This research explores the interplay between social media usage, offline and online interactions, perceived social support, and depression levels among university students. Analyzing data from 430...Show moreThis research explores the interplay between social media usage, offline and online interactions, perceived social support, and depression levels among university students. Analyzing data from 430 participants, this cross-sectional study leverages the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) to assess depression symptoms and employs both multivariate and univariate linear regression analyses, as well as MANOVA and ANOVA tests, to understand the connections between online/offline social interactions, perceived social support, and depression. Key findings indicate a significant relationship between the level of perceived social support (β = -0.49, p < .001) and frequency of online interactions (β = 0.43, p < .05) with depression levels. Notably, individuals reporting higher levels of perceived social support tend to exhibit lower depression levels, while those with frequent online interactions often show higher depression levels. The study also identifies marked gender differences in social media use and depression, with females showing greater susceptibility. These results underscore a nuanced relationship between active/passive social media engagement, gender, and mental health. The research emphasizes the need for mental health strategies that consider individual differences, particularly focusing on the quality of social support and patterns of online engagement, to effectively address mental health concerns in young adults.Show less
Popular science literature on self-love frequently portrays individuals as self-sufficient entities. This furthers a neoliberal narrative of self-optimization and stigmatization of help-seeking....Show morePopular science literature on self-love frequently portrays individuals as self-sufficient entities. This furthers a neoliberal narrative of self-optimization and stigmatization of help-seeking. Drawing on social media discourse among people within alcohol and other drug (AOD) recovery, this study aims to explore an alternative narrative of self-love that involves the other instead of centering around the self. The paper extends a larger project assessing lay beliefs of self-love in 902 #selflove and AOD recovery Instagram and Twitter posts from 2019 by focusing on one aspect of self-love: self-care strategies. This study examines the relationship between other-focused (e.g., seeking or offering help) as opposed to self-centered self-care strategies (e.g., cognitive reframing). Additionally, the mention of three common self-care strategies—namely expressing gratitude, reframing, and taking responsibility—to predict other-focused self-care in a post is assessed. Results from a chi-square analysis indicate no significant association between self-centered and other-focused self-care. Further, our regression model did not significantly predict other-focused self-care, calling for further exploration. Future research calls for a refined conceptualization and associated detection criteria of self- and other-focused care. This study provides a first step toward exploring a narrative of self-love rooted in solidarity and cooperation. As such, it adds to a growing body of work clarifying for those in recovery, practitioners, and researchers how self-love can be implemented in behavioral treatment and recovery interventions and promote AOD prevention.Show less
Social Networking Sites (SNS) can be valuable tools to connect people with shared interests worldwide. However, SNS screentime has increased drastically over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic....Show moreSocial Networking Sites (SNS) can be valuable tools to connect people with shared interests worldwide. However, SNS screentime has increased drastically over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Excessive use of SNS has been associated with adverse mental health outcomes in previous studies. Contrary to the majority of studies on SNS, which usually rely on correlations, this study used an experimental approach to examine the relationship between SNS use, depression, and anxiety. Fear of missing out (FOMO) was also investigated as a potential mediating factor. To manipulate SNS screentime a multifaceted intervention was built based on results from previous experimental studies and input from a focus group (N = 3). A convenience sample of first year psychology students (N = 122) had been collected and split into three groups. The intervention group was instructed to follow the smartphone use intervention, while participants in the active-control group received instructions with little expected influence on screentime. Both groups were instructed to reduce their smartphone use as much as possible for two weeks. The waitlist-control group was told their intervention would begin in two weeks. SNS screentime, anxiety, depression and FOMO were assessed pre- and post- intervention. The results show significantly lower post-intervention SNS screentime in both intervention groups but not in the waitlist-control group. Depression scores were significantly lower in the intervention group but not for the active-control or waitlist-control condition. No significant group differences for anxiety were found. The mediation analysis obtained no significant results for FOMO as a potential mediator variable. Overall, the findings suggest participants reduced their smartphone usage regardless of the received set of rules. However, only participants in the intervention group showed fewer depressive symptoms. Limitations and suggestions for future research on SNS use were discussed.Show less
Social Networking Sites (SNS) can be valuable tools to connect people with shared interests worldwide. However, SNS screentime has increased drastically over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic....Show moreSocial Networking Sites (SNS) can be valuable tools to connect people with shared interests worldwide. However, SNS screentime has increased drastically over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Excessive use of SNS has been associated with adverse mental health outcomes in previous studies. Contrary to the majority of studies on SNS, which usually rely on correlations, this study used an experimental approach to examine the relationship between SNS use, depression, and anxiety. Fear of missing out (FOMO) was also investigated as a potential mediating factor. To manipulate SNS screentime a multifaceted intervention was built based on results from previous experimental studies and input from a focus group (N = 3). A convenience sample of first year psychology students (N = 122) had been collected and split into three groups. The intervention group was instructed to follow the smartphone use intervention, while participants in the active-control group received instructions with little expected influence on screentime. Both groups were instructed to reduce their smartphone use as much as possible for two weeks. The waitlist-control group was told their intervention would begin in two weeks. SNS screentime, anxiety, depression and FOMO were assessed pre- and post-intervention. The results show significantly lower post-intervention SNS screentime in both intervention groups but not in the waitlist-control group. Depression scores were significantly lower in the intervention group but not for the active-control or waitlist-control condition. No significant group differences for anxiety were found. The mediation analysis obtained no significant results for FOMO as a potential mediator variable. Overall, the findings suggest participants reduced their smartphone usage regardless of the received set of rules. However, only participants in the intervention group showed fewer depressive symptoms. Limitations and suggestions for future research on SNS use were discussed.Show less
The relationship between social media use and depression has been extensively studied but the current empirical evidence remains inconclusive. The present study aimed to explore how user specific...Show moreThe relationship between social media use and depression has been extensively studied but the current empirical evidence remains inconclusive. The present study aimed to explore how user specific characteristics, such as neuroticism, extraversion, and gender, are interconnected with social media use and symptoms of depression in a group-level cross-sectional network based on a student sample of young adults (18 to 30 years old). Participants (N = 430) filled in an online questionnaire measuring symptoms of depression, loneliness, social media use, neuroticism, extraversion, and stress. Regularized partial correlation networks were estimated to produce an aggregate network, and separate networks for men and women. The male and female network (n = 66 each) were compared in terms of structure and overall connectivity. Results showed that symptoms of depression and social media use were sparsely connected and if so, weakly positively related, but the relationship was not directly affected by either neuroticism or extraversion. No statistical differences were found between the male and female network. In sum, we found no evidence for personality and gender affecting the relationship between symptoms of depression and social media use. Future research could use temporal networks to discover potential causal relationships, specifically focusing on idiographic networks to reveal individual differences that would otherwise remain obscured.Show less
