Active Social Media Use and Health Indicators Among Sexual and Gender Minority Adults
Abstract
Purpose: Sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals may receive social support through active use of social media (i.e., posting and interacting). This study examined associations between active social media use, social support, and health indicators in a large sample of SGM adults in the United States.
Methods: Data were derived from the 2017 wave of The PRIDE Study, a national cohort study of SGM health. SGM-identified adults reporting social media use (N = 5995) completed measures of active social media use, social support, depressive symptoms, cigarette smoking, hazardous drinking, sleep, and physical activity. Regression models examined main and interactive effects of active social media use and social support on health indicators.
Results: The sample reported a moderate level of active social media use (mean [M] = 3.2 [1.0], scale = 1–5) and relatively high social support (M = 16.7 [3.3], scale = 4–20); 31.8% reported moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms. Participants with greater active social media use were more likely to experience depressive symptoms (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.18, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.10–1.26), cigarette smoking (AOR = 1.11, 95% CI = 1.01–1.22), insufficient sleep (AOR = 1.13, 95% CI = 1.06–1.21), and physical inactivity (AOR = 1.09, 95% CI = 1.02–1.15) than those with less active social media use. Active social media use did not significantly interact with social support to predict any health indicators (p values >0.159).
Conclusions: Among SGM adults, active social media use was associated with several negative health indicators. Active social media use may increase health risks, or SGM adults with poor health may actively use social media to maintain social connections. Moderate active social media use may be compatible with health.
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The statements in this article are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of PCORI, its Board of Governors or Methodology Committee, nor of the National Institutes of Health. These funding sources solely provided financial support. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the article.
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Copyright 2023, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.
History
Published online: 10 June 2024
Published in print: May/June 2024
Published ahead of print: 28 December 2023
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Authors' Contributions
E.A.V., A.F., M.R.L., J.O.-M., M.R.C., D.E.R., and J.J.P. were responsible for conceptualization. E.A.V. was responsible for formal analysis and writing—original draft. A.F., M.R.L., J.O.-M., M.R.C., D.E.R., and J.J.P. were responsible for writing—review and editing. A.F., M.R.L, J.O.-M., and M.R.C. were responsible for supervision and project administration. A.F., M.R.L., and J.O.-M. were responsible for funding acquisition.
Author Disclosure Statement
J.O.-M. has consulted for Sage Therapeutics (2017), Ibis Reproductive Health (2017–2018, 2020–present), Hims Incorporated (2019–present), and Folx Incorporated (2019–present) on topics unrelated to this work. M.R.L. has consulted for Hims Incorporated (2019–present), Folx Incorporated (2019–2021), and Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development and Commercialization, Inc. (2023), on topics unrelated to this work. M.R.C. is on the Clinical Advisory Board of Appa Health and receives honoraria and travel support for talks on behavioral treatment of Tourette syndrome from the Tourette Association of America. None of these engagements influenced or are pertinent to the work described in this article. J.J.P. has served as an expert witness against tobacco companies in lawsuits and has provided consultation to pharmaceutical and technology companies that make medications and other treatments for quitting smoking.
Funding Information
Research reported in this article was funded through a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Award (PPRN-1501-26848) to M.R.L. A.F. was partially supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (Grant No. K23DA039800). J.O.-M. was partially supported by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (Grant No. K12DK111028). M.R.C. was partially supported by a Clinical Research Training Fellowship from the American Academy of Neurology and the Tourette Association of America. E.A.V. was partially supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (K01DA055073).
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