For Better or for Worse? A Systematic Review of the Evidence on Social Media Use and Depression Among Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Minorities

Abstract

BackgroundOver 90% of adults in the United States have at least one social media account, and lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) persons are more socially active on social media than heterosexuals. Rates of depression among LGB persons are between 1.5- and 2-fold higher than those among their heterosexual counterparts. Social media allows users to connect, interact, and express ideas, emotions, feelings, and thoughts. Thus, social media use might represent both a protective and a risk factor for depression among LGB persons. Studying the nature of the relationship between social media use and depression among LGB individuals is a necessary step to inform public health interventions for this population.ObjectiveThe objective of this systematic review was to synthesize and critique the evidence on social media use and depression among LGB populations.MethodsWe conducted a literature search for quantitative and qualitative studies published between January 2003 and June 2017 using 3 electronic databases. Articles were included if they were peer-reviewed, were in English, assessed social media use either quantitatively or qualitatively, measured depression, and focused on LGB populations. A minimum of two authors independently extracted data from each study using an a priori developed abstraction form. We assessed appropriate reporting of studies using the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology and the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research for quantitative and qualitative studies, respectively.ResultsWe included 11 articles in the review; 9 studies were quantitative and cross-sectional and 2 were qualitative. Appropriate reporting of results varied greatly. Across quantitative studies, we found heterogeneity in how social media use was defined and measured. Cyberbullying was the most studied social media experience and was associated with depression and suicidality. Qualitative studies found that while social media provides a space to disclose minority experiences and share ways to cope and get support, constant surveillance of one’s social media profile can become a stressor, potentially leading to depression. In most studies, sexual minority participants were identified inconsistently.ConclusionsThis review supports the need for research on the role of social media use on depression outcomes among LBG persons. Using social media may be both a protective and a risk factor for depression among LGB individuals. Support gained via social media may buffer the impact of geographic isolation and loneliness. Negative experiences such as cyberbullying and other patterns of use may be associated with depression. Future research would benefit from more consistent definitions of both social media use and study populations. Moreover, use of larger samples and accounting for patterns of use and individuals’ experiences on social media may help better understand the factors that impact LGB mental health disparities.

Social Media Use and Its Connection to Mental Health: A Systematic Review

“…Of the 16 selected research papers, there were a research focus on adults, gender, and preadolescents [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. In the design, there were qualitative and quantitative studies [15,16].…”

“…The Displaced Behavior Theory may help explain why social media shows a connection with mental health. According to the theory, people who spend more time in sedentary behaviors such as social media use have less time for face-to-face social interaction, both of which have been proven to be protective against mental disorders [11,12]. On the other hand, social theories found how social media use affects mental health by influencing how people view, maintain, and interact with their social network [13].…”

“…On the other hand, social theories found how social media use affects mental health by influencing how people view, maintain, and interact with their social network [13]. A number of studies have been conducted on the impacts of social media, and it has been indicated that the prolonged use of social media platforms such as Facebook may be related to negative signs and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress [10][11][12][13][14][15]. Furthermore, social media can create a lot of pressure to create the stereotype that others want to see and also being as popular as others.…”

“…This paper attempt to systematically review all the relevant literature with the aim of filling the gap by examining social media impact on mental health, which is sedentary behavior, which, if in excess, raises the risk of health problems [7,9,12]. This study is important because it provides information on the extent of the focus of peer review literature, which can assist the researchers in delivering a prospect with the aim of understanding the future attention related to climate change strategies that require scholarly attention.…”

Impact of coronavirus outbreak on psychological health

“…To cope with such outbreaks and epidemics, the health care authorities should have affective plans, which must consider psychological health [3,10,12]. Unlike the infected individuals, the responses of uninfected individuals are expected to be mild, however, these reactions become worse by rumors spread by media and social networks [13][14][15]. In the outbreak caused by 2019-nCoV in Wuhan, China, the reactions of the people could be quite severe as compared to the outbreaks of SARS and MERS [3,11] (and references S1-S3 in the Online Supplementary Document; other supplementary references are indicated by letter S in brackets).…”