Social Media Use and Mental Health among Young Adults – Jill Drake

Jill Drake is a third-year student majoring in Communication Studies.  She grew up in Indianapolis, IN.  Jill’s article critique was written in Professor Rosalie Aldrich’s C424, Communication Research Methods, in Fall 2020.  Professor Aldrich requested to use Jill’s presentation as an example in future courses and she comments: “This is a hard assignment critically evaluating a peer-reviewed research article.  She excelled!”  

Article Critique: Social Media Use and Mental Health among Young Adults

While many of us have become accustomed to daily use of social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, YouTube, Instagram and many other platforms, it is important that we understand the impact social media has on us as individuals.  Can these outlets be a replacement for real-world interaction and if used solely for an extended period of time, could they be harmful and cause increased mental health issues?

It’s been thought that social media and the time we spend using it is affecting our mental health, and this concept is what this study examines.  In fact, many studies have been done previously showing no correlation between social media usage and a decline in mental health, but this study takes a bit of a different look at the issue.

The article we will be critiquing is Social media use and mental health among young adults.  This article was written by Chloe Berryman, Christopher J. Ferguson, and Charles Negy and published in 2017 in The Psychiatric quarterly.  This article critique will include an overview, a review of the methods, the results and finally we will analyze the study.

Overview

The purpose of this study was to expand on previous research in order to gain knowledge about the impact popular social media outlets have on specific areas of mental health such as social anxiety, decreased empathy, increased loneliness and even suicidal ideation – relating to suicidal ideation this study will focus on the area of vaguebooking.  There are a couple key concepts you should understand as we look at the study more specifically.  The first is vaguebooking which is posting an unclear but alarming message with the intent of getting attention.  The second concept is exposure to social media which is represented not just by the amount of time one spends using social media, but also how it is used and the connection or importance of social media to the individual.

Methods

Let’s look at the methods used in this study.  This quantitative method of study was conducted through a cross-sectional survey using the deductive model.  The survey was given to 471 young adults, averaging 19 years of age who were undergraduate students.  Four of the results were removed due to incomplete responses, therefore the feedback from 467 respondents was used for the study.  The independent variable for the study is the amount of time spent using social media as well as the exposure or connection of the individual to social media.  The dependent variable is the impact on the individual’s mental health.  There was no report of any ethical violations related to this study and informed consent was obtained from all participants.

To begin the survey the respondents were asked to give their age, gender, ethnicity, current GPA and the amount of time spent interacting face-to-face with friends.  Respondents were then also asked to specify how much time they spend during an average day on social media.  Once this demographic information had been collected using the Likert Scale, respondents were asked to answer questions on the following topics vaguebooking, social media importance, mental health symptoms, social support, parent-child relationships, social anxiety, histrionic symptoms, their need to belong, loneliness, empathy, and socially desirable responding.

Each of these areas was surveyed by using a previously established survey.  Each of these surveys was previously established through research study in the specific area.  The reliability score achieved in this study for each survey and the reliability model used – either Cronbach’s alpha or the Kuder-Richardson formula.

An important part of any study is its validity and reliability.  The study shows strong signs of validity using the standards of construct and content validity.  Construct validity is demonstrated by using several external surveys established through outside sources to gain similar results.  Of the measures taken in this study ten of the areas being measured gathered data through external sources.  The use of pre-existing questions from these surveys grant validity to this study through the success of the outside sources as they were used in previous studies.  The second sign of validity comes from content validity.  This study uses several control groups, which are based on the information collected: gender, histrionic personality symptoms and social desirability to make sure the measurements are reported accurately according to the demographics which are being asked the questions.

The reliability of the study appears to be strong using internal consistency measures.  Each of the measures of this study uses either the Cronbach’s Alpha or the Kuder-Richardson formula to establish a reliability scale.  For both methods the results can range from 0 to 1, with scores closer to 1 being considered reliable.  For the Cronbach Alpha score anything higher than .7 is considered reliable.  This study uses a Cronbach Alpha score for nine of the measured areas.  The scores ranged from .69 to .93 and more than half of the scores were greater than .9, which would consider the study to be reliable based on the combined scores.  Two measured areas used the Kuder-Richardson formula to calculate a score.  The first scored a .82 and the other a .69, both of which would allow this study to be considered reliable.

With most of the questions being scored using Cronbach’s Alpha test, the study relies heavily on the split-half reliability method by comparing the scores of a randomly selected group of one-half of the participants with the other half of the population. Also, considering the population of this study is 467 respondents and given the reliability scores assessed by both the Cronbach’s Alpha and the Kuder-Richardson Formula would grant reliability to the study.

Results

We have looked at how the data was collected, now let’s dive into the results.  Overall, the results of the study were that social media variables were poor predictors of negative impact on mental health, but there are a few specific areas we should look at more specifically.

There are a few exceptions to the overall results to point out.  First, vaguebooking is slightly predictive of both an increase in loneliness and suicidal thoughts.  Next, perceived parent/child conflict was predictive of mental health symptoms, including suicidal thoughts and loneliness.  And finally, the need to belong was associated with most negative outcomes but specifically increased social anxiety and loneliness.  The results are generally consistent with previous studies which indicate that how social media is used is more critical than the amount of time spent using social media.

Analysis

Let’s analyze this study by first looking at the strengths.  The study seemed to be well designed and executed by Berryman, Ferguson and Negy. There was extensive thought and research done to determine the appropriate surveys to use in reference to each area of mental health included in the study.  Also, they considered the importance of a large sample for the study to gain reliability.  The study was very thorough, and the results of the data gathered was explained in a very detailed fashion. This is evidenced by surveying in eleven areas of mental health and through the results delivered.  Another strength of this study is that the resources used in conducting the study were previously created and validated, which in-turn brings validity to this study.  The validity and reliability measures were high, and we saw that on the scores using the Cronbach alpha and Kuder-Richardson formulas.

Now, let’s look at the weaknesses.  First, the sample; there was no detailed information in the article as to how the sample was determined or created. The article also leaves you looking for more details on the sampling method used.  Second, Berryman, Ferguson and Negy recognized from the start the results of previous studies and that these studies had not been able to find correlation between social media usage and declined mental health. How was this study conducted differently than the previous studies?  What was unique about this study? Also, if it was conducted in the same manner as previous studies, this information should be explained.  Third, the concept of vaguebooking was determined to be an area of concern and more information about the results of the study in this area should have been shared.  What else was learned about the topic?

Conclusion

What can we learn from this study and why is it important?  Although the results of this study were similar to previous studies, there is heightened awareness in the area of perceived parent-child conflict, the need to belong, and vaguebooking as these areas showed there might be some effect on one’s mental health

Right about now, you might be wondering why studies like this one are so important.  I’d like to introduce you to Jonah Ashcraft. You see, Jonah is my nephew and on January 5th of 2020, Jonah committed suicide.  Jonah was your typical 17-year-old boy who enjoyed life to the fullest and most of the time was surrounded by friends.  Jonah had a histrionic personality which means he often enjoyed being noticed or might behave dramatically to get some attention.  I can only look back and wonder if there were signs.  Did Jonah feel the need to belong?  Did he ever participate in vaguebooking?  Could Jonah have been given more help or direction?  We will never know, but if studies like this one can help us understand mental health and the impact things around us have on our mental health; lives, such as Jonah’s, might be spared.

References

Berryman, C., Ferguson, C. J., & Negy, C. (2018). Social media use and mental health among young adults. Psychiatric Quarterly, 89(2), 307-314. doi:10.1007/ s11126-017-9535-6

Davis, C. S., & Lachlan, K. A. (2017). Straight Talk about Communication Research Methods. Dubuque: Kendall Hunt Publishing Company.