Date of Award:

12-2024

Document Type:

Dissertation

Degree Name:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department:

Human Development and Family Studies

Committee Chair(s)

Troy E. Beckert

Committee

Troy E. Beckert

Committee

Travis E. Dorsch

Committee

Elizabeth Fauth

Committee

Yoon Lee

Committee

Andy Walker

Abstract

Social media has become an integral part of adolescent life, and its effects on adolescents’ mental health has been studied for over twenty years. However, the research approaches used to discover connections between adolescent social media use and their mental health have been diverse, and findings have varied over time. This study sought to explore the potential relationships between adolescent social media use and mental health by including several different variables that aren’t typically accounted for in the same study, such as attachment to parents and peers, internal psychological development, emotional intensity towards social media use, and how adolescents feel they are influenced by online interactions. Findings from this study suggest that intrapersonal psychosocial development factors, such as self-concept clarity and cognitive autonomy, act as powerful predictors when looking at adolescent mental health outcomes.

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