Abstract:Social media use has been linked to adverse health outcomes such as depression. To facilitate interventions, understanding the varied causes of depression is necessary. The authors developed a social media-induced depression tendency (SMIDT) scale for use with young people and aimed to validate it for young people in Nigeria. The study was conducted in three parts using an online survey (Google Forms) with purposive sampling targeting young people. Study 1 was an exploratory study that developed the SMIDT scal… Show more
“…These circumstances have illuminated the need to grasp factors such as EI that bolster resilience, especially given the specific challenges often faced by African adolescents (e.g., emotional and physical conflicts, infectious diseases, and physical and sexual abuse) that could influence mental health (Dorado Barbé et al, 2021;Kuhlman et al, 2021;Ugwu et al, 2023). Understanding the interplay between EI and trauma offers insights for interventions that enhance resilience and long-term emotional well-being.…”
Although adolescence is a critical period marked by increased vulnerability to trauma, the mechanisms underlying how adolescents cope with such experiences remain underexplored. This study is anchored in Hobfoll’s conservation of resources theory and Porges’ polyvagal theory, which together suggest that emotional intelligence and distress disclosure are critical resources for adolescents coping with trauma and investigated the interplay of distress disclosure in the relationship between emotional intelligence and trauma among secondary school adolescents. A three-wave longitudinal study was conducted with 491 adolescents enrolled in public secondary schools in Enugu State, Nigeria, selected using a two-stage cluster sampling technique. Emotional intelligence, distress disclosure, and trauma symptoms were assessed using the Trait Emotional Intelligence Scale, Distress Disclosure Index, and Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children, respectively. Confirmatory factor analysis, path analysis, and mediation analysis were employed. The results indicated significant negative relationships between emotional intelligence, distress disclosure, and adolescent trauma. Furthermore, the mediation analysis revealed that distress disclosure partially mediated the relationship between the latter two. These findings have practical implications for designing interventions and support systems that foster emotional intelligence and promote distress disclosure among Nigerian adolescents and others exposed to trauma. Future research should explore additional protective factors to enhance the robustness and generalisability of the findings.
“…These circumstances have illuminated the need to grasp factors such as EI that bolster resilience, especially given the specific challenges often faced by African adolescents (e.g., emotional and physical conflicts, infectious diseases, and physical and sexual abuse) that could influence mental health (Dorado Barbé et al, 2021;Kuhlman et al, 2021;Ugwu et al, 2023). Understanding the interplay between EI and trauma offers insights for interventions that enhance resilience and long-term emotional well-being.…”
Although adolescence is a critical period marked by increased vulnerability to trauma, the mechanisms underlying how adolescents cope with such experiences remain underexplored. This study is anchored in Hobfoll’s conservation of resources theory and Porges’ polyvagal theory, which together suggest that emotional intelligence and distress disclosure are critical resources for adolescents coping with trauma and investigated the interplay of distress disclosure in the relationship between emotional intelligence and trauma among secondary school adolescents. A three-wave longitudinal study was conducted with 491 adolescents enrolled in public secondary schools in Enugu State, Nigeria, selected using a two-stage cluster sampling technique. Emotional intelligence, distress disclosure, and trauma symptoms were assessed using the Trait Emotional Intelligence Scale, Distress Disclosure Index, and Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children, respectively. Confirmatory factor analysis, path analysis, and mediation analysis were employed. The results indicated significant negative relationships between emotional intelligence, distress disclosure, and adolescent trauma. Furthermore, the mediation analysis revealed that distress disclosure partially mediated the relationship between the latter two. These findings have practical implications for designing interventions and support systems that foster emotional intelligence and promote distress disclosure among Nigerian adolescents and others exposed to trauma. Future research should explore additional protective factors to enhance the robustness and generalisability of the findings.
“…Through misinformation and fake news, the media, for example, social media, play key roles in sensitising mental health issues among young adults, such as stress, anxiety, depression, mental health shame, stigma, and suicide [45][46][47]. Although social media has been linked to poor mental health among young adults in Nigeria [48,49], it can serve as a means for promoting mental health and well-being through health-promotion campaigns [50,51].…”
In this review, we examine the impact of media and self-compassion on the mental well-being of Nigerian youth, particularly in suicide prevention and promoting positive mental health outcomes. Nigeria faces socioeconomic challenges contributing to poor mental health and high suicide rates among young people. Despite this, the influence of media and self-compassion interventions on mental health remains largely unexplored. The research questions centred on how media exposure enhances mental health awareness and resilience building, as well as the role of self-compassion in preventing suicide. Seven studies employing various methodologies such as interviews, surveys, and experimental designs were identified from the Scopus and Google Scholar databases and were analysed. The results indicated the significant role of media in health communication and education, while self-compassion interventions show promise in enhancing mental health resilience. Recommendations include utilising media for mental health education and support services, particularly targeting youth. This synthesis offers insights for policymakers, stakeholders, and educational institutions to integrate media-based mental health interventions into their strategies.
“…Although direct studies linking SI and IA are lacking, related constructs such as emotional intelligence (EI) have been inversely associated with IA, suggesting that individuals with lower EI may be more prone to higher levels of IA [ 19 ]. In addition, researchers [ 20 ] have found that individuals with poor social skills or who experience a high level of interpersonal anxiety may be susceptible to cyberspace relationships [ 21 ]. This suggests that individuals with low social intelligence could be predisposed to greater IA levels than people with higher SI.…”
The global pandemic forced young adults and their parents to be together. This situation has equally exposed the weaknesses in the child-parent relationship. This study aimed to investigate the role of social intelligence in the relationship between parenting style and Internet addiction during the global COVID-19 pandemic. Seven hundred and seventy-four were sampled from a public university in southeast Nigeria. They comprised 373 females and 401 males aged 17–28 years, with a mean age of 21.61. The students responded to validated measures of parenting style inventory-II, the Tromsø social intelligence scale, and Young’s Internet addiction test. The moderated multiple regression analysis results indicated that permissive parenting and social intelligence significantly predicted Internet addiction. Social intelligence moderated the relationship between authoritarian parenting style and Internet addiction. The moderation was that Internet addiction is significantly higher for individuals with low social intelligence and authoritarian parenting style than individuals with low social intelligence and higher authoritarian parenting style. Some implications of the findings include engaging parenting styles to encourage more physical interactions and enabling an environment for growth. Also, adopting techniques to increase social intelligence will help students adjust to any parenting style that may influence their psychological well-being.
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