This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.

Students who report poorer mental health use social networking websites more frequently

Analysis of a representative sample of middle and high school students indicated students with poor mental health used social networking sites more frequently, highlighting an opportunity for public health and service providers to connect with and provide support to troubled youth.

“Recent reports have indicated that people are increasingly turning to [social networking sites] for health-related information or social support. [Social networking sites] have been identified as a means to handle loneliness and depression, increase self-esteem and social support, and increase general well-being,” Hugues Sampasa-Kanyinga, MD, MSc, of Ottawa Public Health, and colleagues wrote. “Little is known about the association between [social networking site] use and mental health in middle and high school students, or about the association between unmet need for mental health support and use of [social networking sites] in these age groups.”

Researchers assessed data from the 2013 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey for 753 students (mean age, 14.1 years) to determine associations between time spent on social networking sites, poor self-rated mental health, reported psychological distress and suicidal ideation and unmet needs for mental health support. Overall, 25.2% of students reported using social networking sites for more than 2 hours every day, 54.3% reported using social networking sites for 2 hours or less per day and 20.5% reported infrequent or no use of social networking sites.

Students who reported an unmet need for mental health support were more likely to use social networking sites for more than 2 hours per day compared with students who reported no unmet need.

Use of social networking sites for more than 2 hours per day was independently associated with poor self-rating of mental health and high levels of psychological distress and suicidal ideation.

“This study found that students with poor mental health are greater users of [social networking sites]… Frequent use of [social networking sites] should therefore serve as an indicator to anyone in a position to support the child, including family, teachers, healthcare professionals, and friends,” Sampasa-Kanyinga and colleagues wrote. “Given that youth with poor mental health are spending significant time on [social networking sites], public health and other service providers may be able to reach a key vulnerable population if they also engage youth on [social networking sites] with health promotion approaches and supports.” – by Amanda Oldt

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.