WIP 39 - The Relationship between Time Spent on Social Media and Anxiety and Depression in Adolescents

Publication Number: WIP 39.7637

Lauren Rakes, Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Huntington, WV, United States; Abigail M. Naegele, Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Proctorville, OH, United States; Deborah L. Preston, Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Huntington, WV, United States; Jay T. Naegele, Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Proctorville, OH, United States

Background: According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) approximately 5.8 million children aged 3 to 17 years suffered from anxiety and 2.7 million suffered from depression in the United States. Researchers investigated correlations between social media use and these statistics. Previous studies showed adolescents that spent more than 3 hours were at heightened risk for mental health problems. Other studies examined multiple social media platforms and their effects on depression using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ). Some research has been inconclusive in determining whether social media has been harmful or beneficial for individuals, whereas others suggested that social media exposure led to fear, anxiety, and depression.

Objective: The purpose of this retrospective study was to further explore the relationship between time spent on social media, anxiety, and depression in adolescents 12 to 18 years old, providing a more detailed understanding of the effects of social media usage by integrating aspects from previous research, fixed time intervals, and different social media platforms.

Design/Methods: All 12 to 18 year old patients being seen in our adolescent clinic are routinely given 3 questionnaires during their annual visit: PHQ-A to quantify depression, Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) to quantify anxiety, and a social media questionnaire assessing time spent on social media and the platforms used. The PHQ-A and GAD-7 were scored using the same quantified categories of severity: none (0-4), mild (5-9), moderate (10-14), and severe (>14). Data extracted includes age, gender, results of the social media questionnaire, and scores for PHQ-A and GAD-7. All patients outside the designated age group, and those not mentally capable of completing the questionnaires were excluded. This research study was approved by our institutional review board (IRB# 2172669) prior to initiation. Statistics will examine correlations between time spent on social media, anxiety, depression, platforms, and gender.