Research has proven that social media can negatively influence individuals’s psychological well being. But can it have an effect on individuals’s beliefs about psychological well being therapy?

Yes, in accordance with researchers at Union. In one of many first research to look at the influence of social media on individuals’s perceptions of psychological well being care, researchers found that viewing just some social media posts that mock psychological well being therapy can have a profound influence on some individuals’s attitudes towards therapy.

The research seems within the newest problem of the journal Social Media + Society.

For the research, 186 contributors seen 10 tweets. The gender breakdown was 67 % male, 32 % feminine. For half of the contributors, 5 of the tweets derogated mental-health therapy (e.g., “My friend is feeling sad again today. It’s not depression or bipolar — those aren’t real. STOP WHINING”) The different contributors seen tweets that had nothing to do with psychological well being therapy.

Participants had been then requested for his or her opinions about therapy. The derogatory posts had no impact on male contributors or amongst feminine contributors who held conventional views towards gender roles of femininity. However, girls who didn’t maintain such conventional views of femininity had been affected by the adverse posts. They reported extra stigma towards mental-health therapy.

The analysis reveals that even publicity to temporary social media posts that derogate psychological well being therapy can have massive impacts on what individuals take into consideration mental-health therapy, not less than amongst a subset of the inhabitants.”

George Bizer, professor of psychology

He was chair of the division and co-author of the research, together with Sarah Competiello ’21 and Catherine Walker, affiliate professor of psychology.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about 51.5 million adults within the U.S. skilled a psychological well being situation in 2019. Of these, lower than half, or 23 million, obtained skilled psychological assist. One of the components which will stop individuals from searching for assistance is the stigma surrounding psychological well being.

Prior analysis reveals that there’s an affiliation between excessive ranges of psychological well being stigma and adverse attitudes towards help-seeking. Limited analysis, nonetheless, has explored the extent to which social media content material might play a job in growing adverse attitudes towards psychological well being therapy.

Bizer mentioned researchers had been stunned to be taught that girls who do not maintain conventional views of gender roles towards femininity seen the derogatory posts in another way.

“This was the most interesting part of the study,” Bizer mentioned. “We’re not sure why, but the results suggest that men might be generally less malleable in terms of their attitudes toward mental health treatment, and that women who do hold traditional views might generally be comfortable seeking assistance, and these views may have shielded people from the negative posts. But this is all speculation at this point.”

Ultimately, Bizer mentioned, “the study provides additional insight into how social media can impact us and how people may be impacted differently as a function of their gender and personality.”

Bizer joined Union in 2005; Walker joined in 2015.