The DOI matches its Crossref record; 55 of the 55 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 23 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.
Problematic social media use and depressive symptoms among U.S. young adults: A nationally-representative study
Open accessAbstract
Rationale Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide. The suggested association between social media use (SMU) and depression may be explained by the emerging maladaptive use pattern known as problematic social media use (PSMU), characterized by addictive components.Objective We aimed to assess the association between PSMU and depressive symptoms-controlling for overall time and frequency of SMU-among a large sample of U.S. young adults.Methods In October 2014, participants aged 19-32 (N = 1749) were randomly selected from a nationally-representative U.S. probability-based panel and subsequently invited to participate in an online survey. We assessed depressive symptoms using the validated Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) brief depression scale. We measured PSMU using an adapted version of the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale to encompass broader SMU. Using logistic regression models, we tested the association between PSMU and depressive symptoms, controlling for time and frequency of SMU as well as a comprehensive set of socio-demographic covariates.Results In the multivariable model, PSMU was significantly associated with a 9% increase in odds of depressive symptoms (AOR [adjusted odds ratio] = 1.09; 95% CI [confidence interval]: 1.05, 1.13; p < 0.001.) Increased frequency of SMU was also significantly associated with increased depressive symptoms, whereas SMU time was not (AOR = 1.01; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.01; p = 0.001 and AOR = 1.00; 95% CI: 0.999-1.001; p = 0.43, respectively).Conclusion PSMU was strongly and independently associated with increased depressive symptoms in this nationally-representative sample of young adults. PSMU largely explained the association between SMU and depressive symptom, suggesting that it may be how we use social media, not how much, that poses a risk. Intervention efforts aimed at reducing depressive symptoms, such as screenings for maladaptive SMU, may be most successful if they address addictive components and frequency-rather than time-of SMU.
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A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Among covariates, SMU frequency was significantly associated with marginal increases in odds of depressive symptoms in both bi- and multivariable models (OR = 1.01; 95% CI = 1.01, 1.01; p < .001 and AOR = 1.01; 95% CI = 1.00, 1.01; p = .001, respectively)”
§ Problematic Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Young Adults: A Nationally-Representative Study > Results > Bivariable and Mutivariable Models
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:correlational· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesA result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“In the multivariable model, PSMU was significantly associated with a 9% increase in odds of depressive symptoms (AOR [adjusted odds ratio] = 1.09; 95% CI [confidence interval]: 1.05, 1.13; p < .001.)”
- Also stated in: § Bivariable and Mutivariable Models · plain
“PSMU was significantly associated with an 11% increase in odds of depressive symptoms in bivariable and a 9% increase in odds of depressive symptoms in multivariable models (OR = 1.11; 95% CI = 1.08, 1.15; p < .001 and AOR = 1.09; 95% CI = 1.05, 1.13; p < .001, respectively).”
- Also stated in: § Conclusion · boosted
“PSMU was strongly and independently associated with increased depressive symptoms in this nationally-representative sample of young adults.”
§ Problematic Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Young Adults: A Nationally-Representative Study > Abstract > Results
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes- Also stated in: § Bivariable and Mutivariable Models · plain
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Increased frequency of SMU was also significantly associated with increased depressive symptoms, whereas SMU time was not (AOR = 1.01; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.01; p = .001 and AOR = 1.00; 95% CI: 0.999–1.001; p = .43, respectively).”
- Also stated in: § Bivariable and Mutivariable Models · plain
“whereas SMU time was only significantly associated with increased depressive symptoms in the bivariable model (see Table 3).”
§ Problematic Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Young Adults: A Nationally-Representative Study > Abstract > Results
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes- Also stated in: § Bivariable and Mutivariable Models · plain
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“whereas SMU time was only significantly associated with increased depressive symptoms in the bivariable model (see Table 3).”
§ Problematic Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Young Adults: A Nationally-Representative Study > Results > Bivariable and Mutivariable Models
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:correlational· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesA result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“PSMU was significantly associated with an 11% increase in odds of depressive symptoms in bivariable and a 9% increase in odds of depressive symptoms in multivariable models (OR = 1.11; 95% CI = 1.08, 1.15; p < .001 and AOR = 1.09; 95% CI = 1.05, 1.13; p < .001, respectively).”
§ Problematic Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Young Adults: A Nationally-Representative Study > Results > Bivariable and Mutivariable Models
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesA result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Increased frequency of SMU was also significantly associated with increased depressive symptoms, whereas SMU time was not (AOR = 1.01; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.01; p = .001 and AOR = 1.00; 95% CI: 0.999–1.001; p = .43, respectively).”
- Also stated in: § Bivariable and Mutivariable Models · plain
“Among covariates, SMU frequency was significantly associated with marginal increases in odds of depressive symptoms in both bi- and multivariable models (OR = 1.01; 95% CI = 1.01, 1.01; p < .001 and AOR = 1.01; 95% CI = 1.00, 1.01; p = .001, respectively)”
§ Problematic Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Young Adults: A Nationally-Representative Study > Abstract > Results
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A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“This study of a nationally-representative sample of young adults found that problematic social media use (PSMU) was significantly associated with depressive symptoms.”
- Also stated in: § Conclusion · plain
“Among this large sample of young adults, we found significant positive associations between PSMU and depressive symptoms.”
- Also stated in: § Discussion · boosted
“PSMU was independently and strongly associated with increased depressive symptoms.”
§ Problematic Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Young Adults: A Nationally-Representative Study > Discussion
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes- Also stated in: § Conclusion · plain
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“However, our results also extend these findings by suggesting that PSMU is independently associated with depressive symptoms regardless of overall time spent on social media”
§ Problematic Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Young Adults: A Nationally-Representative Study > Discussion
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesA result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“This association remained significant after including two measures of overall social media use (SMU) and a comprehensive set of socio-demographic variables to the model.”
§ Problematic Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Young Adults: A Nationally-Representative Study > Discussion
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesWhat the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“There were no significant differences between individuals with complete vs. incomplete data in terms of socio-demographic or SMU characteristics, PSMU, or depressive symptoms (p values ranging from 0.16 to 0.93).”
§ Problematic Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Young Adults: A Nationally-Representative Study > Results > Participants
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedn = 1,749Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesNone of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“However, given evidence of the growing trends of both social media use (Greenwood et al., 2016) and depression (Hidaka, 2012), it is likely that our findings are conservative estimates of current states.”
§ Problematic Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Young Adults: A Nationally-Representative Study > Discussion > Limitations
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Greenwood et al., 2016
- Not checked yetcites Hidaka, 2012 source
Strength:hedged· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesA conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“This finding suggests that it may not be how much, but rather how, we use social media that is associated with depressive symptoms.”
§ Problematic Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Young Adults: A Nationally-Representative Study > Discussion > Conclusion
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In the paper
“After confirming our models met the proportional odds assumption, we conducted ordinal logistic regression based on the three-level ordered categorical nature of our dependent variable.”
§ Problematic Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Young Adults: A Nationally-Representative Study > Results > Bivariable and Mutivariable Models
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesWhat the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“There was no evidence of multicollinearity among covariates and PSMU with variance inflation factors (VIFs) ranging from 1.26–1.29.”
§ Problematic Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Young Adults: A Nationally-Representative Study > Results > Regression Diagnostics
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesA conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“It should also be noted that, because our sample included only adults aged 19–32, these findings may not generalize to other populations.”
§ Problematic Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Young Adults: A Nationally-Representative Study > Discussion > Limitations
Strength:hedged· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesWhat the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Internal consistency of the four depressive symptom items was high (α = 0.93).”
§ Problematic Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Young Adults: A Nationally-Representative Study > Results > Depressive Symptoms
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesA conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“To our knowledge, ours is the first study to examine the association between PSMU and depressive symptoms among a nationally-representative sample of U.S. young adults while controlling for overall time and frequency of SMU.”
§ Problematic Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Young Adults: A Nationally-Representative Study > Discussion > Conclusion
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesA conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“First, these results indicate that for individuals who consume the most social media, even if it is associated with depressive symptoms, this is likely due to an alternative mechanism, such as a problematic or addictive component, and not simply substantial amounts of time on social media.”
§ Problematic Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Young Adults: A Nationally-Representative Study > Discussion
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In the paper
“There is strong evidence of construct validity for the PROMIS depression scale, which has been validated against the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) (Choi et al., 2014; Pilkonis et al., 2014).”
§ Problematic Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Young Adults: A Nationally-Representative Study > Methods > Measures
What the sources say
Load-bearingStrength:boosted· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesNone of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“To our knowledge, no study has assessed whether there is an association between PSMU and depressive symptoms among a nationally representative sample of U.S. young adults, while controlling for overall SMU.”
§ Problematic Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Young Adults: A Nationally-Representative Study > Abstract > Conclusion
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Andreassen et al., 2016a
- Not checked yetcites Hanprathet et al., 2015
- Not checked yetcites Koc and Gulyagci, 2013 source
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesA conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“and that frequency of SMU may be an additional behavioral risk factor to examine in a more fine-grained manner.”
§ Problematic Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Young Adults: A Nationally-Representative Study > Discussion
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesA conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Because the association between SMU frequency and depressive symptoms remained strong in the multivariable model that included PSMU, it is likely that SMU frequency is capturing a different and perhaps complimentary behavioral component of problematic social media use.”
- Also stated in: § Conclusion · hedged
“Furthermore, SMU frequency may be capturing a different and perhaps complimentary behavioral component of PSMU.”
§ Problematic Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Young Adults: A Nationally-Representative Study > Discussion
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes- Also stated in: § Conclusion · hedged
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“A major limitation is that the cross-sectional nature of these data limits our ability to establish directionality.”
§ Problematic Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Young Adults: A Nationally-Representative Study > Discussion > Limitations
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesNone of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“This provides important insight into previously demonstrated associations between overall SMU and depression that did not include a measure of PSMU (McDougall et al., 2016; Pantic et al., 2012).”
§ Problematic Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Young Adults: A Nationally-Representative Study > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites McDougall et al., 2016 source
- Not checked yetcites Pantic et al., 2012
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes
- It may state two separate claims as one. 13
- Probably not a substantial claim. 10
- The quote only partly states this claim. 2
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Moreover, the association between one measure of SMU—frequency—remained significantly associated with depressive symptom in the multivariable model, whereas the other (time) did not.”
- Also stated in: § Discussion · plain
“This study found a significant association between frequency of SMU—but not overall time of SMU—and depressive symptoms in the multivariable model.”
- Also stated in: § Conclusion · plain
“Moreover, SMU frequency but not SMU time remained significantly and independently associated with depressive symptoms in our multivariable model.”
§ Problematic Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Young Adults: A Nationally-Representative Study > Discussion
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- Also stated in: § Discussion · plain
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In the paper
“A total of 1796 individuals completed the follow-up survey (59% response rate).”
§ Problematic Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Young Adults: A Nationally-Representative Study > Methods > Participants and Procedures
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedn = 1,796Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one. The quote only partly states this claim.
In the paper
“This process generated a sampling frame that covers approximately 97% of U.S. households, and a panel consisting of approximately 55,000 members ages 18 and older maintained by Growth from Knowledge (GfK) (GfK KnowledgePanel®, 2013).”
§ Problematic Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Young Adults: A Nationally-Representative Study > Methods > Participants and Procedures
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites GfK KnowledgePanel®, 2013
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“PSMU largely explained the association between SMU and depressive symptom, suggesting that it may be how we use social media, not how much, that poses a risk.”
§ Problematic Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Young Adults: A Nationally-Representative Study > Abstract > Conclusion
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
- Rests on an assumption: The observed association between PSMU and depressive symptoms reflects PSMU influencing depressive symptoms rather than depressive symptoms influencing PSMU.
- Rests on an assumption: The set of covariates included in the multivariable model adequately controls for confounding of the PSMU-depressive symptoms association.
In the paper
“We applied study-specific survey weights to our models. These weights were provided from GfK and computed to adjust for non-response, non-coverage, under-, or over-sampling resulting from the sampling design and based upon rigorously tested procedures (Dennis, 2010).”
§ Problematic Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Young Adults: A Nationally-Representative Study > Methods > Data Analysis
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Dennis, 2010
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim.
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In the paper
“Because only 47 out of 1796 individuals (< 3%) were missing data, this is unlikely to have changed results. Therefore, we addressed missing data using casewise deletion rather than imputation.”
§ Problematic Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Young Adults: A Nationally-Representative Study > Methods > Data Analysis
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In the paper
“Also, these data were self-reported and not externally validated.”
§ Problematic Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Young Adults: A Nationally-Representative Study > Discussion > Limitations
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None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Our findings are consistent with others who have found positive associations between PSMU and depression (Hanprathet et al., 2015; Koc and Gulyagci, 2013) and are contrary to one who recently did not (Andreassen et al., 2016a).”
§ Problematic Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Young Adults: A Nationally-Representative Study > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Hanprathet et al., 2015
- Not checked yetcites Koc and Gulyagci, 2013 source
- Not checked yetcites Andreassen et al., 2016a
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:correlational· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Nonetheless, we attempted to increase the validity of our measures by assessing SMU in multiple ways (i.e., both time and frequency).”
§ Problematic Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Young Adults: A Nationally-Representative Study > Discussion > Limitations
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“An additional limitation of this study is that the original scales of several key variables, including SMU frequency and depressive symptoms, required data recoding for analysis either due to lack of standardization across scale items or violation of analytic model assumptions.”
§ Problematic Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Young Adults: A Nationally-Representative Study > Discussion > Limitations
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
In the paper
“Because these cut-points were established using the 8-item form, not the 4-item short form used in this study, we use these interpretations with caution and apply the more conservative label of “moderate” to encompass both moderate and severe scores.”
§ Problematic Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Young Adults: A Nationally-Representative Study > Results > Depressive Symptoms
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites American Psychiatric Association, 2013
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In the paper
“However, because responses were anonymous and all participants were informed that the study received a Certification of Confidentiality from the National Institutes of Health, it would be unlikely for participants to be untruthful.”
§ Problematic Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Young Adults: A Nationally-Representative Study > Discussion > Limitations
Strength:hedged· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
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In the paper
“Finally, a limitation of survey research is the lag between data collection and dissemination of results.”
§ Problematic Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Young Adults: A Nationally-Representative Study > Discussion > Limitations
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✗ Based: failsProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. The paper may give no reason why it holds.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“For example, self-reported SMU can under- or overestimate actual use.”
§ Problematic Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Young Adults: A Nationally-Representative Study > Discussion > Limitations
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✗ Based: failsProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. The paper may give no reason why it holds.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“PCA revealed a 1-factor solution, with an eigenvalue = 3.90 explaining 65% of the variance. Factor loadings ranged from 0.76 to 0.84 (Table 1). Internal consistency was high, with Cronbach’s α = 0.89.”
§ Problematic Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Young Adults: A Nationally-Representative Study > Results > Problematic Social Media Use (PSMU)
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None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Other research has extended this by suggesting that use of social media is associated with depressive symptoms and a decline in well-being among both adolescents (Pantic et al., 2012) and adults (Kross et al., 2013; Lin et al., 2016; McDougall et al., 2016; Shensa et al., 2016).”
§ Problematic Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Young Adults: A Nationally-Representative Study > Abstract > Conclusion
What the sources say
Strength:hedged· not yet calibratedCausal:correlational· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Prior studies were conducted using small convenience samples, assessing the use of a single platform, such as Facebook, or focusing on older populations (Andreassen et al., 2016a; Hanprathet et al., 2015; Koc and Gulyagci, 2013).”
§ Problematic Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Young Adults: A Nationally-Representative Study > Abstract > Conclusion
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Andreassen et al., 2016a
- Not checked yetcites Hanprathet et al., 2015
- Not checked yetcites Koc and Gulyagci, 2013 source
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Similarly, participants self-reported depressive symptoms, and some individuals underreport stigmatizing conditions such as this.”
§ Problematic Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Young Adults: A Nationally-Representative Study > Discussion > Limitations
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✗ Based: failsProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. The paper may give no reason why it holds. It may state two separate claims as one.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Visual inspection of our residual plots and the result from the Shapiro-Wilk test indicated significant and substantial departure from normality among the residuals of the dependent variable (p < .001). Additionally, scatter plots and White’s test for homogeneity of variance demonstrated significant departures from homogeneity of variance (p < .001).”
§ Problematic Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Young Adults: A Nationally-Representative Study > Results > Regression Diagnostics
Load-bearingStrength:boosted· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one. The quote only partly states this claim.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Media multitasking has been associated with negative health outcomes in the past (Becker et al., 2013; Rosen et al., 2013).”
§ Problematic Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Young Adults: A Nationally-Representative Study > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Becker et al., 2013 source
- Not checked yetcites Rosen et al., 2013
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:correlational· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
The paper relies on this without support.
Participants' self-reported estimates of time spent on social media and frequency of social media use are accurate.
“We first asked participants to estimate total time per day spent on social media for personal use; the item explicitly instructed participants not to include work-related use in their estimates.”
“Then, a set of items prompted participants to indicate how frequently they visited each of the following eleven social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, Vine, Snapchat, and Reddit.”
The paper relies on this without support.
The observed association between PSMU and depressive symptoms reflects PSMU influencing depressive symptoms rather than depressive symptoms influencing PSMU.
“PSMU largely explained the association between SMU and depressive symptom, suggesting that it may be how we use social media, not how much, that poses a risk.”
The paper relies on this without support.
The set of covariates included in the multivariable model adequately controls for confounding of the PSMU-depressive symptoms association.
“controlling for time and frequency of SMU as well as a comprehensive set of socio-demographic covariates.”
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
The source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“It has been shown that addiction to Facebook is positively associated with depression, anxiety, and insomnia (Bányai et al., 2017; Koc & Gulyagci, 2013; Shensa et al., 2017; Van Rooij, Ferguson, Van de Mheen, & Schoenmakers, 2017) and negatively associated with subjective well-being, subjective vigor, and life satisfaction (Błachnio, Przepiorka, & Pantic, 2016; Hawi & Samaha, 2017; Uysal, Satici,”
From Social media addiction: Its impact, mediation, and intervention (2019) · cites this paper as Shensa et al., 2017
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“Hence, previously found negative associations between SMU intensity and mental health were potentially confounded by unobserved SMU problems.”
From Social media use intensity, social media use problems, and mental health among adolescents: Investigating directionality and mediating processes (2021) · cites this paper as Shensa et al., 2017
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredIn the citing paper
“while two studies had a mainly adult sample (37, 42).”
From Problematic social networking site use and comorbid psychiatric disorders: a systematic review of recent large-scale studies (2018) · cites this paper as [42]
In the citing paper
“Only two studies used a nationally representative population [i.e., (13, 42)].”
From Problematic social networking site use and comorbid psychiatric disorders: a systematic review of recent large-scale studies (2018) · cites this paper as [42]
In the citing paper
“A significant and positive association between PSNSU and depression was reported in six studies [i.e., (37, 39, 41–43, 45)]. One study [i.e., (47)] reported an indirect positive association between PSNSU and depression.”
From Problematic social networking site use and comorbid psychiatric disorders: a systematic review of recent large-scale studies (2018) · cites this paper as [42]
In the citing paper
“Given that adolescents are using SNSs at a high rate worldwide, as a specific group they are more likely to experience co-morbid psychiatric symptoms (42).”
From Problematic social networking site use and comorbid psychiatric disorders: a systematic review of recent large-scale studies (2018) · cites this paper as [42]
In the citing paper
“only two studies collected data from representative populations [i.e., (13, 42)]”
From Problematic social networking site use and comorbid psychiatric disorders: a systematic review of recent large-scale studies (2018) · cites this paper as [42]
In the citing paper
“It is important to note that Shensa et al. (42) found that social media use frequency (but not social media time) was significantly and independently associated with depressive symptoms.”
From Problematic social networking site use and comorbid psychiatric disorders: a systematic review of recent large-scale studies (2018) · cites this paper as [42]
In the citing paper
“Given that adolescents are using SNSs at a high rate worldwide, as a specific group they are more likely to experience co-morbid psychiatric symptoms (42).”
From Problematic social networking site use and comorbid psychiatric disorders: a systematic review of recent large-scale studies (2018) · cites this paper as [42]
In the citing paper
“Shensa et al. (2017) which indicated that PSMU is strongly associated with increased depressive symptoms.”
From Problematic online behaviors among adolescents and emerging adults: associations between cyberbullying perpetration, problematic social media use, and psychosocial factors (2019) · cites this paper as Shensa et al. 2017
Citations
Cites
Selective Cortical Undercutting As a Means of Modifying and Studying Frontal Lobe Function in Man
Scoville, W. B. (1949) · Journal of neurosurgery · doi:10.3171/jns.1949.6.1.0065 · Cited by 7,374
Cella, D., Riley, W., Stone, A., Rothrock, N., Reeve, B., Yount, S., Amtmann, D., Bode, R., Buysse, D., Choi, S., et al. (2010) · Journal of Clinical Epidemiology · doi:10.1016/j.jclinepi.2010.04.011 · Cited by 5,128
Motivational, emotional, and behavioral correlates of fear of missing out
Przybylski, A. K., Murayama, K., DeHaan, C. R., & Gladwell, V. (2013) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2013.02.014 · Cited by 3,932
Pilkonis, P. A., Choi, S. W., Reise, S. P., Stover, A. M., Riley, W. T., Cella, D., & PROMIS Cooperative Group (2011) · Assessment · doi:10.1177/1073191111411667 · Cited by 2,132
Andreassen, C. S., Billieux, J., Griffiths, M. D., Kuss, D. J., Demetrovics, Z., Mazzoni, E., & Pallesen, S. (2016) · Psychology of Addictive Behaviors · doi:10.1037/adb0000160 · Cited by 2,095 · cited 3×
“In contrast, a recent large-scale Norwegian study of adults found that PSMU was associated with decreases in depressive symptoms, which may be attributable to social withdrawal often associated with depression (Andreassen et al., 2016a).”
BackgroundResultOnline Social Networking and Addiction—A Review of the Psychological Literature
Kuss, D. J., & Griffiths, M. D. (2011) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph8093528 · Cited by 2,038 · cited 1×
“Furthermore, researchers have since addressed addictive characteristics of SMUmore broadly, assessing addictive or problematic use of multiple social networking sites or across social media in general (Andreassen, 2015; Kuss and Griffiths, 2011; Meena et al., 2012).”
BackgroundDevelopment of a Facebook Addiction Scale
Andreassen, C. S., Torsheim, T., Brunborg, G. S., & Pallesen, S. (2012) · Psychological Reports · doi:10.2466/02.09.18.pr0.110.2.501-517 · Cited by 1,884
The Economic Burden of Adults With Major Depressive Disorder in the United States (2005 and 2010)
Greenberg, P. E., Fournier, A.-A., Sisitsky, T., Pike, C. T., & Kessler, R. C. (2015) · The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry · doi:10.4088/jcp.14m09298 · Cited by 1,779
Facebook Use Predicts Declines in Subjective Well-Being in Young Adults
Kross, E., Verduyn, P., Demiralp, E., Park, J., Lee, D. S., Lin, N., Shablack, H., Jonides, J., & Ybarra, O. (2013) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0069841 · Cited by 1,596
Andreassen, C. S., Pallesen, S., & Griffiths, M. D. (2017) · Addictive Behaviors · doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2016.03.006 · Cited by 1,504
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Weinberger, A. H., Gbedemah, M., Martinez, A. M., Nash, D., Galea, S., & Goodwin, R. D. (2018) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0033291717002781 · Cited by 716
Social media addiction: Its impact, mediation, and intervention
Hou, Y., Xiong, D., Jiang, T., Song, L., & Wang, Q. (2019) · Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace · doi:10.5817/cp2019-1-4 · Cited by 815
“…been shown that addiction to Facebook is positively associated with depression, anxiety, and insomnia (Bányai et al., 2017; Koc & Gulyagci, 2013; Shensa et al., 2017; van Rooij, Ferguson, van de Mheen, & Schoenmakers, 2017) and negatively associated with subjective well-being, subjective vigor,…”
BackgroundSocial media use, social anxiety, and loneliness: A systematic review
O’Day, E. B., & Heimberg, R. G. (2021) · Computers in Human Behavior Reports · doi:10.1016/j.chbr.2021.100070 · Cited by 560
Recent increases in depressive symptoms among US adolescents: trends from 1991 to 2018
Keyes, K. M., Gary, D., O’Malley, P. M., Hamilton, A., & Schulenberg, J. (2019) · Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology · doi:10.1007/s00127-019-01697-8 · Cited by 465
Adolescents’ Intense and Problematic Social Media Use and Their Well-Being in 29 Countries
Boer, M., van den Eijnden, R. J. J. M., Boniel-Nissim, M., Wong, S.-L., Inchley, J. C., Badura, P., Craig, W. M., Gobina, I., Kleszczewska, D., Klanšček, H. J., et al. (2020) · Journal of Adolescent Health · doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.02.014 · Cited by 434
Metadata
- Authors
- Shensa, A., Escobar-Viera, C. G., Sidani, J. E., Bowman, N. D., Marshal, M. P., & Primack, B. A.
- Affiliations
- University of Pittsburgh (US)
- West Virginia University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Shensa, Ariel
- ORCID
- Venue
- Social Science & Medicine
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2017-06
- Volume
- 182
- Pages
- 150-157
- ISSN
- 0277-9536 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC5476225
- OpenAlex
- W2605927993
- Cited by
- 469
- References
- 54
- Citations by year
- 2026: 51 · 2025: 55 · 2024: 47 · 2023: 60 · 2022: 64 · 2021: 66 · 2020: 56 · 2019: 39 · 2018: 24 · 2017: 6
- FWCI
- 87.28
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Social Science & Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Cancer Institute (R01CA140150)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health via Writing
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Body Image and Dysmorphia Studies
- Keywords
- social media addiction, depressive symptoms, young adults, Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale, mental health screening
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Depression, Female, Humans, Male, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Psychometrics, Surveys and Questionnaires, Risk Factors, United States, Odds Ratio, Behavior, Addictive, Social Media
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
A language model drew the claims from the paper on 2026-10-04, under version 3 of the claim definition (model deepseek-v4.1-flash, prompt extract-v3).
A second model labelled each claim on 2026-10-04 (model jev-1.13-20260917, definition revision gold-guideline-v0.2).
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
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