Association Between LGB Sexual Orientation and Depression Mediated by Negative Social Media Experiences: National Survey Study of US Young Adults

Escobar-Viera, César G.; Shensa, Ariel; Sidani, Jaime E.; Primack, Brian A.; Marshal, Michael P.

doi:10.2196/23520

Cited by 17 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…These characteristics highlight the potential of leveraging social media to deliver interventions that provide information and support to rural-living LGBTQ youth ( 25 ). However, social media can also be a conduit for rejection, discrimination, bullying, and other negative experiences, potentially increasing social isolation and risk for negative mental health outcomes ( 26 , 27 ). While there is research focused on understanding individual- and community-level needs of social support among rural-living LGBTQ youth, ( 2 , 11 , 28 ) little is known about the potential of leveraging social media for interventions seeking to provide support and reduce perceived isolation among this group ( 29 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examining Social Media Experiences and Attitudes Toward Technology-Based Interventions for Reducing Social Isolation Among LGBTQ Youth Living in Rural United States: An Online Qualitative Study

Escobar-Viera

Choukas‐Bradley

Sidani

et al. 2022

Front. Digit. Health

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PurposeLesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youth living in rural areas who feel isolated are at high risk of depression and suicidality. Given the lack of support in their offline communities, many rural-living LGBTQ youth turn to social media for social support. In this qualitative study, we examined rural LGBTQ youth's social media experiences and attitudes toward technology-based interventions for reducing perceived isolation.MethodIn Spring 2020, we conducted online interviews with LGBTQ youth aged 14-19, living in rural areas of the United States, who screened positive for perceived social isolation (n = 20; 11 cisgender sexual minority, 9 transgender). Interviews examined (1) supportive social media experiences, (2) personal strategies to improve social media experiences, and (3) perspective on potential digital intervention delivery modalities. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis.FindingsRelated to supportive content and interactions, themes included (1) positive representation of and connecting with LGBTQ groups on social media are important; (2) content from people with shared experience feels supportive, and (3) lack of feedback to one's experiences is isolating. Regarding personal strategies to improve social media experiences, themes were (1) selecting platforms to connect with different audiences helps make for a more enjoyable social media experience, and (2) several social media platform features can help make for a safer social media experience. Youth discussed advantages and disadvantages of intervention delivery via a mobile app, social media pages or groups, conversational agents (chatbots), and a dedicated website.ConclusionViewing positive representation of and connecting with LGBTQ groups, content from people shared experiences, and utilizing a wide array of platform features to increase the likelihood of positive connections are key to a positive social media experience among this group. Combining delivery modalities is key to engaging rural-living LGBTQ youth in digitally delivered support interventions to reduce perceived isolation. Our results inform future intervention research and conversations about social determinants of health between providers and rural LGBTQ patients.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examining Social Media Experiences and Attitudes Toward Technology-Based Interventions for Reducing Social Isolation Among LGBTQ Youth Living in Rural United States: An Online Qualitative Study

Escobar-Viera

Choukas‐Bradley

Sidani

et al. 2022

Front. Digit. Health

Self Cite

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“…Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network [ 4 ] found that 42% of LGBTQ youth aged 13-18 years had been harassed on the internet, whereas 32% reported being sexually harassed on the internet; these percentages were significantly lower (15% and 8%, respectively) among non-LGBTQ youth. More recently, researchers have suggested that there is a relationship between the negative social media experiences of young sexual minority adults and their depressive symptoms [ 45 ]. Qualitative research has also examined the experiences of sexual minority youth with cyber-victimization, finding that it is often related to, although less common than, in-person harassment [ 38 , 46 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Young Sexual Minority Adolescent Experiences of Self-expression and Isolation on Social Media: Cross-sectional Survey Study

Charmaraman¹,

Hodes²,

Richer³

2021

JMIR Ment Health

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Background Early adolescent years are marked by pervasive self- and peer-regulation regarding gender and sexuality norms, which can affect the mental well-being of sexual minority youth. During this developmental period, social media use is also emerging as a dominant mode of communication with peers, allowing for both risk and resilient behaviors that can impact well-being. Objective This exploratory study aims to examine how sexual minorities in middle school use social media, who they are connected to and for what purposes, and the associations between these behaviors and mental well-being compared with their heterosexual peers. Methods In our cross-sectional survey study of 1033 early adolescents aged between 10 and 16 years (average age 12.7, SD 1.21 years) from 4 middle school sites in the Northeastern United States, we conducted an exploratory study comparing sexual minorities (212/873, 24.3% of sample with known sexual orientation) with their heterosexual peers (n=661), obtaining an 84.46% (1033/1223; total possible) response rate. Results Sexual minorities reported having smaller networks on their favorite social media website (β=−.57; P<.001), less often responded positively when friends shared good news (β=−.35; P=.002), and less often tried to make friends feel better when they shared bad news (β=−.30; P=.01). However, sexual minorities more often reported joining a group or web-based community to make themselves feel less alone (β=.28; P=.003), unlike heterosexual youth. Sexual minorities had higher averages of loneliness and social isolation (β=.19; P<.001) than heterosexual students. Sexual minorities were also twice as likely to have tried to harm themselves in the past (β=.81; odds ratio [OR] 2.24, 95% CI 1.64-3.06; P<.001) and were more likely to have symptoms that reached the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression definition of depression (β=.15; OR 1.16, 95% CI 1.08-1.25; P<.001). About 39.1% (83/212) of sexual minorities had no one to talk to about their sexual orientation. Sexual minorities were 1.5 times more likely to have joined a social media website their parents would disapprove (β=.41; OR 1.50, 95% CI 1.14-1.97; P=.004) and more likely to report seeing videos related to self-harm (β=.33; OR 1.39, 95% CI 1.06-1.83; P=.02) on the web than heterosexual youth. Conclusions Given previous reports of supportive and safe web-based spaces for sexual minority youth, our findings demonstrated that sexual minority youth prefer to maintain small, close-knit web-based communities (apart from their families) to express themselves, particularly when reaching out to web-based communities to reduce loneliness. Future longitudinal studies could determine any bidirectional influences of mental well-being and social media use in sexual minorities during this difficult developmental period.

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“…Seeking feedback on SNSs has been linked to reduced self-esteem ( 51 ) and depressive symptoms, especially when self-worth depends on online feedback ( 26 , 52 ). In addition, a current study suggested that the higher rates of depressive symptoms in LGBTQ persons could to some extent be explained by their exposure to negative experiences on social media including being called out or hurt, receiving negative or no feedback, and being excluded ( 53 ).…”

Section: The CI As An Implicit Learning Environment and Its Implicati...mentioning

confidence: 94%

Social network sites as learning environments and their implications for mental health

Hussenoeder

2022

Front. Digit. Health

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Social network sites (SNSs) have become ubiquitous around the globe and interwoven with all aspects of life. In this article, I will argue that the communicative infrastructure of SNSs, i.e., all SNS-elements that allow users to communicate, is a key element for understanding their impact as it creates environments in which users, their behaviors, and social interactions are embedded. These digital environments facilitate and encourage fundamental mechanisms of implicit learning from feedback as well as observation in an unprecedented way. I will discuss how these technology-based learning environments impact the mental health of their users, e.g., by linking negative online feedback to depression and following influencers to disturbed eating. The article ends with a conclusion that emphasizes the advantages of understanding SNSs as environments in order to reflect the complexity, relevance, and ubiquitousness of the phenomenon.

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Association Between LGB Sexual Orientation and Depression Mediated by Negative Social Media Experiences: National Survey Study of US Young Adults

Cited by 17 publications

References 35 publications

Examining Social Media Experiences and Attitudes Toward Technology-Based Interventions for Reducing Social Isolation Among LGBTQ Youth Living in Rural United States: An Online Qualitative Study

Examining Social Media Experiences and Attitudes Toward Technology-Based Interventions for Reducing Social Isolation Among LGBTQ Youth Living in Rural United States: An Online Qualitative Study

Young Sexual Minority Adolescent Experiences of Self-expression and Isolation on Social Media: Cross-sectional Survey Study

Social network sites as learning environments and their implications for mental health

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