Adolescents, Digital Stress, and Depressive Symptoms

• In Event: Poster Session 01
  In Poster Session: PS 01 Topic - Technology, Media & Child Development

Abstract

Many studies have examined how frequently adolescents use social media and whether technology use is related to psychological symptoms (Shapiro & Mangolin, 2014). Fewer have examined how adolescents feel about their engagement in social media despite growing theoretical work suggesting that it may be a considerable source of stress for many youth (Reinecke et al., 2017). Digital stress may arise from the need to remain constantly available, anticipatory concern regarding responses to one’s posts and social feedback, fear of missing out, and overload of connections (Steele, Hall & Christofferson, 2019). Longitudinal data examining digital stress among adolescents are rare. A primary goal of this study was to examine digital stress using a new, brief self-report measure, including an exploration of socio-demographic differences. Second, we examined psychological correlates of digital stress, including social anxiety, loneliness, and peer-reported likeability and popularity. Last, we examined bidirectional associations between digital stress and depressive symptoms. It was hypothesized that digital stress would be associated prospectively with depressive symptoms, but not vice versa.

At two annual time points, a total of 687 youth in grades 8-9 (48.62% female, 61% non-White) completed self-report measures of digital stress (e.g., “I feel pressure to reach a certain number of likes or comments on a post”, 6 items; α = .860), as well as measures of social anxiety, emotional regulation, depressive symptoms, and completed peer nominations to yield measures of likeability and popularity (i.e., using standardized difference scores of standardized nomination tallies). Results revealed no gender or racial/ethnic differences in the severity of digital stress. Significant associations revealed that higher levels of digital stress were associated with higher levels of loneliness, emotional reactivity, and social anxiety. Similarly, higher levels of popularity and likeability was linked to higher levels of digital stress. Results also revealed that digital stress was associated prospectively with increases in depressive symptoms after controlling for initial levels of depression, but not vice versa. Future work should investigate digital stress and its subcomponents to help understand its effects on development and psychopathology.

Authors

• Zelal Kilic, University of Pittsburgh
  Presenting Author

• Elizabeth Nick, Vanderbilt University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Kristen A Lindquist, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  Non-Presenting Author

• Eva H Telzer, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  Non-Presenting Author

• Jacqueline Nesi, Brown University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Mitchell J Prinstein, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  Non-Presenting Author