Use of multiple social media platforms and symptoms of depression and anxiety: A nationally-representative study among U.S. young adults

Primack, Brian A.; Shensa, Ariel; Escobar-Viera, Csar G.; Barrett, Erica; Sidani, Jaime E.; Colditz, Jason B.; James, A. Everette

doi:10.1016/j.chb.2016.11.013

Cited by 406 publications

(321 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…However, we know that all social media use is not positive. Although causality is difficult to establish, high levels of social media use are associated with increased levels of depression (Lin et al, ), anxiety (Primack et al, ), and low self‐esteem (Woods & Scott, ). Information shared online is not always accurate (Allcott, Gentzkow, & Yu, ), and women can feel like a failure comparing themselves with other mother stories (Brown, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experiences of online breastfeeding support: Support and reassurance versus judgement and misinformation

Regan

Brown

2019

Maternal & Child Nutrition

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Breastfeeding support is integral to many women's successful breastfeeding experiences. However, cuts to professional and peer support services, distance from family, and a predominant formula‐feeding culture mean that many women in the United Kingdom do not receive the support they need. Turning to online support is an increasingly popular means of gaining both informational and emotional support, but research into online breastfeeding support groups is sparse in the United Kingdom. Data from Australia and the United States tend to focus on the positives: Women value such groups, finding information, reassurance, and a feeling of belonging. This study explored 14 women's experiences of using online support for breastfeeding in the United Kingdom, using semistructured interviews to understand their motivations and positive and negative experiences. Mothers were drawn to online support due to a lack of professional, familial, and partner support. Online support was reassuring, empathetic, and available around the clock and less daunting than attending a face‐to‐face group. Many attributed their continued breastfeeding to the support they received. However, women also experienced negativities: judgement for using formula, polarised debate, and a lack of regulation, meaning that unhelpful information was sometimes posted. The findings have important implications for those working to support mothers. These groups provide a safe space for breastfeeding mothers, but moderation is needed of such groups to ensure information is accurate and debate respectful. Online support groups are currently plugging a gap in funded support; they should be in addition not in replacement to professional and trained peer support services.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experiences of online breastfeeding support: Support and reassurance versus judgement and misinformation

Regan

Brown

2019

Maternal & Child Nutrition

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“…One study found a significant, dose-response association of increased frequency of social media use (with measures such as time per day and site visits per week) with increased likelihood of depression [15]. Contrarily, Primack et al found the use of multiple social media platforms to be associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety independent of the total amount of time spent of social media [16]. However, some studies found no association between social media use and poorer mental health outcomes, such as suicidal ideation [17][18][19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Swipe-based dating applications use and its association with mental health outcomes: a cross-sectional study

et al. 2020

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Background: Swipe-Based Dating Applications (SBDAs) function similarly to other social media and online dating platforms but have the unique feature of "swiping" the screen to either like or dislike another user's profile. There is a lack of research into the relationship between SBDAs and mental health outcomes. The aim of this study was to study whether adult SBDA users report higher levels of psychological distress, anxiety, depression, and lower self-esteem, compared to people who do not use SBDAs. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was completed by 437 participants. Mental health (MH) outcomes included the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, Generalised Anxiety Disorder-2 scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-2, and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Logistic regressions were used to estimate odds ratios of having a MH condition. A repeated measures analysis of variance was used with an apriori model which considered all four mental health scores together in a single analysis. The apriori model included user status, age and gender. Results: Thirty percent were current SBDA users. The majority of users and past users had met people face-to-face, with 26.1%(60/230) having met > 5 people, and only 22.6%(52/230) having never arranged a meeting. Almost 40%(39.1%; 90/230) had previously entered into a serious relationship with someone they had met on a SBDA. More participants reported a positive impact on self-esteem as a result of SBDA use (40.4%; 93/230), than a negative impact (28.7%;66/230). Being a SBDA user was significantly associated with having psychological distress (OR = 2.51,95%CI (1.32-4.77)), p = 0.001), and depression (OR = 1.91,95%CI (1.04-3.52), p = 0.037) in the multivariable logistic regression models, adjusting for age, gender and sexual orientation. When the four MH scores were analysed together there was a significant difference (p = 0.037) between being a user or non-user, with SDBA users having significantly higher mean scores for distress (p = 0.001), anxiety (p = 0.015) and depression (p = 0.005). Increased frequency of use and longer duration of use were both associated with greater psychological distress and depression (p < 0.05). Conclusion: SBDA use is common and users report higher levels of depression, anxiety and distress compared to those who do not use the applications. Further studies are needed to determine causality and investigate specific patterns of SBDA use that are detrimental to mental health.

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“…While some researchers have found an association between SMU and increased risk of depression [11,12,14,20], others have found an association between specific patterns of SMU and improvement of psychological well-being [21]. Thus, it may be that SMU is both a risk and protective factor for depression and psychological well-being in the general population.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Although no clear consensus exists regarding which specific measures should be counted as SMU, common ones include time (time elapsed while using SM over 24 hours), frequency (number of times people check their SM per day) [11], number of platforms (sites or apps) used [12], closeness to online friends, and activities performed (e.g., posting updates, sharing pictures, etc.) [13], as well as other SMU patterns (e.g., active vs passive use, negative experiences such as experiencing cyberbullying, problematic SMU, motivation to use SM) [14][15][16][17][18][19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Escobar-Viera¹,

Whitfield²,

Wessel³

et al. 2018

Preprint

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Use of multiple social media platforms and symptoms of depression and anxiety: A nationally-representative study among U.S. young adults

Cited by 406 publications

References 35 publications

Experiences of online breastfeeding support: Support and reassurance versus judgement and misinformation

Experiences of online breastfeeding support: Support and reassurance versus judgement and misinformation

Swipe-based dating applications use and its association with mental health outcomes: a cross-sectional study

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

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