Abstract
The saturation of social media use in adolescents’ lives has raised questions about both the risks and positive outcomes that may be associated with use. This study filled this gap by examining longitudinal associations among active social media use and depressive symptoms for male and female adolescents and the mediating role of friend support and cybervictimization. These relations were investigated in a sample of 800 13-15-year-old (M = 14.45) adolescents (57% female, 81% White) across four waves of data over two years. The results indicated that higher levels of active social media use led to reduced depressive symptoms for female adolescents, while active social media use predicted more cybervictimization for male adolescents. In contrast, cybervictimization predicted higher levels of active social media use for female adolescents. Friend support predicted more active social media use for male and female adolescents. Overall, findings reveal a complex picture of social media use for both male and female adolescents and further research is needed which examines types of social media use and their associations with both online and offline experiences.
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Acknowledgements
This research was funded by R01 AA021169 awarded to Jennifer A. Livingston by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The authors wish to thank Jennifer Haas, Cynthia Warthling, Ashley Rupp, and Carrie Pengelly for their assistance with data collection. We would also like to thank Weijun Wang and Denise Feda for their assistance with data management.
Authors’ Contributions
S.F. conceived of the study, performed statistical analysis and data interpretation, and drafted the manuscript; A.N. helped to conceive the study, aided in data interpretation, and drafted the manuscript; J.L. participated in the design of the study, helped to conceive the study, aided in data interpretation, and drafted the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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This research was funded by R01 AA021169 awarded to Jennifer A. Livingston by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
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Fredrick, S.S., Nickerson, A.B. & Livingston, J.A. Adolescent Social Media Use: Pitfalls and Promises in Relation to Cybervictimization, Friend Support, and Depressive Symptoms. J Youth Adolescence 51, 361–376 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-021-01561-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-021-01561-6