A qualitative exploration of how young women seeking support for mental health issues engage with social media

Maton, Helen Mel

Abstract

Aim: This study examines young women’s accounts of their engagement with social media, with a specific focus on the influence of social media on their mental health. Method: Semi-structured interviews were carried out with fourteen young women who had received professional support for mental health difficulties in relation to their views of social media and mental health.

Findings: Inductive Thematic Analysis suggested the young women perceived the impact of social media to be nuanced: as having both a positive and a negative influence on their mental health. Their observations indicated that wellbeing is not affected by whether one uses social media, but rather by how one uses it, who one connects with and by what content one looks at.

This research indicates that disclosures of mental health difficulties may be more acceptable in some social media environments than in others. It also explores the young women’s presentation of an online “idealised self” and the attendant potential risk of negative comparison with their own offline self. Finally it examines the young women’s propensity to compare themselves with others’ social media profiles and identifies that such behaviour may be greater with acquaintances because users have less contextual information about their comparator.

Conclusions and implications: This study provides a valuable addition to existing research by giving voice to the experiences of these young women and illustrating the complexities of their social media use. It recognises these young women as sophisticated navigators of social media, aware of their behaviours and of their own agency in influencing their online experience. It recommends that professionals bear this in mind when engaging with young people about social media use. Future qualitative research should focus on the nuances of young people’s experiences in order to increase awareness and understanding of the influence social media may have on mental health.

Citation

Maton, H. M. A qualitative exploration of how young women seeking support for mental health issues engage with social media. (Thesis). University of West of England. Retrieved from https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/5629102

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Mar 9, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 18, 2020
• Keywords: Social Media, Mental Health, Young Women
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/5629102
• Award Date: Sep 18, 2020