Date of Submission

Fall 2020

Academic Program

Psychology

Project Advisor 1

Frank Scalzo

Abstract/Artist's Statement

Abstract

There are about 3.8 billion social media users around the world (How Many People…, 2020). How does social media use affect the mental health of its users? Excessive social media use has the potential to increase vulnerability to the development of psychological disorders, specifically increasing psychological distress, decreasing self-esteem, and increasing depressive symptoms. With social media use on the rise among people of all ages, it is important to understand the potential adverse effects so that usage guidelines and interventions can be developed. This is a proposed study to determine what the effects of using Instagram, Facebook, or no social media for a week will have on mental health. Specifically, this proposed study will examine the effects of using Instagram, Facebook, or no social media for a week on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale, and the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale. These scales measure depressive symptoms, self-esteem, and psychological distress. Taken together, results from this proposed study will contribute to understanding the potential deleterious effects of social media use and provide information to help shape the development of social media usage standards and interventions for individuals adversely affected by social media usage.

Open Access Agreement

Open Access

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

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