Teenagers with mental disorders concerning the inner emotional world spend more time on social networks, but with less satisfaction compared to peers.
Teenagers with anxiety or depression frequent social media, just like their peers. But the time that pass there and the feelings that derive from it they are not the same: based on a study published on Nature Human Behaviourthe teen who live with these conditions spend on social media much more time compared to the same age, and with less satisfaction. In fact, they are more vulnerable to negative experiences than healthy peers, or those who suffer from other disorders, such as ADHD.
Inside or outside. Scientists from the University of Cambridge analyzed the data of an investigation out of 3,340 boys between 11 and 19 years conducted in 2017 by the English National Health Service. The survey included diagnostic clinics assessments together with quantitative and qualitative measures of the use of social media of the interviewees. 16% of subjects were affected by some form of mental disorder.
Among these guys, 8% had so -called conditions internalizingsuch as anxiety or depression, characterized by negative emotions aimed at itself. 3% suffered from conditions outsourcingin which negative behaviors (such as aggression or violation of the rules) are facing outwards: this is the case of the ADHD.
More fragile in front of the screen. In general, boys with mental disorders spent more time on social media than their peers without these conditions – on average, 50 minutes more per day. Those with internalizing disorders, however, seemed more inclined to compare their lives with the narration of the lives of others online compared to the same age without mental disorders or with outsourcing disorders. Not only that. Teenagers with anxiety or depression are Parsi more vulnerable to negative comments and reactions to their posts, and less in control of the time they have spent connected.
Human connections. Even if the study says nothing on the theme – controversial – of the effects of social media on the mental health of teenagers, getting to know the vulnerability profiles better for the use of these platforms can help follow the boys at several levels. Parents who find the typical features of an anxious or depressive disorder should in teenage children should accompany them with even greater delicacyin their relationship with social networks.
For specialists, however, several more targeted intervention strategies are looming to help younger people to regulate your way of staying onlineto choose sites that respond to their interests instead of undermining their self -esteem, to learn to respond to messages and not to tie their value to a handful of likes.
