Adolescents between 11 and 19 years old with mental health problems spend more time on social networks than those without inconvenience. This is what reveals a study done in the United Kingdom and published on Monday (5) in the renowned scientific journal Nature Human Behavior.
According to the researchers, the Study findings They can be useful for developing adequate clinical interventions for adolescents who have mental health problems.
To reach the conclusions, the researchers analyzed research data from 3,340 UK adolescents aged 11 to 19 years, 16% of which were diagnosed with at least one mental health condition.
They found that participants with the worst mental health conditions reported spending more time on social networks – an average of approximately 50 minutes extra per day. In addition, this audience reported less satisfaction with the number of friends on social networks compared to those without mental health conditions.
The researchers also found that participants with conditions such as depression or anxiety disorder spent more time on social media, compared to other people on networks, and experienced a greater effect on their mood by the amount of online feedback (number of likes, shares and comments received in a post).
Despite the findings, scientists claim that more future research is needed to establish any causal relationships between the use of social networks and mental health conditions in adolescents. Future work should include participants from other countries as well.
Relationship between mental health and social networks is not new
This is not the first time studies have related mental health problems to the use of social networks. Last year, the “Mental Health Panorama” report, the Cactus Institute and the Atlasintel, showed that of the 36.9% of Brazilians who spent 3 hours or more per day on social networks, 43.5% have anxiety diagnosis.
In the view of the authors of the report, the use of social networks may have deleterious effects that negatively impact mental health.
Previous studies have also associated excessive use of social networks with self -image problems, the lowest face -to -face social interaction, greater exposure to cyberbullying, changes in the dopaminergic system of reward and the fear of not being whole of events.
A work at the University of York School of Health in the United Kingdom showed that women who take a break from using social networks have a significant improvement in self -esteem and body image.
Another research, conducted by scientists at University College London (UCL), has shown that Internet-addicted adolescents undergo brain changes that can lead to behavioral changes and increased dependence trends-defined as the disability of a person resisting the utterance of using the internet, impacting their psychological well-being as well as their social, academic and professional life.
Time in front of the screens is associated with the worsening of teenage diet
This content was originally published in adolescents with worst mental health spend more time on social networks on CNN Brazil.
Source: CNN Brasil
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