The Public Health Impact and Policy Implications of Online Support Group Use for Mental Health in Singapore: Cross-Sectional Survey

Roystonn, Kumarasan; Vaingankar, Janhavi Ajit; Yiang, Chua Boon; Sambasivam, Rajeswari; Jeyagurunathan, Anitha; Verma, Swapna; Abdin, Edimansyah; Chong, Siow Ann; Subramaniam, Mythily

doi:10.2196/18114

Cited by 9 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Social media represents an important proportion of youth's internet use, providing novel and rapidly shifting platforms for communication and content-sharing [2,3]. While social media may positively impact youth by facilitating social connection [4] and providing resources for seeking support [5], there are numerous potential health risks associated with online platforms, including sleep disruption [6], problematic internet use [7], and cyberbullying [8][9][10]. Cyberbullying, defined as the use of electronic communication technologies to bully others [11,12], is widespread among youth, with 59% of US teens reporting that they have experienced online victimization [13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parental Attitudes on Social Media Monitoring for Youth: Cross-Sectional Survey Study

Cohen,

Bendelow,

Smith

et al. 2023

JMIR Pediatr Parent

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Background Online environments dominate the daily lives of American youth and pose evolving challenges to their health and well-being. Recent national poll data indicate that social media overuse, internet safety, and online bullying are among parents’ top child health concerns, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. While parents are uniquely positioned to help youth navigate social media, their attitudes on monitoring media use may be impacted by a myriad of personal and family factors. Objective This study aimed to examine factors associated with parental attitudes about monitoring social media use among youth. Methods Data were analyzed from the Voices of Child Health in Chicago Parent Panel Survey, administered to parents over the web and by telephone. Parents with at least 1 child aged ≥11 years responded to questions about bullying and social media monitoring from May to July 2020. The primary outcome was their response to the following question: “Do you think parents should monitor their children’s use of social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram?” Bivariate analyses and multivariable logistic regression were used to examine parental agreement with frequent social media monitoring and concerns about bullying, adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics. Analyses were weighted to represent the parent population of Chicago. Results Among 1613 survey respondents, the analyzed sample included 808 parents with at least 1 child aged ≥11 years. Overall, 62.9% (n=566) of parents agreed with frequent parental monitoring of their children’s social media use. Compared with parents aged ≤35 years, parents who were >35 years old were significantly less likely to agree with frequent social media monitoring (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.45, 95% CI 0.25-0.81). Parents expressing a high level of concern regarding the effects of bullying were more likely to agree with frequent monitoring of youth social media (aOR 2.15, 95% CI 1.24-3.73). Conclusions Parents’ personal characteristics and concerns about bullying may influence their attitudes toward monitoring social media use among youth. Given the potential impact of these attitudes on parental monitoring behaviors and the subsequent health impact on youth, pediatricians should consider these factors when counseling about bullying and social media. Child health professionals can support families in developing a safe media use plan that fits family circumstances.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parental Attitudes on Social Media Monitoring for Youth: Cross-Sectional Survey Study

Cohen,

Bendelow,

Smith

et al. 2023

JMIR Pediatr Parent

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“…Individuals with marginalized identities who do not have much offline social support may turn to OSGs to compensate for the lack of such resources in their physical environments. In the context of various health conditions, people with mental health disorders are more likely than others to use online support groups [ 13 ]. Moreover, a nationally representative sample of adults indicated that the more they reported having social stigma concerns, the more likely they were to seek online support instead of an in-person support group or traditional treatment [ 5 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Communication Affordances in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Facebook and WhatsApp Support Groups

Yeshua-Katz

2021

IJERPH

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(1) Background: Digital health research has indicated that people with stigmatized health problems are drawn to online support groups (OSGs) because these groups help them to manage such conditions. However, little is known about how media affordances—interactions between the technology and the user—reconfigure the ways in which stigmatized individuals use OSGs and interact with others like themselves. (2) Method: The current study applied an affordance framework to evaluate how Facebook and WhatsApp support groups can help military veterans and their partners cope with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and was based on interviews with 34 PTSD-OSG members in Israel. (3) Findings: This research identified five affordances that members appraised as enhancing their coping efforts in the digital world: visibility, availability, multimediality, surveillance, and synchronicity. (4) Conclusions: This study reveals the connection between a specific stigmatized mental health disorder (i.e., PTSD) and perceptions of communication technologies (i.e., affordances), and specifies the uses of technologies for coping with this mental health disorder. Moreover, this study may inform digital intervention designers about which communication affordances can potentially lead to better health outcomes.

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Social Media Peer Support Groups for Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders: Understanding the Predictors of Negative Experiences

Tan

Rehm

Stevenson

et al. 2021

Journal of Affective Disorders

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The Public Health Impact and Policy Implications of Online Support Group Use for Mental Health in Singapore: Cross-Sectional Survey

Cited by 9 publications

References 43 publications

Parental Attitudes on Social Media Monitoring for Youth: Cross-Sectional Survey Study

Parental Attitudes on Social Media Monitoring for Youth: Cross-Sectional Survey Study

The Role of Communication Affordances in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Facebook and WhatsApp Support Groups

Social Media Peer Support Groups for Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders: Understanding the Predictors of Negative Experiences

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