Abstract
Significance: Rates of youth mental health difficulties have risen drastically in recent years. Transition-aged youth (TAY) ages 18-24 years old represent a vulnerable population at risk for poor mental health outcomes, with depression and anxiety diagnoses increasing faster than any other age group. While the cause for this upsurge is multifaceted, these trends have occurred concurrently with the increasing popularity of social media (SM) platforms. Current evidence presents contradictory findings as to the impact of SM platforms on mental health, revealing a critical gap in knowledge.
Methods: This interpretative phenomenological study aimed to explore the social media perceptions of TAY with a diagnosed mental health disorder in order to gain a better understanding of this phenomenon. Semi-structured interviews were conducted on ten TAY participants. Open coding was conducted prior to a six-step thematic analysis guided by the hermeneutic circle.
Results: Thematic analysis revealed five distinct themes perceived by TAY regarding their social media use, including sharing to find a supportive community; acknowledging negative influences on mental wellness; disengaging through passive use; creating distance to achieve wellness; and internalizing stigma.
Discussion: TAY perceive SM platforms as fostering a sense of community based on shared interests and as a critical source of entertainment. They also consider SM platforms to be harmful to their mental health, increasing stress and anxiety, encouraging them to argue with other users, and inspiring social comparisons. Overall, TAY believe the benefits of SM platforms outweigh the negatives, and report no intention to stop or decrease use.
Conclusion: Findings from this study are beneficial to nurses, identifying risks to physical and mental health and a prevailing stigma that may influence TAY’s decision to seek care. Findings similarly reveal potential societal impacts, revealing a stunting of development within the TAY population. Startlingly, a significant tendency to avoid political discourse on SM platforms reveals potentially devastating societal ramifications.
Notes
References:
Burke, T. A., Nesi, J., Domoff, S. E., Romanowicz, M., & Croarkin, P. E. (2020). Titrating social media use during adolescent inpatient psychiatric hospitalization. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 59(9), 1007-1009. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2020.06.008
Dahl, V., Amnå, E., Banaji, S., Landberg, M., Šerek, J., Ribeiro, N., Beilmann, M., Pavlopoulos, V., & Zani, B. (2018). Apathy or alienation? Political passivity among youths across eight European Union countries. European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 15(3), 284-301. https://doi.org/10.1080/17405629.2017.1404985
Hack, S. M., Muralidharan, A., Brown, C. H., Drapalski, A. L., & Lucksted, A. A. (2020). Stigma and discrimination as correlates of mental health treatment engagement among adults with serious mental illness. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 43(2), 106–110. https://doi.org/10.1037/prj0000385
Rhee, L., Bayer, J. B., Lee, D. S., & Kuru, O. (2021). Social by definition: How users define social SM platforms and why it matters. Telematics and informatics, 59, 101538. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2020.101538
Shannon, H., Bush, K., Villeneuve, P. J., Hellemans, K., & Guimond, S. (2022). Problematic social media use in adolescents and young adults: Systematic review and meta-analysis. JMIR Mental Health, 9(4), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.2196/33450
Skoric, M. M., Zhu, Q., Koc-Michalska, K., Boulianne, S., & Bimber, B. (2022). Selective avoidance on social media: A comparative study of western democracies. Social Science Computer Review, 40(5), 1241-1258. https://doi.org/10.1177/08944393211005468
Weinstein, E., Kleiman, E. M., Franz, P. J., Joyce, V. W., Nash, C. C., Buonopane, R. J., & Nock, M. K. (2021). Positive and negative uses of social media among adolescents hospitalized for suicidal behavior. Journal of Adolescence, 87(1), 63-73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2020.12.003
Sigma Membership
Beta Phi at-Large
Type
Poster
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Phenomenology
Research Approach
Qualitative Research
Keywords:
Public Community Health, Primary Care, Mental Health, Youth, Social Media
Recommended Citation
Niles, Lauren L., "Internalizing Stigma and Distancing Behaviors: Social Media Youth Perspectives" (2025). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 122.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2025/posters_2025/122
Conference Name
36th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Seattle, Washington, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Internalizing Stigma and Distancing Behaviors: Social Media Youth Perspectives
Seattle, Washington, USA
Significance: Rates of youth mental health difficulties have risen drastically in recent years. Transition-aged youth (TAY) ages 18-24 years old represent a vulnerable population at risk for poor mental health outcomes, with depression and anxiety diagnoses increasing faster than any other age group. While the cause for this upsurge is multifaceted, these trends have occurred concurrently with the increasing popularity of social media (SM) platforms. Current evidence presents contradictory findings as to the impact of SM platforms on mental health, revealing a critical gap in knowledge.
Methods: This interpretative phenomenological study aimed to explore the social media perceptions of TAY with a diagnosed mental health disorder in order to gain a better understanding of this phenomenon. Semi-structured interviews were conducted on ten TAY participants. Open coding was conducted prior to a six-step thematic analysis guided by the hermeneutic circle.
Results: Thematic analysis revealed five distinct themes perceived by TAY regarding their social media use, including sharing to find a supportive community; acknowledging negative influences on mental wellness; disengaging through passive use; creating distance to achieve wellness; and internalizing stigma.
Discussion: TAY perceive SM platforms as fostering a sense of community based on shared interests and as a critical source of entertainment. They also consider SM platforms to be harmful to their mental health, increasing stress and anxiety, encouraging them to argue with other users, and inspiring social comparisons. Overall, TAY believe the benefits of SM platforms outweigh the negatives, and report no intention to stop or decrease use.
Conclusion: Findings from this study are beneficial to nurses, identifying risks to physical and mental health and a prevailing stigma that may influence TAY’s decision to seek care. Findings similarly reveal potential societal impacts, revealing a stunting of development within the TAY population. Startlingly, a significant tendency to avoid political discourse on SM platforms reveals potentially devastating societal ramifications.
Description
Nurses will increase their understanding of the risks to the physical and mental health of transition-aged youth associated with continued use of social media platforms and the role stigma plays in their willingness to seek professional care. Methods for mitigating these risks are presented and potential areas of resistance analyzed.