Using Social Media to Explore Mental Health-Related Behaviors and Discussions among Young Adults

Date

2019-01-08

Contributor

Advisor

Department

Instructor

Depositor

Speaker

Researcher

Consultant

Interviewer

Narrator

Transcriber

Annotator

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Volume

Number/Issue

Starting Page

Ending Page

Alternative Title

Abstract

There have been recurring reports of online harassment and abuse among adolescents and young adults through Anonymous Social Networking websites (ASNs). We explored discussions related to social and mental health behaviors among college students, including cyberbullying on the popular ASN, Yik Yak. From April 6, 2016, to May 7, 2016, we collected anonymous conversations posted on Yik Yak at 19 universities in four different states. We found that prosocial messages were approximately five times as prevalent as bullying messages. Frequency of cyberbullying messages was positively associated with messages seeking emotional help. We found significant geographic variation in the frequency of messages offering supportive versus bullying messages. Across campuses bullying and political discussion were positively associated. Results suggest that ASN sites can be mined for real-time data about students’ mental health-related attitudes and behaviors. We discuss the implications for using this information in education and healthcare services.

Description

Keywords

Social Media and Healthcare Technology, Information Technology in Healthcare, Adolescent Mental Health, Cyberbullying, Mental Health, Social Media, Social Networking

Citation

Extent

7 pages

Format

Geographic Location

Time Period

Related To

Proceedings of the 52nd Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences

Related To (URI)

Table of Contents

Rights

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

Rights Holder

Local Contexts

Email libraryada-l@lists.hawaii.edu if you need this content in ADA-compliant format.