[ad_1]
HealthDay reporter
TUESDAY, Nov. 23, 2021 (HealthDay News) – The latest in a series of studies examining the links between social media use and depression suggests the two go hand in hand.
“The link between social media and mental health has been the subject of much debate,” said Dr. Roy Perlis, lead author of the new study. He is the director of the Center for Experimental Drugs and Diagnostics at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
On the one hand, social media is a way for people to stay connected to a larger community and get information about things that interest them, Perlis said. On the other hand, even before the widespread misinformation on these platforms was recognized, there was a feeling that young people could be negatively affected.
The new study follows an annual look at social media use and the onset of depression in nearly 5,400 adults. No one even reported mild depression in the beginning.
But in a number of studies over a 12-month period, depression worsened in some respondents, the study found. The risk increased with the use of three extremely popular social media sites: Snapchat, Facebook and TikTok.
As for whether social media actually causes depression, Perlis said it was unclear who the chicken was and what the egg was.
“One possible explanation for our results,” he noted, “is that people who are at risk for depression, even if they are not currently depressed, are more likely to use social media. Another is that social media actually contributes to this increased risk. “
But this study is not intended to differentiate between the two, he said.
To investigate the vulnerability of adults, the Perlis team focused on social media users aged 18 and over (mean age: nearly 56). About two-thirds were women, and more than three-quarters were white.
All completed an initial survey on their use on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok, Twitter, Snapchat and / or YouTube.
Participants were also asked about the habits of consuming news and access to social support when they feel sad or depressed.
No one showed signs of depression in the first study. But after completing at least one such follow-up, nearly 9% showed a “significant” increase in outcomes for the risk of depression.
An increased risk is seen in TikTok or Snapchat users aged 35 and over, but not among younger users. The opposite trend was played out with Facebook users: The risk of depression increased among those under 35, but not among older users.
Given that the specific cause and effect are unclear, Perlis said the conclusion so far is that researchers need to better understand the link between social media and mental health.
“Even if the use of social media only tells us about the main risk and not causes it, can we understand why?” Can we intervene to prevent depression and anxiety? ”Perlis asked.
He hopes that his work will lead to some answers.
“We hope that our work will inform both mental health researchers and politicians to think about how to study and potentially act on this relationship,” Perlis said.
One such researcher praised the new study for this.
“The findings of this study are consistent with other studies examining the link between symptoms of depression and the use of social media,” said Amanda Giordano, an associate professor of human development counseling and services at the University of Georgia.
Giordano also reiterated the need for caution in researching what causes what and suggested a number of theories.
“One hypothesis about the link between social media use and depressive symptoms is the act of comparing people’s imperfect lives with improved, edited and seemingly perfect images of others’ lives,” she said. “This in itself may not be the cause of depressive symptoms, but in people with other risk factors and predispositions, the use of social media can contribute to the development of symptoms.”
Another theory is that online social connections do not adequately replace the depth and quality of offline friendships, Giordano said. As a result, even people with thousands of social media connections can still feel lonely, unfamiliar and unsupported, she explained.
“Simply put, virtual relationships may not meet our basic needs for belonging and attachment, which can contribute to depressed feelings in some people,” Giordano said.
The findings were published on November 23 JAMA Network Open.
More info
McLean Hospital / Harvard Medical School offers more on the link between social media and depression.
SOURCES: Roy Perlis, MD, MSc, Professor, Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, and Director, Center for Experimental Drugs and Diagnostics, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston; Amanda Giordano, PhD, Associate Professor, Counseling and Human Development Services, University of Georgia, Athens; JAMA Network Open, November 23, 2021
[ad_2]
Source link