Psychological Well-Being and Social Media Use: A Meta-Analysis of Associations between Social Media Use and Depression, Anxiety, Loneliness, Eudaimonic, Hedonic and Social Well-Being

Hancock, Jeff; Liu, Sunny Xun; Luo, Mufan; Mieczkowski, Hannah

doi:10.2139/ssrn.4053961

Cited by 26 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 90 publications

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“…In a recent survey, more than 50% of Americans reported their social media use intensified their feelings of anxiety and depression (Reboot, 2021), and rises in mental health problems among youth populations have been linked to the overuse of social media (Aalbers et al, 2019; Keles et al, 2020). Although some researchers and observers are skeptical of such associations between social media use and serious mental health issues (Steinberg, 2021), recent meta‐analysis evidence from over 220 studies firmly links social media use to increases in both anxiety and depression (Hancock et al, 2022). This research raises the prospect that consumers will continue to suffer from negative outcomes if nothing is done to address the dangers of social media use.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Social media and mindfulness: From the fear of missing out (FOMO) to the joy of missing out (JOMO)

Chan¹,

Solt

Cruz

et al. 2022

Journal of Consumer Affairs

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Mindless use of social media may lead to negative mental health outcomes for consumers. In this research, the authors focus on the fear of missing out (FOMO) as a key determinant of those negative outcomes by illustrating how repeated social media use forms a habit loop termed "social media FOMO." The authors introduce a "Social Media FOMO to JOMO" framework, where they describe how mindless use can

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confidence: 99%

Social media and mindfulness: From the fear of missing out (FOMO) to the joy of missing out (JOMO)

Chan¹,

Solt

Cruz

et al. 2022

Journal of Consumer Affairs

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“…We also examined the associations among PROMIS social functioning variables (e.g., social relationships, social roles, and companionship) and digital stress among adolescents and young adults. Previous studies have reported associations between social media use and perceived loneliness (Hancock et al, 2019), particularly among adolescents (e.g., Barry et al, 2017). Our findings reveal variable associations among digital stress and measures of social functioning.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Research on the association between mobile and social media use and well-being has shown that this relationship is complex and dependent on many factors (Hancock et al, 2019; Meier et al, 2020). Whereas some studies have found significant associations between social media use and psychosocial distress among adolescents and young adults (e.g., anxiety, depressive symptoms, and loneliness; Barry et al, 2017), other studies have suggested that the association between social media use and psychosocial well-being is dependent on “usage variables,” including quality, frequency, and the type of use (Baker & Algorta, 2016, p. 640).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Whereas some studies have found significant associations between social media use and psychosocial distress among adolescents and young adults (e.g., anxiety, depressive symptoms, and loneliness; Barry et al, 2017), other studies have suggested that the association between social media use and psychosocial well-being is dependent on “usage variables,” including quality, frequency, and the type of use (Baker & Algorta, 2016, p. 640). For example, in the largest meta-analysis conducted in this area to date, Hancock et al (2019) reported that passive social media use (e.g., browsing, “lurking”) appeared to be positively associated with psychological distress, whereas active use (e.g., posting updates and connecting with others) was positively associated with the indicators of psychological health.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Development and initial evaluation of a multidimensional digital stress scale.

Hall¹,

Steele²,

Christofferson³

et al. 2021

Psychological Assessment

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Digital stress is believed to play a role in the association between social media use and psychosocial outcomes. However, the literature is limited by a lack of measures that conform to published theoretical models of the construct. The present investigation details the development of a new multidimensional measure of digital stress. Based on an earlier conceptualization of Digital Stress (Steele et al., 2020), Study 1 identified items from extant measures of digital stress, conducted a qualitative review of the literature to compose new items, and conducted focus groups with young adults and adolescents (N = 23) to improve item wording and interpretation. Study 2 conducted an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of items with a young adult sample (N = 247) collected online, yielding support for four hypothesized factors (i.e., availability stress, approval anxiety, fear of missing out [FoMO], and connection overload) plus one unanticipated factor (i.e., online vigilance). In Study 3, college students (N = 174) completed paper-and-pencil surveys, and EFA results showed a similar structure as detected in Study 2. In Study 4, confirmatory factor analysis examining the five-factor model was conducted on data from adolescents (N = 163) and college students (N = 152). These procedures yielded 24 items measuring 5 components of digital stress: availability stress, approval anxiety, FoMO, connection overload, and online vigilance. Associations between digital stress and psychosocial distress and functioning are reported to demonstrate convergent and divergent validity. Public Significance StatementSocial and mobile media use has been linked to negative psychological outcomes for adolescent and young adults, and digital stress has been proposed as a mediator of the relationship between media use and negative outcomes. This investigation documents the development and initial examination of a new measure of digital stress. Results indicate that digital stress comprises five components which are differentially associated with self-reported anxiety, depression, stress, and social functioning in young adults and adolescents.

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“…Intersections between digital technology engagement and mental health are of great interest, with media attention and research on the topic skyrocketing within the last 14 years ( Hancock et al, 2019 ; Reeves et al, 2020 ). These intersections are of even more importance within the past 2–3 years of the COVID-19 pandemic ( Richtel, 2021 ; Shrier, 2021 ), during which we have seen spikes in both frequency of digital technology engagement ( Cielo et al, 2021 ; Kerekes et al, 2021 ) and psychological distress ( Chen et al, 2021 ; Czeisler et al, 2021 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emerging adults’ digital technology engagement and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic

2022

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Within the past decade, parents, scientists, and policy makers have sought to understand how digital technology engagement may exacerbate or ameliorate young people’s mental health symptoms, a concern that has intensified amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Previous research has been far from conclusive, and a lack of research consensus may stem in part from widely varying measurement strategies (including subjective and objective measurement) around digital technology engagement. In a cross-sectional study of 323 university students, the present study seeks to understand the ways in which youth engagement with digital technology – across subjective and objective measurements, weekday and weekend distinctions, and social and non-social uses – is associated with mental health (as measured by depression, loneliness, and multidimensional mood and anxiety). The present study also tested a differential susceptibility hypothesis to examine whether COVID-19 related social isolation might exacerbate the potential harms or helps of digital technology engagement. Results yielded few observed associations between digital technology engagement and mental health, with little evidence of detrimental effects of observed or perceived time spent on digital technology. Rather, those significant findings which did emerge underscore potential protections conferred by social connections with friends (both online and offline), and that the loneliest students may be the most likely to be reaching out for these types of connections. It is important that the field move beyond crude (largely self-reported) measures of screen time to instead understand how and to what effect youth are using digital technologies, especially during the social corridor of emerging adulthood.

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Psychological Well-Being and Social Media Use: A Meta-Analysis of Associations between Social Media Use and Depression, Anxiety, Loneliness, Eudaimonic, Hedonic and Social Well-Being

Cited by 26 publications

References 90 publications

Social media and mindfulness: From the fear of missing out (FOMO) to the joy of missing out (JOMO)

Social media and mindfulness: From the fear of missing out (FOMO) to the joy of missing out (JOMO)

Development and initial evaluation of a multidimensional digital stress scale.

Emerging adults’ digital technology engagement and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic

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