Green, Ghiselle;
(2021)
Exploring a preliminary model of the impact of social networking sites on young people’s mental health during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Doctoral thesis (D.Clin.Psy), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
Aims: The relationship between social media and young people’s mental health remains unclear, with existing research criticised for lacking a theoretical framework. This study sought to test a preliminary model of the impact of using social networking sites (SNS) on young people’s mental health in the context of Covid-19. The model hypothesised that patterns of use that connect users would be associated with better mental health and patterns that disconnect users would be associated with poor mental health. Methods: 162 secondary school aged students between 11-17 years were recruited from two schools. Participants were invited to complete an online self-report battery of questionnaires that assessed their patterns of use on SNS and symptoms of depression, generalised anxiety and social anxiety. Results: Supporting disconnecting patterns of use, greater use of SNS use was directly and indirectly (via engagement in upward social comparisons) related to higher symptoms of depression, social anxiety, and generalised anxiety disorder. Findings offered partial support for connecting patterns of use, with higher use associated with less bridging social capital, which in turn was associated with greater symptoms of depression. Conclusions: This study is one of the first in this field to test a theory-driven model of using SNS among young people, focusing on patterns of use associated with mental health outcomes. The results address gaps in understanding and shed light on new directions for understanding mental health in the context of using SNS. Findings highlight a need for further experimental and longitudinal research to further examine underlying mechanisms and draw conclusions about causality.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | D.Clin.Psy |
| Title: | Exploring a preliminary model of the impact of social networking sites on young people’s mental health during the Covid-19 pandemic |
| Event: | University College London |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2021. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences |
| URI: | https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10134670 |
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