Social Media Use, Quality of Life, and Recovery From Depression and Anxiety in Young People From Deprived Urban Areas: A Longitudinal Study in South America

Abstract

Background Young people in South America's deprived urban regions are at heightened risk for mental disorders. High social media engagement (SME) – the intensity of use and emotional connection to social platforms – is associated with depression and anxiety, but its role in symptom persistence or recovery remains unclear. Objective To assess if SME changes in young people from deprived urban areas of South America with depression/anxiety link to improvement of symptoms or quality of life (QoL). Methods A longitudinal study assessed 1280 participants with depression and/or anxiety at baseline. We used the Multidimensional Facebook Intensity Scale (MFIS, SME), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-8, depression), General Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7, anxiety), and Manchester Short Assessment (MANSA, QoL). At 12- and 24-month follow-ups, 1255 and 1013 participants were analyzed. Analyses included descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, ANOVA, and Games–Howell post hoc tests. Findings Higher SME levels were associated with higher depression/anxiety scores at all time points. Participants who reduced or maintained stable SME showed significantly greater improvements in depression and QoL compared to those who increased SME. Conclusions Reducing SME or fostering healthier engagement may be clinically relevant to reduce depression and anxiety risk and improve QoL. Future research should explore intervention efficacy.