Katie G. Egan

Associations Between Displayed Alcohol References on Facebook and Problem Drinking Among College Students

OBJECTIVE To examine the associations between displayed alcohol use and intoxication/problem drinking (I/PD) references on Facebook and self-reported problem drinking using a clinical scale. DESIGN Content analysis and cross-sectional survey. SETTING Facebook Web site (http://www.facebook.com/). PARTICIPANTS The study included undergraduate students (age range, 18-20 years) at 2 state universities with public Facebook profiles. MAIN EXPOSURES The profiles were categorized into 1 of 3 distinct categories: Nondisplayers, Alcohol Displayers, and I/PD Displayers. OUTCOME MEASURES An online survey measured problem drinking using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) scale. Analyses examined associations between alcohol display category and (1) AUDIT problem drinking category using logistic regression, (2) AUDIT score using negative binomial regression, and (3) alcohol-related injury using the Fisher exact test. RESULTS Among 307 profiles identified, 224 participants completed the survey (73% response rate). The average age was 18.8 years; 122 (54%) were female; 152 (68%) were white; and approximately 50% were from each university. Profile owners who displayed I/PD were more likely (odds ratio, 4.4; 95% CI, 2.0-9.4) to score in the problem drinking category of the AUDIT scale, had 64.0% (incidence rate ratio, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.27-11.0) higher AUDIT scores overall, and were more likely to report an alcohol-related injury in the past year (P = .002). CONCLUSIONS Displayed references to I/PD were positively associated with AUDIT scores suggesting problem drinking as well as alcohol-related injury. Results suggest that clinical criteria for problem drinking can be applied to Facebook alcohol references.

Alcohol references on undergraduate males' Facebook profiles.

Perceived peer alcohol use is a predictor of consumption in college males; frequent references to alcohol on Facebook may encourage alcohol consumption. Content analysis of college males’ Facebook profiles identified references to alcohol. The average age of 225 identified profiles was 19.9 years. Alcohol references were present on 85.3% of the profiles; the prevalence of alcohol was similar across each undergraduate grade. The average number of alcohol references per profile was 8.5 but increased with undergraduate year (p = .003; confidence interval = 1.5, 7.5). Students who were of legal drinking age referenced alcohol 4.5 times more than underage students, and an increase in number of Facebook friends was associated with an increase in displayed alcohol references (p < .001; confidence interval = 0.009, 0.02). Facebook is widely used in the college population; widespread alcohol displays on Facebook may influence social norms and cause increases in male college students’ alcohol use.

A Pilot Evaluation of Associations Between Displayed Depression References on Facebook and Self-reported Depression Using a Clinical Scale

The objective of this study was to determine associations between displayed depression symptoms on Facebook and self-reported depression symptoms using a clinical screen. Public Facebook profiles of undergraduates from two universities were examined for displayed depression references. Profiles were categorized as depression symptom displayers or non-displayers. Participants completed an online PHQ-9 depression scale. Analyses examined associations between PHQ-9 score and depression symptom displayers versus non-displayers. The mean PHQ-9 score for non-displayers was 4.7 (SD = 4.0), the mean PHQ-9 score for depression symptom displayers was 6.4 (SD = 5.1; p = 0.018). A trend approaching significance was noted that participants who scored into a depression category by their PHQ-9 score were more likely to display depression symptom references. Displayed references to depression symptoms were associated with self-reported depression symptoms.

Prevalence of stress references on college freshmen facebook profiles

&NA; Stress is common among college students and associated with adverse health outcomes. This study used the social networking Web site Facebook to identify self‐reported stress and associated conditions among college students. Public Facebook profiles of undergraduate freshman at a large Midwestern State University (n = 300) were identified using a Facebook search. Content analysis of Facebook profiles included demographic information and displayed references to stress, weight concerns, depressive symptoms, and alcohol. The mean reported age was 18.4 years, and the majority of profile owners were female (62%). Stress references were displayed on 37% of the profiles, weight concerns on 6%, depressive symptoms on 24%, and alcohol on 73%. The display of stress references was associated with female sex (odds ratio [OR], 2.81; confidence interval [CI], 1.7‐4.7), weight concerns (OR, 5.36; CI, 1.87‐15.34), and depressive symptoms (OR, 2.7; CI, 1.57‐4.63). No associations were found between stress and alcohol references. College freshmen frequently display references to stress on Facebook profiles with prevalence rates similar to self‐reported national survey data. Findings suggest a positive association between referencing stress and both weight concerns and depressive symptoms. Facebook may be a useful venue to identify students at risk for stress‐related conditions and to disseminate information about campus resources to these students.

Development of a Researcher Codebook for Use in Evaluating Social Networking Site Profiles

INTRODUCTION Social networking sites (SNSs) are immensely popular and allow for the display of personal information, including references to health behaviors. Evaluating displayed content on an SNS for research purposes requires a systematic approach and a precise data collection instrument. The purpose of this article is to describe one approach to the development of a research codebook so that others may develop and test their own codebooks for use in SNS research. METHODS Our SNS research codebook began on the basis of health behavior theory and clinical criteria. Key elements in the codebook developmental process included an iterative team approach and an emphasis on confidentiality. RESULTS Codebook successes include consistently high inter-rater reliability. Challenges include time investment in coder training and SNS server changes. CONCLUSION We hope that this article will provide detailed information about one systematic approach to codebook development so that other researchers may use this structure to develop and test their own codebooks for use in SNS research.

Internet safety education for youth: stakeholder perspectives

BackgroundInternet use is nearly ubiquitous among US youth; risks to internet use include cyberbullying, privacy violations and unwanted solicitation. Internet safety education may prevent these negative consequences; however, it is unclear at what age this education should begin and what group is responsible for teaching this topic.MethodsSurveys were distributed to key stakeholders in youth safety education including public school teachers, clinicians, parents and adolescents. Surveys assessed age at which internet safety education should begin, as well as experiences teaching and learning internet safety. Surveys of adults assessed willingness to teach internet safety. Finally, participants were asked to identify a group whose primary responsibility it should be to teach internet safety.ResultsA total of 356 participants completed the survey (93.4% response rate), including 77 teachers, 111 clinicians, 72 parents and 96 adolescents. Stakeholders felt the optimal mean age to begin teaching internet safety was 7.2 years (SD = 2.5), range 2-15. Internet safety was regularly taught by some teachers (20.8%), few clinicians (2.6%) and many parents (40.3%). The majority of teachers, clinicians and parents were willing to teach internet safety, but all groups surveyed identified parents as having primary responsibility for teaching this topic.ConclusionsFindings suggest agreement among key stakeholders for teaching internet safety at a young age, and for identifying parents as primary teachers of this topic. Clinicians have a unique opportunity to support parents by providing resources, guidance and support.

College Students’ Alcohol Displays on Facebook: Intervention Considerations

Abstract Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate college freshmens views towards potential social networking site (SNS) screening or intervention efforts regarding alcohol. Participants: Freshmen college students between February 2010 and May 2011. Methods: Participants were interviewed; all interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. Qualitative analysis was conducted using an iterative approach. Results: A total of 132 participants completed the interview (70% response rate), the average age was 18.4 years (SD 0.49), and 64 were males (48.5%). Three themes emerged from our data. First, most participants stated they viewed displayed alcohol content as indicative of alcohol use. Second, they explained they would prefer to be approached in a direct manner by someone they knew. Third, the style of approach was considered critical. Conclusions: When approaching college students regarding alcohol messages on SNSs, both the relationship and the approach are key factors.

College Students’ Responses to Mental Health Status Updates on Facebook

Facebook is widely used by the college population, and previous research has shown that mental health references on Facebook are common. Focus groups of college students were held to determine their views of mental health references seen in their peers’ Facebook profiles. Students’ views of mental health references varied from being serious calls for help, to being jokes or attention-seeking behavior. Responses to mental health references depended on the participants’ offline relationship with the poster. Students would contact close friends through a phone call or in-person conversation, but would not approach acquaintances. The prevalence of mental health references on Facebook, and the awareness of these references by college students, may present opportunities for future peer intervention efforts.