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Feeling bad on Facebook: depression disclosures by college students on a social networking site

Depression and AnxietyPublished 11 March 2011
Megan A. Moreno, Lauren A. Jelenchick, Katie G. Egan, Elizabeth Cox, Henry N. Young, Kerry Gannon
Citations612
SJR quartileQ1
SJR score2.01
SNIP1.59

TL;DR

These findings suggest that those who receive online reinforcement from their friends are more likely to discuss their depressive symptoms publicly on Facebook, and social networking sites could be an innovative avenue for combating stigma surrounding mental health conditions or for identifying students at risk for depression.

Abstract

College students commonly display symptoms consistent with depression on Facebook. Our findings suggest that those who receive online reinforcement from their friends are more likely to discuss their depressive symptoms publicly on Facebook. Given the frequency of depression symptom displays on public profiles, social networking sites could be an innovative avenue for combating stigma surrounding mental health conditions or for identifying students at risk for depression.

Keywords

PsychologySocial Sciences