The association between self-reported depressive symptoms and the use of social networking sites (SNS): A meta-analysis

Vahedi, Zahra; Zannella, Lesley

doi:10.1007/s12144-019-0150-6

Cited by 57 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…The existing literature mirrors the disagreement between scholars arguing that SNT use is positively correlated with depressive symptoms and those who claim the opposite—that SNT users (and especially active users who maintain constructive online social relationships) exhibit low levels of depressive symptoms. Moreover, as in this study, almost every investigation in this domain has also documented null results, according to which depression was not related to multiple SNT features (for a recent systematic review, see Frost & Rickwood, 2017; for a meta-analysis, see Vahedi & Zannella, 2019). Interestingly, many researchers have begun to search for a third, mediating variable that can explain the complex relationships between depression and SNT use, such as negative social comparisons or maladaptive ruminative behaviors (Frost & Rickwood, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 55%

New-Media Screen Time Is Not (Necessarily) Linked to Depression: Comments on Twenge, Joiner, Rogers, and Martin (2018)

Ophir

Lipshits-Braziler

Rosenberg

2019

Clinical Psychological Science

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In this commentary, we raise seven methodological concerns regarding Twenge, Joiner, Rogers, and Martin (2018), among which are inaccurate research measurements, negligible correlations between the main variables, insufficient and inadequate statistical analyses, and problematic interpretation of the results. In fact, the negligible associations between screen activities and depression, their decrease when demographic variables are controlled, and their fading away to nil among boys challenge the article’s title and conclusions, according to which increases in depressive symptoms are attributed to increases in new-media screen use. This conclusion cannot be deduced from the reported results and could be misleading to the general public.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 55%

New-Media Screen Time Is Not (Necessarily) Linked to Depression: Comments on Twenge, Joiner, Rogers, and Martin (2018)

Ophir

Lipshits-Braziler

Rosenberg

2019

Clinical Psychological Science

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“…Many studies and meta-analyses find a small negative association between social media use and well-being of about r = − 0.15 to r = − 0.10, while the correlations fall to about r = − 0.10 to r = − 0.05 in some work lauded as being more transparent [42,43]. Correlations and observed effects in this ballpark have been shown in meta-analytic studies considering anxiety and depressive outcomes (e.g., [28,38,64,75]), but have also been found in longitudinal research [5,22,33,41,47] and experimental work [2]. As mentioned above, it is still unclear what such a range of effects can tell us about well-being and how it is affected by social media use.…”

Section: Small Negative Associations Between Screens Social Media Anmentioning

confidence: 63%

“…Furthermore, the evidence is low-quality and cross-sectional in nature [24,38]. Reviews have found small correlations between social media use and depressive symptoms [24,68] that (if numerically provided) range from r = 0.11 [75] and r = 0.13 [38] to r = 0.17 [64]. Another meta-analysis found no significant relationship between social media use and well-being (r < − 0.01, [28]).…”

Section: Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses: Social Mediamentioning

confidence: 99%

Teenagers, screens and social media: a narrative review of reviews and key studies

Orben

2020

Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol

467

418

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Introduction In light of growing concerns about an increasingly digital adolescence, the academic field investigating how digital technologies affect adolescents' psychological well-being is growing rapidly. In the last years, much research has amassed, and this has been summarised in over 80 systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Materials and Methods Systematic reviews, meta-analyses and key studies are reviewed to provide insights into the state of current research linking digital technology and social media use to well-being; possible future directions and improvements are discussed. Results When examining the reviews, it becomes evident that the research field is dominated by cross-sectional work that is generally of a low quality standard. While research has highlighted the importance of differentiating between different types of digital technology use many studies do not consider such necessary nuances. These limitations aside, the association between digital technology use, or social media use in particular, and psychological well-being is-on average-negative but very small. Furthermore, the direction of the link between digital technology use and well-being is still unclear: effects have been found to exist in both directions and there has been little work done to rule out potential confounders. Conclusions Reviewing the last decade of reviews in the area, it is evident that the research field needs to refocus on improving transparency, interpreting effect sizes and changing measurement. It also needs to show a greater appreciation for the individual differences that will inherently shape each adolescent's reaction to digital technologies.

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“…Excessive selfdisclosure in SNSs has become a means of connecting with and supporting each other while practicing social distancing during the pandemic (Gao et al 2020;Nabity-Grover et al 2020). Studies have shown that while self-disclosure and active interaction with others might be related to better wellbeing and positive mental states, excessive SNS engagement could be associated with poor well-being, loneliness, anxiety, and depression (Hunt et al 2018;Liu et al 2019;Reer et al 2019;Vahedi and Zannella 2019).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of social comparison orientation on psychological well-being in social networking sites: Serial mediation of perceived social support and self-esteem

Lee

2020

Curr Psychol

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This study investigates the effects of the social comparison orientation in social networking sites on psychological well-being. In particular, it examines the mediation effect of perceived social support and self-esteem in the relationship between social comparison orientation and psychological well-being. Data were collected through an online survey with 236 participants in South Korea. The results showed that social comparison orientation negatively influenced psychological well-being. In the relationship between social comparison orientation and psychological well-being, perceived social support had no mediation effect, self-esteem had a significant negative mediation effect, and perceived social support and self-esteem had a negative serial mediation effect. The social comparison orientation in social networking sites could elicit negative emotions, which decrease perceived social support, self-esteem, and psychological well-being. Theoretical and practical implications as well as suggestions for future studies are discussed in detail.

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The association between self-reported depressive symptoms and the use of social networking sites (SNS): A meta-analysis

Cited by 57 publications

References 69 publications

New-Media Screen Time Is Not (Necessarily) Linked to Depression: Comments on Twenge, Joiner, Rogers, and Martin (2018)

New-Media Screen Time Is Not (Necessarily) Linked to Depression: Comments on Twenge, Joiner, Rogers, and Martin (2018)

Teenagers, screens and social media: a narrative review of reviews and key studies

The effects of social comparison orientation on psychological well-being in social networking sites: Serial mediation of perceived social support and self-esteem

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