[Mediators of Problematic Social Media Use in Adolescence as Possible Mechanisms of Change in Psychotherapy].

Abstract

Mediators of Problematic Social Media Use in Adolescence as Possible Mechanisms of Change in Psychotherapy Social media are omnipresent in the lives of adolescents. Problematic use of social media has been linked to adverse mental health outcomes including depression, anxiety, suicidality, self-harm, body dissatisfaction and eating pathology. Preliminary evidence suggests that interventions aiming at reducing the amount of time spent in social media and changing dysfunctional beliefs about social media use are promising. However, the mechanisms of change of these interventions with regard to mental health remain unclear. Therefore, this review first provides an overview of the association between social media and mental health and then identifies mediators of this relationship as potential mechanisms of change of interventions targeting problematic media use in adolescents. The identified mediators encompass social comparison, decreased self-esteem, fear of missing out, sleep problems and increased rumination. Future studies should apply a longitudinal design, should investigate additional confounding variables (e. g. age, level of psychopathology) and should also focus on positive effects of social media use on mental health. Thereby, this line of research has the potential to improve our understanding how social media use exerts its effects and based thereupon to develop new or optimize current interventions on problematic social media use to improve mental health in adolescents by targeting the identified mediators.