Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Jun 11, 2020
Date Accepted: Aug 4, 2021
The roles of psychosocial factors on the association between online social networking use intensity and depressive symptoms among adolescents: a prospective cohort study
ABSTRACT
Background:
The potential mechanisms underlying the association between online social networking use (OSNU) intensity and depressive symptoms are unclear and under-researched.
Objective:
This study aims to investigate the potential roles of interpersonal psychosocial factors on the association between OSNU intensity and depressive symptoms among early adolescents.
Methods:
A total of 4,237 adolescents from a 9-month longitudinal study were included. Score changes (indicated as △) for the social function use intensity (SFUI) and entertainment function use intensity (EFUI) subscales of the Online Social Networking Activity Intensity Scale as well as for friendship quality, perceived family/friend support, parent-adolescent conflict, social non-confidence, and depressive symptoms (assessed by the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression [CES-D]) Scale were analyzed. The potential mediation effects of unfavourable psychosocial factors and suppression effects of favourable psychosocial factors on the association between △SFUI/△EFUI and △CES-D were tested by hierarchical regression models.
Results:
The association between △SFUI and △CES-D was partially mediated by △mother-adolescent conflict (mediation effect size=5.11%, P=0.02) and △social non-confidence (mediation effect size=20.97%, P<0.001) but partially suppressed by △friendship quality, △perceived family support, and △perceived friend support, with suppression effects of –0.011 (P=0.003), –0.009 (P=0.003), and –0.022 (P<0.001), respectively. The association between △EFUI and △CES-D was partially mediated by △social non-confidence (mediation effect size=30.65%, P<0.001) but partially suppressed by △perceived family support and △perceived friend support, with suppression effects of –0.036 (P<0.001) and –0.039 (P<0.001), respectively.
Conclusions:
The association between OSNU intensity and depressive symptoms was partially mediated through its indirect increase in social non-confidence and mother-adolescent conflict. However, better perceived social support and friendship quality would partially compensate for the harmful impact of OSNU intensity on depressive symptoms among early adolescents. Clinical Trial: Not applicable
Citation
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