Social media disorder, ADHD-symptoms, and mental health: Longitudinal investigations of directionality among adolescents

Abstract

Cross-sectional research shows that symptoms of social media disorder (SMD) and symptoms of Attention Defcit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are related. Due to the lack of longitudinal studies, the direction of this relation remains unknown. The present study aims to address this gap by investigating the bidirectional relation between ADHD-symptoms and SMD- symptoms using longitudinal data. Also, the direction of the relation between ADHD-symptoms and frequency of social media use was examined. A three-wave longitudinal study among Dutch secondary school students aged 11 - 15 years was used (n = 543). Findings from a random intercept cross-lagged panel model suggest a unidirectional relation, whereby SMD- symptoms increased ADHD-symptoms over time. Furthermore, no longitudinal associations between frequency of social media use and ADHD-symptoms were found. This implies that disordered use of social media, rather than highly-engaged use of social media, has harmful implications for adolescents' ADHD-symptoms. In addition, bidirectional re- lations between SMD-symptoms and mental health outcomes will be examined, including life satisfaction and depression symptoms. Findings of these studies are considered to be an important step towards understanding the relation between disordered use of social media and adolescent mental health. Promising directions for continuing longitudinal research will be discussed.