Reference: Wolenski, R., & Pettit, J. W. (2023, January 26). Social Media Usage Is Associated With Lower Knowledge About Anxiety and Indiscriminate Use of Anxiety Coping Strategies. Psychology of Popular Media. Advance online publication.https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000456 Anxiety disorders are common among young adults. Where do young adults get information about anxiety disorders? Psychologists investigated whether seeking information on social media is associated with accurate knowledge about anxiety and helpful coping strategies. Psychologists recruited 250 U.S. Amazon MTurk online workers, ages 18–28, to provide demographics, anxiety-related information sources, knowledge of anxiety, social media use patterns, and coping strategies. Results? About half had an anxiety diagnosis, with social media reported frequently as a source for anxiety-related information. Individuals with greater anxiety were more likely to seek information. Some did seek accurate science-based information from the NIMH and Wikipedia. However, the more they used social media, the less accurate knowledge about anxiety they obtained. Thus, they more likely used a mix of adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies. The study underlines the need for seeking evidence-based mental health information, emphasizing the role of mental health professionals in sharing accurate information. While the internet is overflowing with information that AI readily provides, not all is true. If you think that you or a loved one may be suffering from anxiety, seek mental health professional help. Use professional online resources with anxiety science-based techniques.

Written by Jarret Bain B.S.