Social Media as It Interfaces with Psychosocial Development and Mental Illness in Transitional Age Youth
Abstract
For transitional age individuals, social media (SM) is an integral component of connecting with others. There are 2 billion SM users worldwide. SM users may experience an increase in perceived social support and life satisfaction. Use of SM may facilitate forming connections among people with potentially stigmatizing mental disorders. However, epidemiologic studies suggest that increased SM use is associated with conditions such as depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbance. Future research should examine directionality of these associations and the role of contextual factors. It also will be useful to leverage SM to provide mental health care and surveillance of mental health concerns.
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Primack and EscobarViera (2017) found that the number of social media accounts correlated with the level of anxiety, due to overwhelming demand.
“Primack and EscobarViera (2017) found that the number of social media accounts correlated with the level of anxiety, due to overwhelming demand.”
From A systematic review: the influence of social media on depression, anxiety and psychological distress in adolescents (2020) · cites this paper as Primack and EscobarViera (2017)
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- Authors
- Primack, B. A., & Escobar-Viera, C. G.
- Affiliations
- University of Pittsburgh (US)
- Corresponding author
- Primack, Brian A.
- Venue
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2017-04
- Volume
- 26
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 217-233
- ISSN
- 1056-4993 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2596619856
- Cited by
- 71
- References
- 29
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 4
- FWCI
- 1.63
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health via Writing
- Social Sciences › Education › Child Development and Digital Technology
- Keywords
- social media use, transitional age youth, psychosocial development, mental illness, depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, social support, life satisfaction, stigma, mental health surveillance, digital mental health
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Mental Disorders, Humans, Human Development, Young Adult, Social Media
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