Use of Social Networking Sites and Mental Health Among Female Emerging Adults

Background and Purpose. Social networking has been integrated into human daily life and is used for communication, entertainment, and as a news outlet. Emerging adults have been found to be heavy social networking users particularly using Facebook and Twitter, which has revolutionized communication. Due to the novelty of social networking sites, it remains unclear as to whether social networking use may be exacerbating or alleviating symptoms of mental health (Primack et al., 2016). The present study aimed to examine the relationship between the use of various social networking sites and mental health among emerging adults.

 

Method. The current study was based on the data collected from the Relationship Dynamics and Social Life (RDSL) Study. The original study was a four-year (2008-2012) longitudinal study. The initial sample consisted of 1,003 females aged 18 to 22, and convenience sampling was utilized to recruit participants from Geneses County, Michigan. The present study is a cross-sectional study that utilized a subsection (N = 590) of the original sample who participated in the Social Life Journal Supplement Data Survey. This supplemental survey was the second supplemental survey taken in 2010 as the third wave of data collection. Use of social networking sites was measured by 3 self-report questions (yes/ no) from the survey that stated “do you use Facebook, or Twitter, and/or Myspace?”. Mental health was assessed using 5 self-report questions on depression (α=0.86) and 4 self-report questions on loneliness (α=0.76). Each question was rated on a five point Likert Scale ranging from 1 “Never” to 5 “Very often”. A series of Kruskal-Wallis H tests was conducted comparing level of loneliness and depression scores among the three participant groups with a different number of social networking sites use (no use, 1 site, 2 or more sites).

 

Result. The results of the analyses revealed that participants who used one social networking site were significantly less depressed and lonely, compared with participants that used two or more social networking sites. The lowest level of depression and loneliness levels were found among participants who were using one social networking site. Participants not using any form of social networking reported higher levels of depression/loneliness, than participant using one form of social networking. Furthermore, the highest levels of depression and loneliness were associated with participants using 2 or 3 forms of social networking sites.

 

Implication. This study serves as an important step in gaining a better understanding of the role of social networking usage among the mental health of emerging adults. The findings suggest that heavy use of various social networking sites may be a risk factor for mental health, while healthy and non-heavy use of SNS may be helpful for the mental health of emerging adults. The results imply the importance for clinical practice with emerging adults, due to the large amounts of time used on social networking sites among this population. Moderate use of social networking sites can be helpful for emerging adults who may feel depressed and lonely.