Is social network site usage related to depression? A meta-analysis of Facebook-depression relations

Savior or saboteur? A nationwide study on digital economy and depression in China

The regional boom in digital economy has provided people with remote conversations and socialization while reducing the risk of depression. This study aims to elucidate whether regional digital economy can be a savior for individual depression. The multi-source dataset collects 11,845 individuals from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study 2018 (CHARLS), with the combination of corresponding regional data from China City Statistical Yearbooks. A series of regressions with integrated mediation and moderation analyses are employed to bridge the link between the digital economy and depression. The results suggest that people living in areas with a higher level of digital economy are less likely to suffer from depression. The development of the digital economy helps people find solace or air grievances more easily, thereby reducing the risk of depression. Individual information and communications technology (ICT) engagement is found to mediate the relationship between the regional digital economy and individual depression. Residence type moderates the association between the three casual pairs of digital economy, ICT engagement, and depression. Improved digitization stimulates personal engagement with ICTs, which in turn expands social connections and support. Strengthened social interactions naturally keep depression away. Moreover, the urban-rural differences further confirm the underlying mechanism. Properly embracing the new digital world can therefore benefit from the transformative potential and mitigate depressive outcomes.

Smartphone Ownership, Minors' Well-being, and Parental Mediation Strategies. An Analysis in the Context of Social Media Influencers

Although smartphone ownership among minors has become an important social phenomenon, its impact on children's and adolescents' well-being, as well as the mechanisms by which this might take place are not yet sufficiently well-established. To date, no research has examined the effect of smartphone ownership on the well-being of minors through the consumption of influencer-generated content, nor has it explored the effectiveness of the main prevention strategies employed by parents in this context. To fill those gaps, 800 Spanish minors (50% female) aged from 8 to 16 years old (M = 12.33, SD = 2.38) participated in a correlational study in which the ownership of electronic devices, the consumption of influencer generated content, the parasocial relationship with the influencer, and the most common parental mediation strategies were considered. The results showed a positive association between electronic device ownership and psychological discomfort, problematic usage, and imitation of dangerous behaviors. This association was mediated by the consumption of influencer-generated content and the parasocial relationship established by the minor with the influencer. Regarding preventive strategies, only active mediation was inversely related to poorer well-being indicators, however this positive effect significantly decreased when a smartphone or a similar electronic device was owned by the minor (vs. no owned). These findings contribute to the understanding of how smartphone ownership can affect the well-being of children, emphasizing the need for thoughtful consideration when deciding whether to provide smartphones to minors.

Problematic social media use and psychological distress in pregnancy: The mediating role of social comparisons and body dissatisfaction

BACKGROUND

Pregnancy can be experienced as a significant transition for many women with associated body dissatisfaction, depression, pregnancy-related anxiety, and disordered eating attitudes. Problematic Social Media Use (PSMU) creates abundant opportunities for women to compare themselves with others and expose themselves to sociocultural influences which may increase body dissatisfaction and psychological distress.

AIMS

This study examined whether the relationship between PSMU and psychological distress (defined as depression, pregnancy-related anxiety and disordered eating attitudes) was mediated by negative social comparisons and body dissatisfaction.

METHOD

A sample of 225 pregnant Australian women (Mage = 31.91 years, SDage = 4.39) recruited online, completed self-report measures related to the variables of interest.

RESULTS

PSMU was associated with higher levels of depression, pregnancy-related anxiety, and disordered eating attitudes. Negative social comparisons and body dissatisfaction partially mediated the relationship between PSMU and pregnancy-related anxiety and depression, and fully mediated the relationship between PSMU and disordered eating attitudes.

LIMITATIONS

Cross-sectional nature of the study limited our ability to determine the direction of the relationships. Moreover, the recruitment method via social media led to high rates of non-completion.

CONCLUSION

The findings of this study suggest that problematic social media usage during pregnancy may increase depression, pregnancy-related anxiety and disordered eating attitudes. This study identified potential pathways that may explain this relationship, (via social comparisons and body dissatisfaction). This study highlights the potentially negative impact of social media use amongst expectant mothers and the importance of screening for body dissatisfaction in routine antenatal care.

Social media use, mental health and sleep: A systematic review with meta-analyses

BACKGROUND

The literature investigating the relationship between social media use, mental health, and sleep has produced inconsistent findings. Younger people spend more time on social media than other age groups, and are more likely to be impacted by social media use. This systematic review with meta-analysis aimed to synthesise the evidence on the associations between social media use, mental health, and sleep of young individuals.

METHODS

Electronic databases PubMed, Scopus and PsycINFO were searched using an established methodology and pre-determined search terms for studies that reported the association between social media use, mental health, and sleep.

RESULTS

The search yielded 6108 articles, of which 182 (n = 1,169,396) were eligible for the systematic review, and 98 (n = 102,683) could be included in the meta-analyses. The systematic review identified a high level of heterogeneity in the study results. Meta-analyses found small but significant positive associations between social media use, depression, and anxiety. In addition, problematic social media use was positively associated with depression, anxiety, and sleep problems, and negatively associated with wellbeing. Geographical location, anxiety measure type, study design, age, and gender were identified as potential moderators.

LIMITATIONS

Associations for specific social media platforms as well as some moderator effects were not examined due to an insufficient number of studies.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides important evidence of an association between social media use/ problematic social media use, mental health, and sleep. The findings support future longitudinal research to identify the directions and underlying mechanisms of the inter-relationship between these variables.

The Association between Problematic Instagram Use, Psychological Distress, and Well-Being: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Recent studies have indicated the potential detrimental psychological effects of Instagram use (IU) and problematic Instagram use (PIU). PIU and IU have been associated with depression, anxiety, and negative general well-being. This study aimed to investigate that correlation through a systematic review and meta-analysis. Seven databases, including PubMed/MEDLINE, were explored in February of 2023. Studies that assessed the association between IU and/or PIU with depression, anxiety, other psychological distresses, and/or general well-being were deemed eligible. The Hunter-Schmidt random effects model and multilevel meta-analysis were applied to assess the outcomes of interest. A total of 1,927 hits were identified with 37 studies included in the quantitative analysis after removal of duplicates and screening of abstracts and full texts, with the total number of participants at 14,305. The obtained correlations between PIU and depression, anxiety, and well-being with 95% confidence interval were found to be r = 0.35, [0.25, 0.44], r = 0.31, [0.22, 0.40], r = -0.17, [-0.24, -0.10], respectively. Similarly, for IU and depression r = 0.11, [0.06, 0.16], p < 0.05 for all of the aforementioned results. The association between IU and anxiety was found to be r = 0.12, [0.04, 0.21], p < 0.05. The present meta-analysis found significant conceptual heterogeneity across the studies included due to different study designs and population heterogeneity. The results show a positive association of PIU and IU with depression, anxiety, and other psychological distress(es). There is a need for robust designed longitudinal research to explore this association.

Partner and professional support are associated with father-infant bonding: A cross-sectional analysis of mothers, midwives, and child health nurses' influence on primiparous and multiparous fathers of infants in Sweden

OBJECTIVE

To assess if received professional and social support are associated with father-infant bonding among primiparous (first-time) and multiparous (multi-time) fathers.

BACKGROUND

Early father-infant bonding predicts several positive child outcomes. However, while received professional and social support positively impacts fathers' transition into parenthood, little research has tested if these factors are associated with a stronger father-infant bond.

METHODS

In total, 499 fathers (296 primiparous and 203 multiparous) of infants (aged 0-12 months) completed a cross-sectional online survey between November 2018 and March 2020. The survey included items related to socio-demographics, having a planned pregnancy, postnatal midwifery support, child health nurse support, child health center attendance, and social support. The parent-infant bonding questionnaire (PBQ) was used to assess the father-infant bond. Multiple linear regression models were estimated for the total sample and based on paternal parity. Missing data were managed through multiple imputation procedures.

FINDINGS

Fathers reported fewer bonding disturbances if they received support from their partners, postnatal midwives, child health nurses, and attended more child health visits. Primiparous fathers reported fewer bonding disturbances when receiving support from their partners, postnatal midwives, and the child health nurse. However, multiparous fathers had more bonding disturbances than primiparous fathers and received less professional and partner support.

CONCLUSIONS

Receiving more partner and professional support is associated with less father-infant bonding disturbances. To encourage a better father-infant bond, clinicians should invite and support all fathers, regardless of parity, as they transition to parenthood.

Commercial determinants of mental ill health: An umbrella review

Mental ill health has complex and interrelated underlying causes, with wider determinants of health often overlooked as risk factors. The 'commercial determinants of health' are gradually receiving more attention and recognition but there is a relative lack of awareness of the commercial determinants of mental health. This aim of this umbrella review was to synthesise systematic review level evidence for the association between commercial determinants and mental health outcomes. This umbrella review included evidence from high, middle, and low-income countries. We included terms related to broader commercial activities and terms focused on six key unhealthy commodities (tobacco, alcohol, ultra-processed foods, gambling, social media, fossil fuels) and the impacts of fossil fuel consumption (climate change, air pollution, wider pollution). We included 65 reviews and found evidence from high quality reviews for associations between alcohol, tobacco, gambling, social media, ultra-processed foods and air pollution and depression; alcohol, tobacco, gambling, social media, climate change and air pollution with suicide; climate change and air pollution with anxiety; and social media with self-harm. There was a lack of evidence examining wider practices of commercial industries. Our umbrella review demonstrates that by broadening the focus on commercial determinants, the influence of commercial products and activities on mental ill health can be better understood. The lack of research examining broader commercial practices on mental ill health is an area that should be addressed. Our review highlights the existing base of high-quality evidence for many of these unhealthy commodities' impacts on mental ill health and indicates that commercial determinants is a valuable framework for understanding the drivers of mental ill health.

Social Media Use And Well-Being: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis

Prior research has investigated the link between social media use (SMU) and negative well-being. However, the connection with positive well-being has not been extensively studied, leading to a situation where there are inconsistent and inconclusive findings. This study fills this gap by examining the correlation between excessive and problematic SMU and subjective as well as psychological well-being (PWB). We conducted a systematic search across databases such as PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, and gray literature sources such as Research Gate and ProQuest, yielding 51 relevant studies for meta-analysis, encompassing a sample size of 680,506 individuals. Employing the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, we assessed study quality, whereas statistical analysis was executed using R Studio. Excessive SMU showed no significant association with subjective (ES = 0.003, 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: -0.08, 0.09; p = 0.94, I2 = 95.8%, k =16) and PWB (ES = 0.16, 95% CI: -0.15, 0.45; p = 0.26, I2 = 98%, k = 7). Conversely, problematic SMU showed a negative correlation with subjective (ES = -0.14, 95% CI: -0.20, -0.09; p = 0.00, I2 = 93.3%, k = 25) and PWB (ES = -0.19, 95% CI: -0.31, -0.06; p = 0.01, I2 = 95%, k = 5), with two outliers removed. No publication bias was detected. Subgroup analysis highlighted effects of "sampling method" (p < 0.05), "study quality" (p < 0.05), "developmental status" (p < 0.05), "forms of social media" (p < 0.05), and "type of population" (p < 0.01) on the estimated pooled effect sizes. Although univariate meta-regression showed the effects of "% of Internet users" (p < 0.05) and "male%" (p < 0.05), and multivariate meta-regression showed the combined effect of moderators only on the relationship between problematic SMU and subjective well-being.

Mind the gap: Development and validation of an evolutionary mismatched lifestyle scale and its impact on health and wellbeing

Identifying an integrative framework that could appropriately delineate underlying mechanisms and individual risk/protective factors for human health has remained elusive. Evolutionary mismatch theory provides a comprehensive, integrative model for understanding the underlying causes and mechanisms of a wide range of modern health and well-being problems, ranging from obesity to depression. Despite growing interest regarding its importance though, no psychometrically-sound measure of evolutionary mismatch yet exists to facilitate research and intervention. To construct such a scale, aimed at gauging individual differences in the extent to which people's modern lifestyles are mismatched with ancestral conditions, we conducted four studies (a pilot study, followed by 3 main studies, with a final sample of 1901 participants across the main studies). Results from exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses have produced a 36-item evolutionary mismatched lifestyle scale (EMLS) with 7 subdomains of mismatched behaviours (e.g., diet, physical activity, relationships, social media use) that is psychometrically sound. Further, the EMLS is associated with physical, mental and subjective health. We explore the potential of the EMLS as a tool for examining interpersonal and cultural variations in health and wellbeing, while also discussing the limitations of the scale and future directions in relation to further psychometric examinations.

The Association Between Neuroticism and Problematic Social Networking Sites Use: The Role of Fear of Missing out and Self-Control

Problematic use of social networking sites (SNS) has a negative impact on mental health. It has been found that people who score high on neuroticism are especially vulnerable towards engaging with SNS in a problematic way but it is not clear which psychological mechanisms explain this relationship. We addressed this issue by examining the mediating role of fear of missing out and self-control in the relationship between neuroticism and problematic SNS use. For this purpose, we conducted a cross-sectional study (n = 151, 69.5% female, Mage = 26.23, SD = 7.52) and tested for parallel mediation using structural equation modelling. Neuroticism was found to be predictive of increased levels of problematic SNS use. Moreover, neuroticism was associated with both increased levels of fear of missing out and decreased levels of self-control. However, only fear of missing out was found to robustly mediate the relationship between neuroticism and problematic use of SNS. These findings suggest that fear of missing out could be an intervention target to prevent people scoring high on neuroticism from engaging in problematic SNS use.

Exploration of the Determinants of Subjective Health and Depression Using Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging Data

Aging is an imperative issue in Korean society, and a healthy life is important for a better quality of life for older adults. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to investigate the determinants of subjective health and depression in middle-aged and elderly Korean individuals. This study used three attributes as the determinants of subjective health and depression, including the curve linear effect of medical expenses and eating-out expenses and the linear impact of regular exercise. We utilized the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLOSA) to determine the associations between five attributes: subjective health, depression, medical expenses, eating-out expenses, and regular exercise. Research panel data were employed as the data source. The study period was between 2018 and 2020. This research implemented various multiple linear panel regression econometric analysis instruments: ordinary least squares, random effects, and fixed effects. The mean age of survey participants was 72.10 years, and 35 percent of participants were female. The number of observations for data analysis was 7197. The results revealed that medical and eating-out expenses had a curved linear effect on subjective health and depression. Moreover, regular exercise positively affected subjective health and resulted in less depression. These findings may inform policy decisions that promote regular exercise and manage medical and eating-out expenses, thereby enhancing subjective health and mitigating depression.

Relationships between social networking sites use and subjective well-being--- a meta-analysis and meta-analytic structural equation model

During the last decade, the amount of research on the relationship between social networking sites (SNS) use and users' subjective well-being (SWB) has increased, leading to discrepancies regarding the results. Our review of the literature generated 73 independent samples and indicated that considerable inconsistent results may be attributed to different measurements of SNS use, moderation effects, or media response states and their effects. In this study, meta-analytic procedures were used to assess the strength of the relationships between SNS use indicators, perceived social support (PSS), self-esteem and SWB. The results showed that PSS and self-esteem had stronger effects on SWB than SNS use indicators. Furthermore, a meta-analytic structural equation model was conducted to assess the strength of the relationships between SNS use indicators, PSS, self-esteem, and SWB. The results did not support the proposition SNS use is associated with SWB. Compared with SNS use indicators, media response states such as self-esteem and PSS, had more effects on SWB.

Deciphering dynamic interactions among multidimensional psychological motivations, academic performance, and sociocultural adjustment: The critical influence of excessive WeChat use

As the preeminent mobile social media platform in Mainland China, WeChat's meteoric expansion has revolutionized the dynamics of interpersonal communication and the modalities of mutual interaction among individuals. Despite the escalating significance of mobile social media in the cross-cultural adaptation of international students, existing scholarly works have largely neglected the underlying relationship between psychological motivations, excessive WeChat use, academic performance, and sociocultural adaptation of these students. Anchored in uses and gratifications theory and cross-cultural adaptation paradigm, the primary objectives of this study are to devise a theoretical model and to scrutinize differential psychological motivations propelling international students' WeChat usage, its association with excessive WeChat use, and impacts on academic performance and sociocultural adjustment. The proposed model undergoes meticulous evaluation through data amassed online from 598 Chinese international students studying in Germany. Sequential analytical techniques, especially Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling, were employed to elucidate the dynamic interplay among key variables. The final results validate the path effect suggesting that both hedonic and social motivations are positive predictors of excessive WeChat use. Moreover, excessive WeChat use is negatively correlated with academic performance and sociocultural adjustment. However, utilitarian motivation is not significantly related to excessive WeChat use. By demystifying the driving factors and consequences of excessive WeChat use, these findings not only accentuate the pivotal role of mobile social media in the cross-cultural adaptation of international students but also enrich the theoretical landscape and enhance the strategic approaches for educators and academic institutions.

The relationship between family functioning and social media addiction among university students: a moderated mediation model of depressive symptoms and peer support

BACKGROUND

Social media addiction (SMA) is an increasing problem, especially among young adults. Little is known about university students' SMA and family functioning. This study aimed to explore the mediating effect of depressive symptoms and the moderating effect of peer support in the relationship between family functioning and SMA among young adults.

METHODS

A sample of 1862 Chinese university students completed an online survey including the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), Family APGAR, the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), peer support, and demographic characteristics. Hierarchical regression and moderated mediation analysis were used to test the effects and pathways among them.

RESULTS

Of the 1840 participants, 30.11% experienced SMA, 38.80% had family dysfunction and 15.98% had depressive symptoms. Hierarchical multiple regression showed better family functioning significantly predicted less SMA (β = -0.26, p < 0.001) and lower depressive symptoms (β = -0.58, p < 0.001), after adjusting for covariates. Mediation analysis verified that depressive symptoms mediated the effect of family functioning on SMA (indirect effect = -0.22, 95%CI[-0.28, -0.17]). Furthermore, the interaction of family functioning and peer support was negatively related to depressive symptoms (β= -0.03, 95% CI[-0.05, -0.01]) and the interaction of depressive symptoms and peer support was positively related to SMA (β = 0.01, 95%CI[0.004, 0.02]). Additional analysis further confirmed that peer support decreased depressive symptoms among young adults from dysfunctional families, and increased SMA behaviors in individuals with depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSION

Better family functioning and lower depressive symptoms may contribute to less social media addiction among Chinese university students. Peer support could moderate the mediating role of depressive symptoms on social media addiction in individuals with family dysfunction.

Facebook addiction and its impact on depression: a cross sectional study

AIM

Facebook has become a part of daily life for its users and therefore become a very significant factor of mental health. As the number of Facebook users increases exponentially, the problems related to immense use have become more evident and more frequent. Therefore, the study aimed to explore the impact of Facebook addiction on depression among its users.

METHODS

An online-based questionnaire was used to collect data from 269 Facebook users of Bangladesh using convenient sampling technique. Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale (BFAS) and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) scale was used to assess Facebook addiction and its impact on depression.Ordinal logistic was used to extract the significant variables associated with Facebook addiction and depression.

RESULTS

The result categorized the Facebook users into three categories as : normal (17%), problematic user (52%) and addicted (30.5%). Facebook users were suffering from mild (13.4%), minimal (15.6%), moderate (59.5%), and severe (11.5%) level of depression. Both Facebook addiction and depression were moderately correlated (0.701). Ordinal regression showed, gender [Formula: see text] (95% CI) = 0.859 (0.223,1.495)), age (β (95% CI) = -2.051(-3.789, -0.313)), residential area (β (95% CI) = -0.858(-1.626, -0.09)), occupation ([Formula: see text]), time length of Facebook use ([Formula: see text]are the significant predictors of Facebook addiction. Wheras, relationship types and occupation are also responsible for depression.

CONCLUSION

The study showed large portion of facebook users of Bangladesh are suffering from depression. Authors suggest to arrange mental health campaign to promote bounded and legitimate use of facebook and therefore will accelerate the attaining rate of sustainable development goal related to the Bangladesh's health status.

Daily social comparisons among women in midlife with elevated risk for cardiovascular disease: A within-person test of the identification/contrast model

Women age 40-60 are disproportionately affected by health problems that increase their risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD; e.g. hypertension). Social comparisons (i.e. self-evaluations relative to others) are known to influence health in this and other groups, but their nature and consequences in daily life are poorly understood. We conducted an ecological momentary assessment study over 10 days (5x/day) with 75 women ages 40-60 who had ≥1 CVD risk conditions (MAge = 51.6 years, MBMI = 34.0 kg/m2). Using a mix of frequentist and Bayesian analytic approaches, we examined characteristics of women's naturally occurring comparisons and tested predictions from the Identification/Contrast Model within-person (e.g. identifying with an upward target results in positive affect, whereas contrasting results in negative affect). Comparisons occurred at 21% of moments, with considerable within-person variability in response. In line with predictions from the Identification/Contrast Model, women were more likely to experience positive affect after upward identification or downward contrast and more likely to experience negative affect after upward contrast or downward identification, though observed nuances warrant additional consideration. Overall, findings support the Identification/Contrast Model to describe women's comparison experiences as they occur in daily life. Future work should determine pathways between the immediate consequences of comparisons and longer-term health outcomes.

Time spent on social media and depressive symptoms in university students: The mediating role of psychoactive substances

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Although some studies have related social media use and depressive symptoms, little is known about the role of psychoactive substance use in this relationship. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the association between time spent on social media (TSSM) and depressive symptoms and to examine whether this relationship is mediated by psychoactive substances in students.

METHODS

Our cross-sectional analysis included a sample of students from a university in a large city in southern Brazil. The TSSM and tobacco frequency of consumption were self-reported. Depressive symptoms were assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire. Alcohol and illicit drug-related risks were assessed with the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test. Hayes's PROCESS macro was used for mediation analyses, adjusted for age, sex, body mass index and physical activity.

RESULTS

A total of 3161 students were included, of which, 69.0% reported moderate to severe depressive symptoms. The association between TSSM and depressive symptoms was statistically significant and partially mediated by tobacco consumption (indirect effect [IE] = 0.05; 95% CI: 0.02-0.08), alcohol-related risk (IE = 0.19; 95% CI: 0.14-0.25), and illicit drug-related risk (IE = 0.08; 95% CI: 0.05-0.12).

CONCLUSION AND SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE

Our data suggest a direct relationship between TSSM and depressive symptoms, with a partial mediation effect of psychoactive substance use. This study highlights the importance that public health initiatives aimed at preventing depressive problems in young adults should focus not only on TSSM, but also on controlling and reducing psychoactive substance use.

Understanding Social Media Information Sharing in Individuals with Depression: Insights from the Elaboration Likelihood Model and Schema Activation Theory

Purpose

How individuals engage with social media can significantly impact their psychological well-being. This study examines the impact of social media interactions on mental health, grounded in the frameworks of the Elaboration Likelihood Model and Schema Activation Theory. It aims to uncover behavioral differences in information sharing between the general population and individuals with depression, while also elucidating the psychological mechanisms underlying these disparities.

Methods

A pre-experiment (N=30) and three experiments (Experiment 1a N=200, Experiment 1b N=180, Experiment 2 N=128) were executed online. These experiments investigated the joint effects of information quality, content valence, self-referential processing, and depression level on the intention to share information. The research design incorporated within-subject and between-subject methods, utilizing SPSS and SPSS Process to conduct independent sample t-tests, two-factor ANOVA analyses, mediation analyses, and moderated mediation analyses to test our hypotheses.

Results

Information quality and content valence significantly influence sharing intention. In scenarios involving low-quality information, individuals with depression are more inclined to share negative emotional content compared to the general population, and this tendency intensifies with the severity of depression. Moreover, self-referential processing acts as a mediator between emotional content and intention to share, yet this mediation effect weakens as the severity of depression rises.

Conclusion

Our study highlights the importance of promoting viewpoint diversity and breaking the echo chamber effect in social media to improve the mental health of individuals with depression. To achieve this goal, tailoring emotional content on social media could be a practical starting point for practice.

Procrastination Mediates the Relationship between Problematic TikTok Use and Depression among Young Adults

Background: Although the prevalence of depression has increased significantly in recent years, especially in the young adult population, little is known about its causes and risk factors. The study aims to examine the mediating role of TikTok use in the relationships between procrastination and depression in young adults. Methods: A sample of 448 adults, ranging in age from 18 to 35 years (M = 24.45, SD = 3.76), including 214 men (48%), participated in the study. The cross-sectional survey consists of a modified Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale (BFAS) to assess problematic TikTok use (PTTU), the Pure Procrastination Scale (PPS) for procrastination measurement, and the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) for screening depression symptoms. Results: The independent samples t-test indicates that emerging adults (ages ranging between 18 and 25 years) have more severe depression symptoms than young adults (26-35 years old). Gender differences were not found for procrastination, PTTU, and depression symptoms. Positive correlations were found between procrastination, PTTU, and depression symptoms. PTTU plays a mediating role in the associations between procrastination and depression. Conclusions: Both procrastination and PTTU treatment should be prioritized in the prevention and intervention programs for improving mental health among young adults. Some effective therapeutic methods are recommended.

Exploring discontinuous intentions of social media users: a cognition-affect-conation perspective

Introduction

Drawing on the cognition-affect-conation (C-A-C) framework, this study investigates how perceived information and social and system feature overload induce depression and anxiety, which leads to affect discontinuous intentions of the social media users.

Methods

The data collected from 570 social networking site users in China are analyzed through structural equation modeling (SEM).

Results and Discussion

The findings show that perceived information overload, perceived social overload, and perceived system feature overload directly affect depression and anxiety among social networking site users, which directly leads to discontinuous intentions. This study fulfills the identified need for an in-depth investigation of discontinuous behavior in social networking sites. The findings provide social networking site providers with guidelines on how to actively manage social networking site user's behavior to reduce the effects of negative emotions on social networking sites.

Lonely and scrolling during the COVID-19 pandemic: understanding the problematic social media use and mental health link among university students

Introduction

Undergraduate university students experienced many academic and non-academic stressors during the first year of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, putting them at a greater risk of negative mental health outcomes. Reports worldwide have shown high incidences of depressive, anxiety, and stress scores among university students at the beginning of the pandemic. Emerging evidence also suggests that to cope with the stress and loneliness of the pandemic, many youth and young adults increased the amount of time they spent on social media platforms.

Methods

Undergraduate students participated in an online study aimed to understand the link between time spent on social media, coping through the use of social media and problematic social media use (PSMU) with mental health symptoms, such as stress, depression, anxiety, and loneliness, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Results

While time spent on social media was only weakly associated with stress, depression, anxiety and loneliness scores, PSMU more strongly mapped onto these outcomes. Additionally, students who were coping highly using social media displayed elevated stress, depression, anxiety and loneliness levels in comparison to those reporting low levels of coping with social media. Finally, students who reported high levels of coping using social media displayed higher PSMU scores, with this relationship appearing more pronounced in students who had higher levels of loneliness.

Conclusion

These data support evidence that it is not necessarily time spent on social media but rather PSMU that is relevant for mental health symptoms, and that PSMU is exacerbated by loneliness. Moreover, the current results highlight the effects of maladaptive coping on mental health symptoms and PSMU among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The association between the use of video games, social media and online dating sites, and the symptoms of anxiety and/or depression in adults aged 25 and over

People tend to spend more time in front of their screens, which can have repercussions on their social life, physical and mental health. This topic has mainly been studied in adolescents. Therefore, our study tested associations between the use of video games, social media and online dating leading to sexual relations (ODLSR), and symptoms of anxiety and/or depression among adults aged 25 and over. Data from the 2018 TEMPO cohort study were analyzed (n = 853, 65.0% women, aged 25-44, with an average of 37.4 ± 3.7 years). The exposure variables were as follows: (a) the frequency of video game use, (b) time spent on social media and (c) ODLSR. Data were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression models, adjusted for participants' sociodemographic characteristics as well as history of mental health problems. Among the participants, 8.6% presented symptoms of anxiety and/or depression. An association between ODLSR and symptoms of anxiety and/or depression was found, especially among women. The results of this study will facilitate the improvement of support and care for adults, especially those with symptoms of anxiety and/or depression using dating applications. Future studies should investigate the determinants of using online meeting websites and their relationship with the occurrence of psychological difficulties in longitudinal studies to establish causality.

Prevalence of Cyberbullying Perpetration and Cyberbullying Victimization among Nursing Students in Jordan

Introduction

Cyberbullying is a form of bullying or harassment carried out online with the intent to harm others mainly using social media sites.

Objective

To investigate cyberbullying prevalence and associated factors among nursing students in Jordan.

Methods

A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted. A convenience sample of 428 Jordanian nursing students from three private Jordanian universities was involved in the study. Data were collected in 2022 using the sociodemographic characteristics sheet, cyberbullying perpetration (CBP) scale; and cyberbullying victimization (CBV) scale. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to identify variables associated with the CBP and CBV scores.

Results

About 30.1% of the students were not involved in any cyberbullying, while 8.6% were categorized as cyberbullying perpetrators only, 20.4% as victims only, and 40.9% were categorized as cyberbullying perpetrators and victims at the same time. Visual /sexual perpetration and verbal/written victimization were the most prevalent forms of cyberbullying among the studied nursing students. Increasing age was associated with a decreased CBP (P < 0.05) and CBV (P < 0.01), while male gender was associated with increased cyberbullying perpetration (P < 0.01).

Conclusions

The prevalence of cyberbullying among nursing students in the current study was alarming. The study showed that age was negatively associated with CBP and CBV while being male was associated with increased CBP. Future research may want to consider using a longitudinal research design with more testing variables and a more comprehensive examination of potential causes and impacts of cyberbullying in nursing students. The development of specific policies to combat cyberbullying among Jordanian nursing students is also recommended.

An umbrella review of the benefits and risks associated with youths' interactions with electronic screens

The influence of electronic screens on the health of children and adolescents and their education is not well understood. In this prospectively registered umbrella review (PROSPERO identifier CRD42017076051 ), we harmonized effects from 102 meta-analyses (2,451 primary studies; 1,937,501 participants) of screen time and outcomes. In total, 43 effects from 32 meta-analyses met our criteria for statistical certainty. Meta-analyses of associations between screen use and outcomes showed small-to-moderate effects (range: r = -0.14 to 0.33). In education, results were mixed; for example, screen use was negatively associated with literacy (r = -0.14, 95% confidence interval (CI) = -0.20 to -0.09, P ≤ 0.001, k = 38, N = 18,318), but this effect was positive when parents watched with their children (r = 0.15, 95% CI = 0.02 to 0.28, P = 0.028, k = 12, N = 6,083). In health, we found evidence for several small negative associations; for example, social media was associated with depression (r = 0.12, 95% CI = 0.05 to 0.19, P ≤ 0.001, k = 12, N = 93,740). Limitations of our review include the limited number of studies for each outcome, medium-to-high risk of bias in 95 out of 102 included meta-analyses and high heterogeneity (17 out of 22 in education and 20 out of 21 in health with I2 > 50%). We recommend that caregivers and policymakers carefully weigh the evidence for potential harms and benefits of specific types of screen use.

When the clock chimes: The impact of on-the-hour effects on user anxiety content generation in social media platforms

BACKGROUND

The growth of social media platforms has created a plethora of user-generated content, and social media has become an important channel of users to express their emotions. Although many studies have explored the influencing factors on user-generated content, there is an insufficient understanding the impact temporal cues on mental health content generation.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to explore how the on-the-hour time points affect users' anxiety content generation on social media platforms. Further, this study investigates the difference between weekdays and weekends, and the moderating effects of regional economic levels.

METHODS

We collected information on 2,543,902 user-generated anxiety-related posts from a leading social media platform in China. Then, we used fixed effect models to analyze the relationship between on-the-hour time points and user anxiety content generation.

RESULTS

The results show that on-the-hour time points affect user anxiety-related content generation, especially at the beginning of each hour (β = 894.564, p < 0.01). And the impact is greater on weekdays (β = 774.695, p < 0.01) than on weekends (β = 119.869, p < 0.01). Furthermore, regional economic moderates the impact, the better the economic condition, the greater the impact.

LIMITATIONS

Limitations include incomplete coverage of patient types and a single anxiety dictionary.

CONCLUSIONS

This study uncovers the relationship between temporal cues and user-generated anxiety content, providing new insights into the mental illness observation, and provides insights for mental health services providers and designers of online social platforms.

Which social media platforms matter and for whom? Examining moderators of links between adolescents' social media use and depressive symptoms

INTRODUCTION

Despite extensive research on social media and risks for mental health, not enough is known about individual differences in these risks.

METHODS

The present study, with data collected from 2018 to 2020, investigated the association between social media use (total and for specific platforms) and depressive symptoms in a sample of 237 American adolescents (Mage  = 15.10; SD = 0.49; 51.1% girls and 48.5% boys). We investigated several moderators: gender, self-esteem, personality, and negative reactions to social media. Covariates were gender, timing of the follow-up (pre vs. during the pandemic), and depressive symptoms a year earlier.

RESULTS

Results indicated that greater total time spent on social media was associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms. This effect held for Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube (but not Snapchat, Facebook, or Twitter). Several moderated effects were found. Twitter was associated with more depressive symptoms for girls but not boys. More frequent Instagram use was linked to more depressive symptoms for less or average-level extraverted teens but not for more extraverted teens, suggesting extraversion may be protective. More frequent TikTok use was associated with more depressive symptoms, particularly for teens who said they have more or average-level negative reactions to social media a year earlier.

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests that certain adolescents may be at increased risk for serious mental health challenges, like elevated depressive symptoms, when using TikTok, Instagram, or Twitter more frequently, underscoring the importance of examining individual differences and particular social media platforms.

Diversity of network communication mode and interpersonal interactions: Relationship with social support and well-being

Social interactions today expand beyond in-person interactions. Therefore, it is important to recognize that social interactions can occur with social network members across multiple communication modes (in-person, phone, and online). The current study explored the role that social support plays in the relationship between mode frequency (in-person, phone, and online), network communication mode diversity (breadth and evenness of communicating with network members via different communication modes), and well-being (positive affect, stress, and loneliness) from the 3-year UCNET (UC Berkley Social Networks Study, N = 1159) dataset. The study contained samples for two age groups (cohorts) - 21-31 year-olds and 50-70 year-olds, which also allowed for an exploration of age differences in these relationships. Longitudinal random-intercept cross-lagged panel models (RI-CLPM) showed a high degree of stability over the 3 years for all variables. Cross-sectional structural equation mediation models showed that social support mediated the relationships of mode frequency (in-person, phone, and online) and network communication mode diversity with well-being (more positive affect and less loneliness and stress). Age differences were found in the relationship between frequency of communication modes and social support, in that the frequency of communication mode was positively related to social support for younger adults, but not for middle-aged/older adults. Current findings provided future research directions geared toward further understanding of the mode frequency and network communication mode diversity constructs and how they relate to various psychosocial outcomes.

Associations between older adults' social media use behaviors and psychosocial well-being

BACKGROUND

Research examining associations between social media use behaviors and psychosocial well-being among older adults are limited.

AIMS

To explore associations between older adults' social media (social networking services and instant messaging applications) use behaviors and psychosocial well-being.

METHODS

This was a secondary data analysis. All data were retrieved from the Taiwan Communication Survey database, an annual survey that examines trends in Taiwanese residents' communication behaviors and social media use. The original investigation was conducted in Taiwan from September to December 2019. Data from 647 older adults aged over 60 years were extracted for the analyses. Social media use behaviors (users/non-users and time spent using), positive psychosocial outcomes (life satisfaction, self-determination, subjective well-being, and happiness), negative psychosocial outcomes (loneliness, depression, and anxiety), and demographic variables were included.

RESULTS

Social media users had significantly higher levels of subjective well-being and lower levels of depression, anxiety, and loneliness compared with non-users. Time spent on social networking services was significantly and positively correlated with negative psychosocial outcomes (β = 0.103, p = 0.044, f2 = 0.011), and it was significantly and inversely correlated with positive psychosocial outcomes (β = - 0.063, p = 0.049, f2 = 0.004). Time spent using an instant messaging application was significantly positively associated with positive psychosocial outcomes (β = 0.068, p = 0.031, f2 = 0.005). The proposed path model had an acceptable model fit.

DISCUSSION

Study results indicated that older adults' social media use behaviors were associated with their psychosocial well-being.

CONCLUSIONS

Older adults are recommended to use social media for appropriate time periods as an important way to promote social engagement for their psychosocial well-being.

On the association between personality, fear of missing out (FoMO) and problematic social media use tendencies in European and Arabian samples

Recent meta-analytical evidence indicates a mild association between higher neuroticism and lower conscientiousness scores and a tendency towards problematic social media use (PSMU). However, fear of missing out (FoMO) has emerged as a critical variable in understanding the positive link between neuroticism and PSMU. Given the replication crisis in psychology, this study aimed to reinvestigate personality-PSMU associations and, crucially, the less-studied FoMO mediation effect. To ensure generalizability of the findings, we recruited two diverse samples with European and Arabian backgrounds. The results revealed a significant total effect of neuroticism on PSMU for both cultural groups, with the European sample demonstrating a fully mediated effect via FoMO, whereas the Arab sample showed a partially mediated effect via FoMO, along with a significant direct effect. This study contributes to the existing literature by highlighting the importance of FoMO as a mediator between neuroticism and PSMU and some minor potential cultural differences in this association.

Words for the hearts: a corpus study of metaphors in online depression communities

Purpose/significance

Humans understand, think, and express themselves through metaphors. The current paper emphasizes the importance of identifying the metaphorical language used in online health communities (OHC) to understand how users frame and make sense of their experiences, which can boost the effectiveness of counseling and interventions for this population.

Methods/process

We used a web crawler to obtain a corpus of an online depression community. We introduced a three-stage procedure for metaphor identification in a Chinese Corpus: (1) combine MIPVU to identify metaphorical expressions (ME) bottom-up and formulate preliminary working hypotheses; (2) collect more ME top-down in the corpus by performing semantic domain analysis on identified ME; and (3) analyze ME and categorize conceptual metaphors using a reference list. In this way, we have gained a greater understanding of how depression sufferers conceptualize their experience metaphorically in an under-represented language in the literature (Chinese) of a new genre (online health community).

Results/conclusion

Main conceptual metaphors for depression are classified into PERSONAL LIFE, INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIP, TIME, and CYBERCULTURE metaphors. Identifying depression metaphors in the Chinese corpus pinpoints the sociocultural environment people with depression are experiencing: lack of offline support, social stigmatization, and substitutability of offline support with online support. We confirm a number of depression metaphors found in other languages, providing a theoretical basis for researching, identifying, and treating depression in multilingual settings. Our study also identifies new metaphors with source-target connections based on embodied, sociocultural, and idiosyncratic levels. From these three levels, we analyze metaphor research's theoretical and practical implications, finding ways to emphasize its inherent cross-disciplinarity meaningfully.

Time Spent on Mobile Apps Matters: A Latent Class Analysis of Patterns of Smartphone Use among Adolescents

The aims of the present study are: (1) to determine classes of adolescents with homogeneous patterns of smartphone or social media use; and (2) to examine the level of distress across the empirically derived profiles. Three hundred and forty adolescents (Mage = 15.61, SD = 1.19; 38.2% females) participated in a cross-sectional survey. Participants provided objective trace data on time spent on smartphones and applications, as well as self-reported social media addiction, social media use intensity, online social comparison, emotion dysregulation, and psychological distress. Latent class analysis (LCA) with total smartphone use categorized participants into three classes. Participants in Class 3 (19%) showed a more impaired functioning profile, with a tendency towards social media addiction and greater levels of distress. LCAs with the amount of time devoted to specific applications are more heterogeneous, and results showed that heavy use of social media apps was not consistently connected to the most impaired psychosocial profiles. Although the amount of mobile screen time can be a characteristic of problematic users, the link between social media usage and an adolescent's psychological characteristics is mixed. More research is needed to explore the interplay between mobile screen time and social media usage among adolescents.

Diversity of social media use: Self-selection explains associations between using many platforms and well-being

Many people engage with a diverse array of social media platforms, raising concerns that this diversity of platforms may be linked to negative affect, hypothesized to arise from multitasking or identify diffusion. Using a large representative sample (N = 1,372) of US adults from the authoritative General Social Survey, we examine associations between social media diversity and well-being and propose a self-selection explanation for these associations. Even without accounting for selection bias, we find few and only small associations. Importantly, after using a rigorous propensity-score weighting technique to adjust for selection bias, these associations disappear. Further, we also document few negative associations between the use of specific social media platforms and well-being. Our findings suggest that (i) diverse social media use is not a major risk factor to adult well-being; (ii) negative correlations reported in the literature may be spurious; (iii) technology use research needs to take self-selection biases seriously.

Should I post? The relationships among social media use, emotion recognition, and mental health

Introduction

While increased time spent on social media can be negatively related to one's overall mental health, social media research often fails to account for what behaviors users are actually engaging in while they are online. The present research helps to address this gap by measuring participants' active and passive social media behavioral styles and investigates whether and how these two social media behavioral styles are related to depression, anxiety, and stress, and the mediating role of emotion recognition ability in this relationship.

Methods

A pre-study (N = 128) tested whether various social media behaviors reliably grouped into active and passive behavioral styles, and a main study (N = 139) tested the relationships between social media use style, emotion recognition, and mental health.

Results

While we did not find evidence of a mediating relationship between these variables, results supported that more active social media use was related to more severe anxiety and stress as well as poorer emotion recognition skill, while passive social media use was unrelated to these outcomes.

Discussion

These findings highlight that, beyond objective time spent on social media, future research must consider how users are spending their time online.

Do the various leisure forms have equal effects on mental health? A longitudinal analysis of self-selected leisure activities

The deteriorating trends of unbalanced income, progressive age-related health problems, and loss of traditional ties necessitate ever-flexible interventions that are helpful to overcome a decline in Chinese adults' mental health. This study aimed to test whether engagement in different domains of leisure is associated with a composite index of mental health, both concurrently and subsequently. Longitudinal data including 10,968 participants (females = 5,804) with a mean age of 46.01 years in the Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) were analyzed using generalized estimating equations with a logit link. The results showed that face-to-face experiences, such as sports with all ORs of < 1 at the significance level of α = 0.01 and meeting with all ORs of < 1 at the significance level of α = 0.01 except daily in-person meeting frequency, are important for protecting mental health owing to the increasing social support by building close ties. The results also indicate that online leisure with all ORs < 1 at the significance level of α = 0.01 has positive effects on lowering the odds of depression. In addition, receptive cognitive leisure, such as watching television or movies with all ORs < 1 at the significance level of α = 0.05 level, was not consistently associated with depression. However, active cognitive leisure, such as reading with all ORs of < 1 at a significance level of α = 0.01, was associated with lower odds of depression.

Online health community for change: Analysis of self-disclosure and social networks of users with depression

Background

A key research question with theoretical and practical implications is to investigate the various conditions by which social network sites (SNS) may either enhance or interfere with mental well-being, given the omnipresence of SNS and their dual effects on well-being.

Method/process

We study SNS’ effects on well-being by accounting for users’ personal (i.e., self-disclosure) and situational (i.e., social networks) attributes, using a mixed design of content analysis and social network analysis.

Result/conclusion

We compare users’ within-person changes in self-disclosure and social networks in two phases (over half a year), drawing on Weibo Depression SuperTalk, an online community for depression, and find: ① Several network attributes strengthen social support, including network connectivity, global efficiency, degree centralization, hubs of communities, and reciprocal interactions. ② Users’ self-disclosure attributes reflect positive changes in mental well-being and increased attachment to the community. ③ Correlations exist between users’ topological and self-disclosure attributes. ④ A Poisson regression model extracts self-disclosure attributes that may affect users’ received social support, including the writing length, number of active days, informal words, adverbs, negative emotion words, biological process words, and first-person singular forms.

Innovation

We combine social network analysis with content analysis, highlighting the need to understand SNS’ effects on well-being by accounting for users’ self-disclosure (content) and communication partners (social networks).

Implication/contribution

Authentic user data helps to avoid recall bias commonly found in self-reported data. A longitudinal within-person analysis of SNS’ effects on well-being is helpful for policymakers in public health intervention, community managers for group organizations, and users in online community engagement.

Paternal postpartum depression, coparenting, and father-infant bonding: Testing two mediated models using structural equation modeling

BACKGROUND

Impaired father-infant bonding is a mental health issue that has been understudied. The current study aimed to examine the extent to which fathers' depression symptoms and coparenting relationship, respectively, are associated with infant bonding, as well as how these two variables mediate in the association with infant bonding.

METHODS

Cross-sectional data from 612 fathers of infants (0-24 months) were used in this study. Path analyses on two competing mediation models were used to examine the direct and indirect associations between fathers' depression symptoms, coparenting relationship, and infant bonding, after controlling for several known covariates.

RESULTS

Whether fathers reported depression symptoms (Model 1) or reported lower levels of coparenting relationships (Model 2), they also reported higher levels of impaired infant bonding, rejection and anger, and anxiety about care after controlling for the covariates. The analysis further found significant indirect associations between father depression symptoms and father-infant bonding via the coparenting relationship (Model 1) as well as significant indirect associations between the coparenting relationship and father-infant bonding via father depression symptoms (Model 2).

LIMITATIONS

The cross-sectional data cannot show causal links. Specific efforts were made to recruit fathers with depression symptoms, and therefore prevalence rates may appear skewed.

CONCLUSIONS

Decreasing depression symptoms and improving coparenting quality can potentially improve father-infant bonding. Fathers' depression symptoms and coparenting quality can be bi-directionally related in the association with father-infant bonding. Early detection and preventive treatments for paternal depression symptoms and coparenting are warranted.

Association Between Social Networking Site Use Intensity and Depression Among Chinese Pregnant Women: Cross-sectional Study

BACKGROUND

Despite extensive debates about the mental health impacts of the use of social networking sites (SNSs), including WeChat, the association and mechanisms between social interaction of WeChat use intensity and antenatal depression are unclear.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to test the mediating roles of upward social comparison on social interaction of WeChat and rumination in the association between social interaction of WeChat use intensity and antenatal depression.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was conducted in four hospitals with the self-reported measures of social interaction of WeChat use intensity, upward social comparison on social interaction of WeChat, rumination, antenatal depression, and control variables. The mediation analysis was performed through Model 6 from the PROCESS macro 4.0 in SPSS 26.

RESULTS

Results from 2661 participants showed that antenatal depression was unrelated to social interaction of WeChat use intensity (P=.54), but was significantly positively related to the attitude toward social interaction of WeChat (P=.01). The direct effect of attitude toward social interaction of WeChat use on antenatal depression was not statistically significant (β=-.03, P=.05). The results supported an indirect relationship between attitude toward social interaction of WeChat use and antenatal depression via (1) upward social comparison on social interaction of WeChat (indirect effect value=0.04, 95% CI 0.03 to 0.06); (2) rumination (indirect effect value=-0.02, 95% CI -0.04 to -0.01); and (3) upward social comparison on social interaction of WeChat and rumination in sequence (indirect effect value=0.07, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.08).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings highlight the necessity of focusing on attitudes toward SNS use, and the importance of upward social comparison and rumination in understanding the effect of SNS use on antenatal depression.

Bidirectional associations between paternal postpartum depression symptoms and coparenting: A cross-lagged panel model of fathers of infants and toddlers

BACKGROUND

Finding modifiable predictors of paternal depression symptoms is helpful for developing interventions. The aim is to assess the unidirectional and/or bidirectional associations between paternal postpartum depression symptoms and coparenting among fathers of infants and toddlers.

METHODS

Longitudinal data were collected prospectively from 429 fathers of infants aged 0-24 months (median = 8 months) in Sweden, with 6- and 18-month follow-ups. All fathers participated in at least two of three waves of data collection, and multiple imputation was used for missing values. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale was used to detect depression symptoms (≥10 points), while the Brief Coparenting Relationship Scale measured the coparenting relationship. A cross-lagged panel model was used to estimate the associations between paternal depression symptoms and coparenting relationship quality over time, controlling for several known covariates and COVID-19 exposure.

RESULTS

Fathers with higher coparenting scores at Time 1 and 2 had less depression symptoms at Time 3, and fathers with more depression symptoms at Time 2 had lower coparenting scores at Time 3. Plotted probabilities of having at least mild depression symptoms revealed a multifold increase in the probability of depression symptoms at Time 3 for fathers with minimal coparenting scores at Times 1 and 2, respectively, compared to fathers with mean coparenting scores at Times 1 and 2, respectively.

LIMITATIONS

Causal links cannot be determined using the current non-experimental study design. Using the EPDS alone may have missed some fathers with depression symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

Clinicians seeking to reduce paternal depression symptoms should help strengthen the coparenting relationship.

Social Media Use and Depression in Older Adults: A Systematic Review

Social media has become an integral part of everyday life and revolutionized how older adults communicate and interact with others. The aim of the current review was to identify and synthesize quantitative studies addressing the potential relationship between social media use and depression in older adults. Medline, CINAHL, and PsycINFO databases were used to identify studies performed up to July 2020. Keywords identified were depression, social media use, and older adults. A nuanced relationship was revealed between social media use and depression in older adults. There were noted differences in the conceptualization of social media use. The reviewed studies lacked exploration of structural characteristics, examination of content, and quality of interactions in older adults' social media use. Health variables, social factors, and age cohort differences could influence the relationship between social media use and depression. Further studies are needed to enhance the understanding and explore the benefits and potential disadvantages of social media use in older adults. [Research in Gerontological Nursing, 16(2), 97-104.].

Adherence to 24-h Movement Guidelines and Depressive Status During the Coronavirus Disease Outbreak: A Cross-Sectional Japanese Survey

Objectives: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected people's physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep. This study aimed to clarify the association between combining these factors, integrated as adherence to 24-h movement guidelines, and depressive status during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: At the end of October 2020, we sent self-administered questionnaires to 1,711 adults aged ≥18. We assessed physical activity, sedentary behavior, sleep duration, adherence to 24-h movement guidelines, depressive status, and confounding factors. Results: Of the 640 valid responses, 90 (14.1%) reported a depressive status. Multivariable odds ratios (95% confidence interval) of depressive status were 0.22 (0.07, 0.71) for all three recommendations of the 24-h movement guidelines and those who met none of the recommendations as reference. The number of guidelines met was associated with depressive status in a dose-response fashion. Conclusion: Meeting the 24-h movement guidelines was associated with a lower prevalence of depressive status during the COVID-19 pandemic. Adults should adhere to these guidelines to maintain their mental health during future quarantine life.

A comprehensive review on emerging trends in the dynamic evolution of digital addiction and depression

Introduction

Using digital addiction as an umbrella term to cover any type of addictions to digital technologies such as the internet, smartphones, social media, or video games, the current study aimed to reveal the intellectual structure and evolution of research addressing digital addiction-depression relationship.

Methods

The study combined bibliometric and science mapping analysis methods for this purpose. Data for the study was gathered from Web of Science Core Collection after a comprehensive process of data search/extraction, and 241 articles were included in the final data set. A period-based, comparative science mapping analysis was performed using the SciMAT software.

Results

The analysis of data over three periods, Period 1 (1983-2016), Period 2 (2017-2019), and Period 3 (2020-2022) showed that internet addiction was the most significant theme across all three periods, which was followed by social media addiction. Depression, which emerged as a significant theme during Period 1, was later covered under anxiety disorder theme. Research interest was mostly on factors related to both addiction and depression such as cognitive distortion, insomnia, loneliness, self-esteem, social support, alexithymia, as well as cybervictimization or academic performance.

Discussion

The results suggested that much research is warranted on the digital addiction-depression relationship in different age cohorts, especially children and elderly. Similarly, the current analysis showed that this line of research particularly focused on internet, gaming and social media addiction, and evidence with regard to other types of digital addiction or related compulsive behaviors was almost absent. In addition, research was mostly inclined to understanding cause-effect relationships, which is significant, but preventive strategies seemed to be barely addressed. Likewise, the smartphone addiction-depression relationship arguably garnered less research interest, so future research would contribute to the field in this respect.

Does Internet Use Promote Subjective Well-Being? Evidence from the Different Age Groups Based on CGSS 2017 Data

Mobile Internet technology has developed so rapidly that the Internet has become indispensable in everyday life. There is a continuous debate about the relationship between internet use and subjective well-being. In contrast to observing whether one has Internet access, this paper focuses on three dimensions of Internet usage: frequency of use, online relationship size, and Internet proficiency. Based on the Chinese nationwide data collected in 2017, the results of the ordinary least squares regression model demonstrate that Internet use has a significant positive association with subjective well-being. In addition, this study also discovers that the effect of Internet use on the subjective well-being of individuals of different ages is heterogeneous; middle-aged individuals benefit from more frequent Internet use and larger-scale networks; the young and older adults benefit from organizing communication in groups. The results of this study can provide targeted suggestions for improving the subjective well-being of different age groups in Internet use.

Envy, Social Comparison, and Depression on Social Networking Sites: A Systematic Review

This study aims to review the evidence for the reciprocal relationship between envy and social comparison (SC) on social networking sites (SNSs) and depression. We searched PsychINFO, PubMed, and Web of Science from January 2012 to November 2022, adhering to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. A total of 9 articles met our inclusion criteria. In all articles reviewed, a simple correlation was found between SC on SNSs, envy, and depression. Three cross-sectional studies successfully tested a model with envy as a mediator between SNSs and depression. The moderating role of additional variables such as self-efficacy, neuroticism, SC orientation, marital quality, and friendship type was also evident. The only two studies that were suitable to determine direction found that depression acted as a predictor rather than an outcome of SC and envy, and therefore depression might be a relevant risk factor for the negative emotional consequences of SNSs use.

The relationship between technology addictions and schizotypal traits: mediating roles of depression, anxiety, and stress

BACKGROUND

The way how technology addiction relates to psychosis remains inconclusive and uncertain. The present study aimed to test the hypothesis of a mediating role of depression, anxiety and stress in the association between three technology (behavioral) addictions (i.e., Addiction to the Internet, smartphones and Facebook) and psychosis proneness as estimated through schizotypal traits in emerging adults.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was performed among non-clinical Tunisian university students (67.6% females, mean age of 21.5 ± 2.5 years) using a paper-and-pencil self-administered questionnaire.

RESULTS

Results for the Pearson correlation revealed that higher smartphone, Internet, and Facebook addictions' scores were significantly and positively correlated with each of the depression, anxiety and stress subscores; whereas depression (r = 0.474), anxiety (r = 0.499) and stress (r = 0.461) scores were positively correlated with higher schizotypal traits. The results of the mediation analysis found a significant mediating effect for depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms on the cross-sectional relationship between each facet of the TA and schizotypal traits.

CONCLUSION

Our findings preliminarily suggest that an addictive use of smartphones, Internet and Facebook may act as a stressor that exacerbates psychosis proneness directly or indirectly through distress. Although future longitudinal research is needed to determine causality, we draw attention to the possibility that treating psychological distress may constitute an effective target of interventions to prevent psychosis in adolescents with technology addictions.

Media use degree and depression: A latent profile analysis from Chinese residents

Background

Previous studies have emphasized the media as an essential channel for understanding information about depression. However, they have not divided groups according to the degree of media use to study their differences in depression. Therefore, this study aims to explore the influence of media use on depression and the influencing factors of depression in people with different media use degrees.

Methods

Based on seven items related to media use, a total of 11, 031 respondents were categorized by the frequency of media use using latent profile analysis (LPA). Secondly, multiple linear regression analyzes were conducted to analyze the effects of depression in people with different degrees of media use. Finally, factors influencing depression among people with different degrees of media use were explored separately.

Results

All respondents were classified into three groups: media use low-frequency (9.7%), media use general (67.1%), and media use high-frequency (23.2%). Compared with media use general group, media use low-frequency (β = 0.019, p = 0.044) and media use high-frequency (β = 0.238, p < 0.001) groups are significantly associated with depression. The factors influencing depression in the population differed between media use low-frequency, media use general, and media use high-frequency groups.

Conclusion

The government and the appropriate departments should develop targeted strategies for improving the overall health status of people with different media use degrees.

A longitudinal investigation on problematic Facebook use, psychological distress and well-being during the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic

The social isolation and the subsequent, increased use of Social Networking Sites due to the COVID-19 pandemic have had an impact on subjective well-being around the world. The present longitudinal study examined whether changes in psychological distress and well-being during the Italian second wave of the pandemic differ among people with different levels of Problematic Facebook Use (PFU). A total of 493 participants (M_age = 24.55 ± 7.25; 80.3% females) completed measures of passive use of Facebook, social comparison orientation on Facebook, fear of missing out, psychological distress (depressive symptoms and fear of COVID-19 pandemic) and well-being across three waves. Latent class analysis (LCA) categorized participants into three groups with different PFU levels: healthy users, moderate PFU users, and high PFU users. Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) showed that the between-person level (class membership) accounted for most of the variability in psychological distress and well-being. No significant changes were found in psychological distress and well-being over time, but the High PFU users showed greater levels of psychological distress and lower levels of well-being at each time point. The findings of this study suggest that the relationship between PFU, psychological distress and well-being may reflect trait-like time-invariant differences between individuals rather than state-like changes.

Attentional Bias Is Associated with Negative Emotions in Problematic Users of Social Media as Measured by a Dot-Probe Task

OBJECTIVE

Social media (SM) have flourished and are affecting human lives on an unprecedented scale. Problematic social media use (PSMU) is a recently emerging problematic behavior that affects both physical and mental health. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether problematic users of SM display attentional bias (AB) toward SM-related cues, as well as the relationships between AB, the severity of PSMU, and negative emotions.

METHOD

1000 college students were recruited through classes and online forums and then tested using the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS). Eventually, 60 participants, identified by the cut-off point for BSMAS, consented to participate in the study and were divided into two groups (i.e., a problematic use group and a typical use group). The severity of PSMU and negative emotions (i.e., anxiety, depression, social fear, and loneliness) were evaluated by self-report questionnaires. AB was assessed by an addiction Stroop task and a dot-probe task (DPT).

RESULTS

PSMU was found to be positively associated with anxiety (r = 0.28, p < 0.05), depression (r = 0.35, p < 0.01), and social fear (r = 0.38, p < 0.01), but not with loneliness (r = 0.19, p = 0.15). Participants with a tendency toward PSMU displayed AB toward SM-related cues in the DPT [F (1, 58) = 26.77, p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.32], but not in the Stroop task [F (1, 58) = 0.61, p = 0.44, ηp2 = 0.01]. Moreover, AB toward SM-related stimuli was found to be positively correlated with the severity of PSMU (r = -0.51, p < 0.001), anxiety (r = -0.37, p < 0.01), depression (r = -0.51, p < 0.001), and social fear (r = -0.30, p < 0.05) in the DPT.

CONCLUSIONS

Problematic users of SM show AB towards SM-related cues in the DPT, which is more reliable for assessing AB than the Stroop task. Moreover, it is suggested that in clinical interventions we should work to change the AB towards SM-related stimuli and improve negative emotions to decrease risks of PSMU.