O'Reilly, M., Dogra, N., Hughes, J. et al. (3 more authors) (2019) Potential of social media in promoting mental health in adolescents. Health Promotion International, 34 (5). pp. 981-991. ISSN 0957-4824
Abstract
The growing prevalence of adolescent mental disorders poses significant challenges for education and healthcare systems globally. Providers are therefore keen to identify effective ways of promoting positive mental health. This aim of this qualitative study was to explore perceptions that social media might be leveraged for the purposes of mental health promotion amongst adolescents aged between 11 and 18 years. Utilizing focus groups conducted with adolescents (N = 54), educational professionals (N = 16) and mental health practitioners (N = 8). We explored their views about the value of social media for this purpose. Three themes were identified. First, social media appears to have potential to promote positive mental health. Second, adolescents frequently utilize social media and the internet to seek information about mental health. Finally, there are benefits and challenges to using social media in this way. We conclude that despite challenges of using social media and the risks, social media does offer a useful way of educating and reaching adolescents to promote mental wellbeing.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s) 2018. This is an author produced version of a paper subsequently published in Health Promotion International. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | Adolescents; mental health; promotion; social media |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) > Information School (Sheffield) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number Wellcome Trust 09393/Z/15/Z |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 01 Oct 2018 11:54 |
Last Modified: | 19 Apr 2024 11:45 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Oxford University Press |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1093/heapro/day056 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:136392 |