The Use of Social Networking Sites and Mental Health Among Young Adults

 Background and Purpose: Social media has become an integral part of daily life, especially for younger adults. In particular, social networking sites (SNS), such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, have profoundly altered the way in which people communicate with one another. Due to the novelty of SNS, it remains unclear how mental health is impacted by this recent transformation in human interaction. Both positive and negative impacts of SNS use have been documented in the literature (Block et al., 2014; Pantic, 2014). The present study aimed to examine the relationship between SNS usage and mental health (depression and suicidal ideation) in young adults. The study also investigated whether this relationship differed between the subgroups with diverse demographical characteristics (i.e., emerging young adults and young adults, heterosexual and non-heterosexual groups, men and women). The research was informed by social comparison theory, which explains how individuals utilize their social context to evaluate themselves and their abilities (Bergstrom et al., 2009)

 Method: Study data was gathered from The New Family Structures Survey, a comparative research study which focused on young adults residing in the United States, who were raised in diverse family structures (Regnerus, 2012). The sample was composed of 2,988 young adults aged 18 to 39 (38.6% emerging adults, n=1,146; 64.7% female, n=986; 19.9% non-heterosexual, n=585). Within the sample, 2,059 young adults were from nonconventional family systems (grew up with parents in same-sex relationships, remarried after divorce, and single, step, or adoptive parents) and 929 young adults were from conventional family systems (grew up with their biological parents). Data was gathered through the use of an online survey. SNS usage was measured by self-report questions assessing participants’ use of SNS (yes, no), the approximate time spent per day on SNS, and the number of Facebook friends.  An 11-item self-report measure of depressive symptoms was developed for the study (alpha= .89). Suicidal ideation was measured by a question asking whether participants thought about committing suicide during the past 12 months. A series of multiple regression, independent t-test and chi-square analyses was performed.

 Results: Results indicated that the more time spent on any SNS was associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms across age, sexual orientation and gender. For the emerging young adult group, simply using an SNS was also associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms, but this relationship was not established for the young adult group. Results also displayed a positive relationship between the use of SNS and suicidal ideations for the young adult group, heterosexual participants, as well as both male and female participants.

 Implications: This study serves as an important step in beginning to elucidate the role of SNS usage in understanding mental health of young adults. The finding of this study addresses the important implication for clinical practice with young adult population since they utilize them to a sizeable degree. Clients’ use of social media and its impact on their lives should be carefully assessed and monitored to better address the needs of clients with mental health problems.