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Facebook use may increase female adolescent depression
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Sarah Perez of ReadWriteWeb, reported on some recent research that linked Facebook usage with adolescent female anxiety and depression. Not that there necessarily is a direct causal link, but according to Dr. Joanne Davila and doctoral candidate Lisa Starr, girls that use, texting, instant messaging and social networking, have an easier way to keep stuck rehashing the same topic over and over without a sense of resolution. Psychologists call this excessive discussion of a problem, "co-rumination."
Perez in her article rightly wonders if this is just normal adolescent behavior enlisting a different communication tool. I think the difference might be, that you can more frequently and privately ruminate using social media. Parents in the past may have had it easier putting limits on phone use when there was only one phone per household and no computer instant messaging. Now teens have more access to their friends without parental knowledge and their usage may be a contributing factor that distracts them from having other interests outside of their "problems." Conversely the overexposure and lack of privacy with peers, may also contribute to co-rumination.
Another issue with this particular study is that 83 girls is a pretty poor sample size. They also used Dr. Amanda Rose's survey which was initially used in a study of 813 boys and girls ages 8-15, which was designed to study co-rumination; not the delivery source of communication.
In Rose's study, that was published in July of 2007, she found that children who already had emotional difficulties were more likely to ruminate. Therefore it might not have as much to do with the methods of contact, but more about communication styles and temperament. A child who worries will likely use many delivery systems to support that behavior.
Here’s what parents can take away from these types of studies: Your child could have a good supportive network of friends and still be depressed or anxious. Talking about things is good and helpful, but friends may not have the life skills and experience to help their friends work through their difficulties.
Teens are beginning to expand their world and therefore are finding they don’t have total control over their environment. This is part of growing up, but disappointing when you don’t always get your way.
We are a culture that bonds over our difficulties. Teens and younger kids may find it hard to share their success with one another because they are afraid of being rejected. It is a lot easier to discuss and ruminate over the guy in your algebra class than to “brag” about your lead in the school play.
Everyone wants to be liked and some teens feel more “likeable” with problems. It is great to get support and be the center of attention even if your behavior gets obsessive and you begin to feel worse.
Teach your teen how to problem solve and how to healthfully distract from rumination. You can do this directly, or by modeling with your own behavior. Some ways to this are : set a limit on rumination – 30minutes tops ( most loose interest way before that if it is timed,) distract by pleasurable activities – exercise, listening to music and participating in pleasurable activities. Ask does this problem have a solution or do I need to move on?
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