Impact of social media on triggering nonsuicidal self-injury in adolescents: a comparative ambulatory assessment study
Abstract Background Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a prevalent and concerning behavior among adolescents, often triggered by negative interpersonal events. As social media is essential in the daily life of adolescents, gaining a better understanding of the impact of negative online events on NSSI...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40479-025-00280-9 |
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| author | Andreas Goreis Dorothy Chang Diana Klinger Heidi-Elisabeth Zesch Bettina Pfeffer Sofia-Marie Oehlke Ulrich W. Ebner-Priemer Laurence Claes Paul L. Plener Oswald D. Kothgassner |
| author_facet | Andreas Goreis Dorothy Chang Diana Klinger Heidi-Elisabeth Zesch Bettina Pfeffer Sofia-Marie Oehlke Ulrich W. Ebner-Priemer Laurence Claes Paul L. Plener Oswald D. Kothgassner |
| author_sort | Andreas Goreis |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a prevalent and concerning behavior among adolescents, often triggered by negative interpersonal events. As social media is essential in the daily life of adolescents, gaining a better understanding of the impact of negative online events on NSSI urges and behaviors, distinct from that of real-life events, is warranted. Methods We recruited 25 adolescents with a history of NSSI and 25 healthy controls. Participants reported on their stress, affect, and NSSI urges four times daily over seven days using ambulatory assessment. We examined the immediate effects of negative events in real-life and on social media on these psychological outcomes. Results In adolescents who engage in NSSI, negative events on social media were positively associated with perceived stress, negative affect, and NSSI urges to a greater extent than real-life negative events. However, NSSI events during the sampling period were mostly triggered by real-life events. While the frequency of social media use was generally similar between groups, those with NSSI reported experiencing more negative events on social media. Conclusions Our findings highlight the significant impact of social media on the mental health of adolescents who engage in NSSI, possibly exacerbating stress and negative affect more than real-life events. These results underscore the need for targeted interventions addressing online interactions to mitigate NSSI behaviors and improve adolescent mental health. Trial registration This study has been registered at the German Clinical Trials Register (ID: DRKS00025905, https://drks.de/search/en/trial/DRKS00025905 ). |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6805d8a168d44f37a5960121d1c821ee |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2051-6673 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation |
| spelling | doaj-art-6805d8a168d44f37a5960121d1c821ee2025-02-02T12:09:21ZengBMCBorderline Personality Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation2051-66732025-01-0112111210.1186/s40479-025-00280-9Impact of social media on triggering nonsuicidal self-injury in adolescents: a comparative ambulatory assessment studyAndreas Goreis0Dorothy Chang1Diana Klinger2Heidi-Elisabeth Zesch3Bettina Pfeffer4Sofia-Marie Oehlke5Ulrich W. Ebner-Priemer6Laurence Claes7Paul L. Plener8Oswald D. Kothgassner9Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Medical University of ViennaDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Medical University of ViennaDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Medical University of ViennaDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Medical University of ViennaDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Medical University of ViennaDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Medical University of ViennaInstitute of Sports and Sport Sciences, Karlsruhe Institute of TechnologyClinical Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU LeuvenDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Medical University of ViennaDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Medical University of ViennaAbstract Background Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a prevalent and concerning behavior among adolescents, often triggered by negative interpersonal events. As social media is essential in the daily life of adolescents, gaining a better understanding of the impact of negative online events on NSSI urges and behaviors, distinct from that of real-life events, is warranted. Methods We recruited 25 adolescents with a history of NSSI and 25 healthy controls. Participants reported on their stress, affect, and NSSI urges four times daily over seven days using ambulatory assessment. We examined the immediate effects of negative events in real-life and on social media on these psychological outcomes. Results In adolescents who engage in NSSI, negative events on social media were positively associated with perceived stress, negative affect, and NSSI urges to a greater extent than real-life negative events. However, NSSI events during the sampling period were mostly triggered by real-life events. While the frequency of social media use was generally similar between groups, those with NSSI reported experiencing more negative events on social media. Conclusions Our findings highlight the significant impact of social media on the mental health of adolescents who engage in NSSI, possibly exacerbating stress and negative affect more than real-life events. These results underscore the need for targeted interventions addressing online interactions to mitigate NSSI behaviors and improve adolescent mental health. Trial registration This study has been registered at the German Clinical Trials Register (ID: DRKS00025905, https://drks.de/search/en/trial/DRKS00025905 ).https://doi.org/10.1186/s40479-025-00280-9Nonsuicidal self-injuryAmbulatory assessmentSocial mediaInterpersonal stressAdolescents |
| spellingShingle | Andreas Goreis Dorothy Chang Diana Klinger Heidi-Elisabeth Zesch Bettina Pfeffer Sofia-Marie Oehlke Ulrich W. Ebner-Priemer Laurence Claes Paul L. Plener Oswald D. Kothgassner Impact of social media on triggering nonsuicidal self-injury in adolescents: a comparative ambulatory assessment study Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation Nonsuicidal self-injury Ambulatory assessment Social media Interpersonal stress Adolescents |
| title | Impact of social media on triggering nonsuicidal self-injury in adolescents: a comparative ambulatory assessment study |
| title_full | Impact of social media on triggering nonsuicidal self-injury in adolescents: a comparative ambulatory assessment study |
| title_fullStr | Impact of social media on triggering nonsuicidal self-injury in adolescents: a comparative ambulatory assessment study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impact of social media on triggering nonsuicidal self-injury in adolescents: a comparative ambulatory assessment study |
| title_short | Impact of social media on triggering nonsuicidal self-injury in adolescents: a comparative ambulatory assessment study |
| title_sort | impact of social media on triggering nonsuicidal self injury in adolescents a comparative ambulatory assessment study |
| topic | Nonsuicidal self-injury Ambulatory assessment Social media Interpersonal stress Adolescents |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40479-025-00280-9 |
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