Peat, G orcid.org/0000-0002-0293-2456, Rodriguez, A orcid.org/0000-0001-9104-1999 and Smith, J orcid.org/0000-0003-0974-3591 (2019) Social media use in adolescents and young adults with serious illnesses: An integrative review. BMJ Supportive and Palliative Care, 9. pp. 235-244. ISSN 2045-435X
Abstract
Objectives: Adolescents and young adults with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions are often socially isolated because of the demands of their illness. Although adolescents and young adults have a noticeable online and social media presence, their motivations for using social media remain unclear. This article aims to summarise empirical research undertaken about how and why social media is used by adolescents and young adults with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions. Methods: An integrative literature review was undertaken. Key healthcare research databases including CINHAL, MEDLINE and PSYCHINFO were searched for empirical studies reporting the use of social media by adolescents and young adults with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions. Fifteen articles met the inclusion criteria; included articles were quality appraised and a thematic synthesis undertaken to identify key themes. Results: The reasons why adolescents and young adults with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions use social media are diverse, with differences relating to age and gender. However, this population in general uses social media to connect with others who have similar lived experiences. Conclusion: Social media platforms can be useful adjuncts to the care of adolescents and young adults with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions. However, current evidence is dominated by studies on social media use by adolescents and young adults with cancer. More research is required to gain a holistic understanding of how and why social media is used by this population and its perceived benefits and limitations.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2018. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ. This is an author produced version of a paper published in BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care. Reuse of this manuscript version (excluding any databases, tables, diagrams, photographs and other images or illustrative material included where a another copyright owner is identified) is permitted strictly pursuant to the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 4.0 International (CC-BY-NC 4.0) - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Medicine and Health (Leeds) > School of Healthcare (Leeds) > Nursing Child (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 14 Jan 2019 15:37 |
Last Modified: | 02 Sep 2019 10:21 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | BMJ Publishing Group |
Identification Number: | 10.1136/bmjspcare-2018-001646 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:140927 |
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Filename: Integrative review BMJ. FINALvised Paper.pdf
Licence: CC-BY-NC 4.0