Social media use, community participation and psychological well-being among individuals with serious mental illnesses

Little research exists on social media (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, etc.) use among individuals with serious mental illnesses (SMI). One particular question of interest is the extent to which online social media use is associated with these individuals' community participation, civic engagement an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Computers in human behavior 2016-12, Vol.65, p.232-240
Main Authors: Brusilovskiy, Eugene, Townley, Greg, Snethen, Gretchen, Salzer, Mark S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Citizen participation
Civic engagement
Community participation
Digital media
Illnesses
Longevity
Mental disorders
Mental health
Psychological factors
Psychosocial outcomes
Quality of life
Serious mental illnesses
Social media
Social networks
Studies
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Summary:Little research exists on social media (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, etc.) use among individuals with serious mental illnesses (SMI). One particular question of interest is the extent to which online social media use is associated with these individuals' community participation, civic engagement and psychosocial outcomes. Two-hundred and thirty-two individuals with SMI receiving services at 18 mental health organizations throughout the continental U.S. completed questionnaires on their community participation, civic engagement, quality of life, loneliness, and psychiatric symptoms. They were also asked which social media sites they used; the duration, frequency and importance of, and reasons for, social media use; and the number of contacts they had on social media. Approximately a third of the sample reported having at least one social media account. Greater frequency, intensity and longevity of social media were associated with higher levels of community participation, and greater intensity of social media use was positively associated with civic engagement. For instance, those who used social media at least 30 min a day had 16.4 more days of participation and voting rates that were higher by 17.4%. Social media use was not found to be significantly associated with loneliness, psychiatric symptoms or quality of life. Greater social media use appears to be associated with greater community engagement without negative repercussions on loneliness, symptoms, or quality of life. Interventions that support social media use among individuals with SMI could have important community integration benefits. •The study examined social media use among individuals with serious mental illnesses.•Approximately 1/3 of the 232 participants had at least 1 social media account.•Social media use was positively associated with community participation.•Social media use was not associated with participants' psychological well-being.
ISSN:0747-5632
1873-7692
DOI:10.1016/j.chb.2016.08.036