPuK).

Her research spans health communication, media psychology, and digital wellbeing, with emphases on:

• Mental health stigma: Analyzing media framing of depression, substance use, and COVID-19.
• Digital mindfulness: Investigating stress reduction via mindful technology use.
• Environmental media: Studying nature documentaries' impact on pro-environmental behavior.
• Health information behavior: Exploring information seeking/avoidance during health crises.

Her publications (2017-2025) reveal consistent themes: stigma reduction strategies, digital wellbeing interventions, and environmental communication efficacy. Methodologically, she employs experiments, frame analysis, and cluster modeling to explore media effects.

Awards & Recognition:

• Best Paper Award (2022) for research on depression framing at the DGPuK Health Communication Conference.

She co-founded a sustainability initiative at her university and collaborates with research groups like [HC]² (Health Communication and Media Psychology) on projects such as anti-stigma communication and health innovation.