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Cited by 76Impact of Technology on AdolescentsChild and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional DevelopmentMental Health via Writing

Adolescents’ depressive symptoms and subsequent technology-based interpersonal behaviors: A multi-wave study

Open access
Nesi, Jacqueline, Miller, Adam B., Prinstein, Mitchell J.·2017·Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology
DOI 10.1016/j.appdev.2017.02.002PMC PMC5619675
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Abstract

This study examined the longitudinal effects of adolescents' depressive symptoms on engagement in technology-based social comparison and feedback seeking (SCFS) behaviors. A total of 816 adolescents (54.7% girls; M age =14.1 at Time 1) participated at three times points, each one year apart. Adolescents reported technology-based SCFS, depressive symptoms, and frequencies of technology use (cell phones, Facebook, and Instagram). Multiple group (by gender) latent growth curve models examined concurrent and lagged effects of depressive symptoms on SCFS, controlling for adolescent's underlying trajectories of SCFS and overall frequencies of technology use. Results indicated that higher levels of depressive symptoms were concurrently associated with greater SCFS after accounting for adolescents' typical patterns of SCFS. For boys only, higher depressive symptoms were prospectively associated with later increases in SCFS. Results highlight the importance of social media as a unique context in which depressed adolescents may be at risk for maladaptive interpersonal behavior.

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  • Another U.S. study found both concurrent and 1-year longitudinal relationships between depressive symptoms and subsequent social media use among boys but not girls.

    “Another U.S. study found both concurrent and 1-year longitudinal relationships between depressive symptoms and subsequent social media use among boys but not girls [9].”

    From Social Media and Mental Health Among Early Adolescents in Sweden: A Longitudinal Study With 2-Year Follow-Up (KUPOL Study). (2021) · cites this paper as [9]

    The Discussion reports a one-year prospective association between depressive symptoms and social comparison and feedback-seeking (SCFS) for boys but not girls. It reports a concurrent association with SCFS for both boys and girls, contrary to the claim’s gender qualification. The Results also say depressive symptoms were not associated with overall frequency of technology use, so the finding should not be described as one about social media use generally. (LLM, conf=0.93)

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  • Whether social media is causally associated with the mental health of youths remains elusive.

    “In essence, whether social media is causally associated with the mental health of youths remains elusive [9,11,12].”

    From Social Media and Mental Health Among Early Adolescents in Sweden: A Longitudinal Study With 2-Year Follow-Up (KUPOL Study). (2021) · cites this paper as [9]

    The “Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms” section says cross-sectional studies cannot establish whether problematic social media behavior contributes to depressive symptoms or follows from them, supporting uncertainty about causal direction. The paper addresses depressive symptoms and specific online behaviors, however, not youths’ mental health or social media use broadly. No page number is available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.84)

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  • More nuanced studies of online activities among adolescents suggest that the type, not the frequency, of social media usage is associated with depressive symptoms.

    “more nuanced studies of online activities among adolescents suggest that it is not the frequency but the type of social media usage that is associated with their depressive symptoms”

    From Annual Research Review: Adolescent mental health in the digital age: facts, fears, and future directions. (2020) · cites this paper as Nesi, Miller, & Prinstein, 2017

  • Studies of depression indicate that increases in symptoms are associated not with the frequency of social media use, but with how and for what purpose it is used.

    “Studies of depression, a strong correlate of loneliness in young people, 17 indicate that increases in symptoms are associated not with the frequency of social media use, but with how and for what purpose it is used. 18”

    From Social media use, online experiences, and loneliness among young adults: A cohort study (2025) · cites this paper as [18]

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Authors
Nesi, J., Miller, A. B., & Prinstein, M. J.
Affiliations
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US)
Corresponding author
Nesi, Jacqueline
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2017-07
Volume
51
Pages
12-19
ISSN
0193-3973 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.appdev.2017.02.002
PMC
PMC5619675
OpenAlex
W2591938221
Cited by
76
References
46
Citations by year
2026: 9 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 1
FWCI
16.11
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Science Foundation
  • National Institute of Mental Health (F32MH108238, R01MH085505)
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01HD055342)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health via Writing
Keywords
adolescent depression, depressive symptoms, social comparison, feedback seeking, social media use, Facebook, Instagram, mobile devices, gender differences, interpersonal behavior, longitudinal effects

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