Social Networking Sites, Depression, and Anxiety: A Systematic Review

By E. Seabrook, Margaret L. Kern, Nikki S. Rickard. JMIR Mental Health, 2016

652 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Background Social networking sites (SNSs) have become a pervasive part of modern culture, which may also affect mental health. Objective The aim of this systematic review was to identify and summarize research examining depression and anxiety in the context of SNSs. It also aimed to identify studies that complement the assessment of mental illness with measures of well-being and examine moderators and mediators that add to the complexity of this environment. Methods A multidatabase search was performed. Papers published between January 2005 and June 2016 relevant to mental illness (depression and anxiety only) were extracted and reviewed. Results Positive interactions, social support, and social connectedness on SNSs were consistently related to lower levels of depression and anxiety, whereas negative interaction and social comparisons on SNSs were related to higher levels of depression and anxiety. SNS use related to less loneliness and greater self-esteem and life satisfaction. Findings were mixed for frequency of SNS use and number of SNS friends. Different patterns in the way individuals with depression and individuals with social anxiety engage with SNSs are beginning to emerge. Conclusions The systematic review revealed many mixed findings between depression, anxiety, and SNS use. Methodology has predominantly focused on self-report cross-sectional approaches; future research will benefit from leveraging real-time SNS data over time. The evidence suggests that SNS use correlates with mental illness and well-being; however, whether this effect is beneficial or detrimental depends at least partly on the quality of social factors in the SNS environment. Understanding these relationships will lead to better utilization of SNSs in their potential to positively influence mental health.

Subfields: Applied Psychology, Health, Sociology and Political Science

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/0809c46f8f71d331e6c02fbc6cf597898d86cb64

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Citations in the corpus

Facebook Addiction and Subjective Well-Being: a Study of the Mediating Role of Shyness and Loneliness (2019, background): “Therefore, FA leads to negative outcomes such as lower self-esteem (Hawi and Samaha 2016), insomnia, anxiety (Hanprathet et al. 2015) and depression (Seabrook et al. 2016).”
Adolescent Mental Health in the Digital Age: Facts, Fears and Future Directions (2020, neutral): “…above in that cross-sectional research designs, retrospective reporting of symptoms and digital technology usage, and small and mixed patterns of associations were the norm and often limiting factors in drawing reliable conclusions in this area (Baker & Algorta, 2016; Seabrook et al., 2016).”
A systematic review: the influence of social media on depression, anxiety and psychological distress in adolescents (2019, background): “Previous systematic reviews included more studies since they have either focussed on a heterogeneous population including children, adolescents and adults (Baker & Algorta, 2016; Marino et al., 2018; Seabrook et al., 2016) or focussed on general mental well-being including both clinical outcomes and”
Belonging: a review of conceptual issues, an integrative framework, and directions for future research (2021, background): “shy, or who suffer from social anxiety (AmichaiHamburger et al., 2002; Moore & McElroy, 2012; Ryan et al., 2017; Seabrook et al., 2016; Seidman, 2013).”
Fear of missing out (FOMO): overview, theoretical underpinnings, and literature review on relations with severity of negative affectivity and problematic technology use (2020, neutral): “457 Avaliações recentes do PIU incluem o uso de smartphones [57-59] e SNS [60, 61], além de relações entre o uso problemático e construções psicológicas (inclusive psicopatológicas).”
Passive and Active Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms Among United States Adults (2018, neutral): “18,19 For example, research has found increased odds of depression and related outcomes among individuals who used a greater number of SM platforms, 20 had a skewed distribution of their social network on SM, 21 experienced negative interactions on SM sites, 14,22,23 or exhibited problematic SMU.”
The relationship between Instagram use and indicators of mental health: A systematic review (2021, background): “In particular, Seabrook et al. (2016) highlighted that the majority of studies did not find a significant effect between intensity of SNS use and anxiety.”
Detecting depression and mental illness on social media: an integrative review (2017, background): “Studies to date have either examined how the use of social media sites correlates with mental illness in users [3] or attempted to detect mental illness through analysis of the content created by users.”