Thomson, Jennifer; (2023) Investigating the sustained effects of a values-based micro-intervention for social media use in emerging adults. Doctoral thesis (D.Clin.Psy), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

Aims: Research shows that how we use social media (SM) has more of an impact on our wellbeing than how much we use it. In this study, we drew on theories of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and evidence that values-consistent behaviour (VCB) is associated with positive wellbeing to develop an online values-based micro-intervention to promote VCB in the online world for emerging adults. It was hypothesised that an increase in online VCB would result in a more positive evaluation of social media use (SMU), an increase in social connectedness and an increase in general wellbeing at follow-up. It was also hypothesised that higher levels of baseline psychological flexibility would be associated with improvements at follow-up in the intervention group. Method: A randomised controlled trial design was used to evaluate the impact of the intervention. Participants (n = 135) were randomly allocated to the intervention (n = 74) or control (n = 61) condition, and either completed a values-based or matched control intervention, followed by five minutes of SMU. The sustained effects of the intervention were analysed from baseline to follow-up (from one week post intervention) in relation to self-reported measures of online VCB, positive evaluation of SMU, general wellbeing and social connectedness. Results: Analyses showed that participants in the intervention group did not report a significant increase in online VCB, positive evaluation of SMU, social connectedness and general wellbeing, compared to the control group at follow-up. Both groups reported an increase in social connectedness at follow-up (relative to baseline) with a small effect size (η2=0.008). Additionally, higher baseline psychological flexibility was negatively correlated with improvements in online VCB in the intervention group (p = .022). Conclusion: The current values-based micro-intervention did not create a sustained increase in online VCB, or the associated outcomes of positive evaluation of SMU, social connectedness and general wellbeing. These findings suggest that the intervention was either not sufficient in facilitating the values and committed action processes of ACT, or that these processes alone were not sufficient to equip participants with the skills to make sustained behaviour changes on SM. Therefore, future interventions should strengthen the values and committed action processes, for example by using more interactive components, and should incorporate the facilitation of the mindfulness processes of ACT. Future studies must also consider the baseline psychological flexibility of the sample, as this could lead to a ceiling effect. Additionally, further studies may wish to explore the impact of values clarification on social connectedness that was found in this study.

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