Social Media as It Interfaces with Psychosocial Development and Mental Illness in Transitional Age Youth.
For transitional age individuals, social media (SM) is an integral component of connecting with others. There are 2 billion SM users worldwide. SM users may experience an increase in perceived social support and life satisfaction. Use of SM may facilitate forming connections among people with potentially stigmatizing mental disorders. However, epidemiologic studies suggest that increased SM use is associated with conditions such as depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbance. Future research should examine directionality of these associations and the role of contextual factors. It also will be useful to leverage SM to provide mental health care and surveillance of mental health concerns.
Center for Research on Media, Technology, and Health, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 230 McKee Place #600, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. Electronic address: bprimack@pitt.edu.
Brian A
BA
Primack
Center for Research on Media, Technology, and Health, Health Policy Institute, University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, 230 McKee Place #600, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
César G
CG
Escobar-Viera
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D006803:Human Development; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders; D061108:Social Media; D055815:Young Adult
Anxiety; Cognitive neuroscience; Depression; Emotional contagion; Facebook; Sleep; Social media; Social networks