(PS12-75) Investigating Associations Between Perceived Burdensomeness and Frequency of Mental Health-related Social Media Experiences

Background: Research on the associations between social media (SM) and mental health (MH) has yielded mixed results. Most studies have 1) traditionally focused on frequency or duration of use rather than SM experiences and 2) examined SM predicting MH outcomes (but not the other direction). Perceived burdensomeness is an interpersonal factor related to suicide risk that may impact how people engage with SM, particularly related to MH experiences online. In particular, perceived burdensomeness may affect whether people engage in protective SM experiences, and in turn affect risk for MH difficulties. The current study examined whether perceived burdensomeness impacted the frequency of engagement in MH related experiences on SM among adolescents. 

Methods: Participants (N = 239) were 14-17 years old from the United States; and completed questionnaires about perceived burdensomeness and frequency of MH-related experiences on SM in the past three months (e.g., anonymous disclosure of MH information, posting for and receiving support online, sharing experiences about MH treatment). Analyses were conducted using linear regressions to examine associations between perceived burdensomeness and the frequency of these MH-related SM experiences, controlling for age and gender identity. 

Results: Results indicate that higher levels of perceived burdensomeness was significantly associated with the frequency of several MH-related SM experiences, including more frequent sharing of personal MH information anonymously (B = 0.05, p = 0.003), posting to get support from people they don’t know (B = 0.07, p < 0.001), receiving supportive messages from people they don’t know (B = 0.07, p < 0.001), and posting to share experiences getting MH treatment (B = 0.09, p < 0.001). 

Conclusion: This study highlights that adolescents with greater perceptions of perceived burdensomeness may engage in more frequent SM behaviors to seek help and support for MH on social media. As perceived burdensomeness is an important factor for understanding suicide risk, these findings may provide insight into the behaviors of individuals at higher risk for suicide, and may be useful in thinking through best ways to provide support. Future research should consider how these SM experiences may protect against the development of suicidal ideation and behaviors, particularly among teens who experience more perceived burdensomeness.