1. 2University of Virginia
Who Do You Talk To Online? A Look at Depression and Loneliness with Social Media
Heather Kiefer1, David E. Szwedo1, & Joseph P. Allen2 1James Madison University
2University of Virginia
Introduction
Online sub-sample (present study): N = 89
Gender Race/ethnicity Income
35 males Caucasian Median = $40,000 - $59,000
54 females African American
10 Mixed/Other
Measures
Depressive Symptoms (ages 21, 26) Assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory, a self-report measure of depressive symptoms in adults
Loneliness Symptoms (ages 21, 26) Assessed using the UCLA Loneliness Scale, a self-report measure of feelings of loneliness
Online Communication (age 21) Assessed using the Online Friendship Questionnaire, a self-report measure of online social behavior. Questions assessed participants preference for online vs. face-to-face communication, purposefully going online with the intent to improve their mood, talking to strangers online, and forming a romantic relationship with someone met online
Instead of communicating and forming relationships solely in face-to-face contexts, adolescents are turning to other modes of communication. Within the past decade, the Internet has become one of the most commonly used methods of interaction between individuals (Lee, 2014).
A revolutionary aspect of social media is the facilitation of communication without face-to-face contact. Users are provided an opportunity to form relationships with individuals that they have never met in person. The influential nature of social media is impacting not only the social behaviors and adopted online identities of adolescents but also their interpersonal relationships (Teppers, et al., 2014).
Certain factors (loneliness) and psychopathologies (depression) can negatively impact interpersonal communications between individuals. With the growing popularity of Internet communication and social media, these adolescents now have different avenues in the pursuit of social relationships.
While there is literature suggesting that depressed and lonely individuals seek out online interactions, there is little research as to who these individuals are talking to and how it affects them over an extended period of time.
The purpose of this study is to examine social media use in adolescents with depression and loneliness. This study will examine how the types of relationships that are sought out by youth effect their well-being over time.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Results
Figures 1, 2, 3. Interactions between online behaviors and relative changes in depressive symptoms and loneliness over time. The pattern of results suggests that individuals with higher levels of depressive symptoms and loneliness who prefer online communication, go online to improve mood, and have online relationships with people unknown online ultimately experience a relative increase in their depressive symptoms and loneliness over time.
Correlations between primary variables are presented in Table 1 below. Correlations suggested positive associations between socializing online with the intent to improve mood and depressive symptoms and loneliness.
Regression equations examined interactions between baseline symptoms of depressive symptoms and loneliness, and the different online behaviors as predictors of future symptoms. Analyses controlled for participant gender and family household income.
Analyses did not reveal any significant interactions with social anxiety as a predictor. Significant interactions were found with depressive symptoms and loneliness and different online behaviors, as shown in Figures 1-3.
Hypothesis
Figure 4. Interaction between loneliness and online relationships suggesting relative changes in loneliness over time. Individuals with high levels of loneliness who had a romantic relationship with someone met online showed a relative decrease in loneliness over time as compared to individuals with high levels of loneliness who did not have a romantic relationship with someone met online.
Adolescents with higher levels of higher levels of depressive symptoms and higher levels of loneliness who seek out strangers online will report lower levels of symptoms over time.
Adolescents with depressive symptoms who have a preference for online communication will show decreased symptoms over time.
Adolescents with depressive symptoms who socialize online to improve their mood will show decreased symptoms over time.
Adolescents who are lonely and talk to someone known only online will show a decrease in loneliness over time.
Adolescents who are lonely and have a romantic relationship with someone met online will show a decrease in loneliness over time.
Table 1. Univariate statistics and intercorrelations between primary constructs
Figure 4
Discussion
Method
Adolescents and young adults with depression and loneliness may experience an increase in their symptoms when they have a preference for online communication, rely on online resources to improve mood, and talk with people they don’t know online
Although there was a small number of youth who formed a romantic relationship with someone met online, these results suggested that lonely adolescents and young adults who have a romantic relationship with someone met online may experience a decrease in loneliness over time s
Participants
Full sample from larger study: N = 184
Gender Race/ethnicity Income
86 males Caucasian Median = $40,000 - $59,000
98 females African American
24 Mixed/Other