JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Social media has become a ubiquitous part of daily life during the COVID-19 isolation. However, the role of social media use in depression and suicidal ideation of the general public remains unclear. Related empirical studies were limited and reported inconsistent findings. Little is known about the potential underlying mechanisms that may illustrate the relationship between social media use and depression/suicidal ideation during COVID-19.

Objective:

This study tested the mediation effects of social loneliness and post-traumatic stress on the relationship between social media use and depressive symptoms/suicidal ideation and the moderation effect of age on the mediation models.

Methods:

We administered a population-based random telephone survey in May and June 2020 when infection control measures were being vigorously implemented in Hong Kong. 1070 adults (658 social media users and 412 non-users) completed the survey.

Results:

The weighted prevalence of probable depression was 11.6%. The significant background factors of depressive symptoms/suicidal ideation included age, marital status, education level, household income, mental health before or during COVID-19, quarantine status, social media use status and time spent on social media. Both moderated mediation models of depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation showed acceptable model fit. Increased post-traumatic stress significantly mediated the associations between social media use and depressive symptoms/suicidal ideation in both younger and older age groups. Reduced loneliness significantly mediated the association between social media use and depressive symptoms among older adults but not among younger groups.

Conclusions:

Social media may be a ‘double-edged sword’ for psycho-social well-being during COVID-19 and its roles vary across age groups. The mediators identified in this study can be addressed by psychological interventions to prevent severe mental health problems during and after COVID-19.