Effects of a 14-day social media abstinence on mental health and well-being: results from an experimental study
de Hesselle LC, Montag C
BMC psychology · 14 citations
Review labels
Neutral facts our review recorded about how this study was done. They describe method, never whether we like the result.
How it was studied
- Design
- Randomized controlled trial (indexed by PubMed)
- Studied in
- People
- Main outcome
- Health markers and function
Who paid for it
- Funding
- Independent funding
- University or hospital
- Universität Ulm
- Authors
- At least one author declares a financial tie to industry
Based on 1 listed funder(s) and full-text disclosure statement.
Publication
- Published
- 2024-03-13 · BMC Psychol · vol. 12 · issue 1 · p. 141
- Publisher
- BioMed Central
- Cited
- 35 citations · more than 100% of similar papers · 26.4× the field average
- Impact
- Top 10% most cited in its field
- References
- 100 works
- Access
- Open access (journal) · CC-BY
- Research areas
- Impact of Technology on Adolescents · Digital Mental Health Interventions · Media Influence and Health
- Keywords
- smartphone addiction, depression, anxiety, fear of missing out, loneliness, body dissatisfaction, screen time
- MeSH
- humans, anxiety, fear, mental health, social media, surveys and questionnaires
2 authors
From DE
- Lea C. de Hesselle · correspondingUniversität Ulm
- Christian MontagUniversität Ulm
Abstract
Background and aim
The study investigated the effects of a 14-day social media abstinence on various mental health factors using an experimental design with follow-up assessment. Hypotheses included positive associations between problematic smartphone use (PSU) and depression, anxiety, fear of missing out (FoMO), and screentime. Decreases in screentime, PSU, depression and anxiety, and increases in body image were assumed for the abstinence group. Additionally, daily changes in FoMO and loneliness were explored.
Methods
Participants completed different questionnaires assessing PSU, FoMO, depression and anxiety, loneliness and body image and were randomized into control and social media abstinence groups. Daily questionnaires over 14 days assessed FoMO, loneliness, screentime, and depression and anxiety. 14 days after the abstinence, a follow-up questionnaire was administered. Multilevel models were used to assess changes over time.
Results
PSU was positively associated with symptoms of depression, anxiety and FoMO, but not with screentime. Spline models identified decreased screentime and body image dissatisfaction for the intervention group. Depression and anxiety symptoms, PSU, trait and state FoMO, and loneliness, showed a decrease during the overall intervention time but no difference between the investigated groups could be observed (hence this was an overall trend). For appearance evaluation and body area satisfaction, an increase in both groups was seen. Daily changes in both loneliness and FoMO were best modelled using cubic trends, but no group differences were significant.
Discussion
Results provide insights into effects of not using social media for 14 days and show that screentime and body image dissatisfaction decrease. The study also suggests areas for future studies to better understand how and why interventions show better results for some individuals.
Abstract via Europe PMC. Copyright remains with the authors or publisher (CC BY).
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