4 - (SYM 72) Social Media Use as a Behavioral Activation Tool and Protective Factor Against Suicidal Thoughts in Adolescents with Anhedonia

Background: Anhedonia is a core symptom of depression and a risk factor for suicidal ideation (SI). Individuals with anhedonia often predict they will experience less pleasure from enjoyable activities than they do. Social media (SM) has been shown to be a highly rewarding activity for adolescents, which may be an effective behavioral activation tool for adolescents with anhedonia, reducing further escalation of depression symptoms (e.g., SI).

The current study assessed: Is experiencing anhedonia on a momentary level negatively associated with motivation to check SM (predicted pleasure)?  Is experiencing anhedonia on a momentary level associated with subsequent experiencing less positive mood on SM (actual pleasure)? Does experiencing positive mood (actual pleasure) on SM predict reduced likelihood of SI, and, does this vary based on whether an adolescent is also endorsing anhedonia?

Method:

This study included 62 adolescents (M_age=16.15 (0.97); 49.3% girls/16.4% boys/34.4% nonbinary, 40.3% white) who completed ecological momentary assessment three times daily for two months.

Morning, afternoon, and evening prompts asked participants to rate current levels of anhedonia, how much they are looking forward to checking SM (predicted pleasure) and how positive they felt using SM since the last prompt (actual pleasure). Evening prompts asked participants whether they experienced any SI that day. Multilevel models were used to test above research questions. This research project was developed in tandem with Hamilton Lab adolescent youth advisory board member (AK).

Results: Adolescents experiencing anhedonia on a momentary level endorse less motivation to check SM (predicted pleasure) (b = -.02, p = .02). However, at the next prompt, experiencing positive mood on SM (actual pleasure) is not associated with prior prompt anhedonia (b = -.008, p = .295). Experiencing positive mood on SM is associated with decreased risk of SI at the daily level (b = -0.38, p = .001). This relationship was not moderated by anhedonia (b = 0.01, p = .86).

Conclusions: Adolescents experiencing anhedonia are less motivated to check SM (i.e., have less predicted pleasure) but experience as much positive mood on SM (actual pleasure) as those without anhedonia. Experiencing positive mood on SM is associated with same-day decreased risk of SI, even for those with anhedonia. For adolescents experiencing anhedonia, using SM for positive mood-boosting activities could be used as a behavioral activation tool and may be an important protective factor against SI.