Sharing, Liking, Commenting, and Distressed? The Pathway Between Facebook Interaction and Psychological Distress

Abstract

Studies on the mental health implications of social media have generated mixed results. Drawing on a survey of college students (N = 513), this research uses structural equation modeling to assess the relationship between Facebook interaction and psychological distress and two underlying mechanisms: communication overload and self-esteem. It is the first study, to our knowledge, that examines how communication overload mediates the mental health implications of social media. Frequent Facebook interaction is associated with greater distress directly and indirectly via a two-step pathway that increases communication overload and reduces self-esteem. The research sheds light on new directions for understanding psychological well-being in an increasingly mediated social world as users share, like, and comment more and more.

The dark side of social networking sites: An exploration of the relational and psychological stressors associated with Facebook use and affordances

“…At this time, some survey-based research has identified links between Facebook use and diminished well-being (e.g., Chen & Lee, 2013;Chou & Edge, 2012;Kross et al, 2013), as well as negative experiences based on unfriending and romantic relationship dissolution (Bevan, Ang, & Fearns, 2014;Fox, Jones, & Lookadoo, 2013;Marshall, 2012;Tokunaga, 2014 analysis showed a prevalence of negative content posted to Facebook (Shelton & Skalski, 2014). What is lacking is a deeper investigation into how and why users have negative experiences on Facebook, particularly given users' tendency to proclaim, ''it's just Facebook,'' and thus does not affect them substantially (Fox, Warber, & Makstaller, 2013).…”

Exploring how social networking sites impact youth with anxiety: A qualitative study of Facebook stressors among adolescents with an anxiety disorder diagnosis

“…Similarly, Labrague (2014) identified that time spent online correlated significantly with anxiety; markedly the amount of time spent on Facebook predicted higher levels of anxiety captured by the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale. Furthermore, research has established links between Facebook use and diminished well-being, self-esteem, and increased feelings of depression, stress, cognitive overload, and body dissatisfaction in healthy users (Chen & Lee, 2013;Chou & Edge, 2012;de Vries, de Graaf, & Nikken, 2016;Kross et al, 2013). Research suggests that frequent updates from Facebook friends and the possibility of encountering negative comments may contribute to the development of negative emotions (Labrague, 2014).…”

Social networking and academic performance: A review

“…While a majority of research in this area has developed around the positive affordances of SNS, evidence has started to surface that highlights negative influences as well. Despite the many affordances of SNS, research has associated high usage of SNS with: psychological distress (Chen and Lee 2013), lower quality of life (Bevan et al 2014), and reduced subjective wellbeing (Kross et al 2013), among others. But whereas the body of work examining the effects of SNS use on psychosocial outcomes is growing and generally tending towards consensus, the link between SNS use and academic outcomes remains both inadequately covered and understood.…”