Open AccessExperience of Peer Bloggers Using a Social Media Website for Adolescents With Depression or Anxiety: Proof-of-Concept Study
Author(s) -
Sana Karim,
Kimberly Hsiung,
Maria Symonds,
Ana Radovic
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
jmir formative research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2561-326X
DOI - 10.2196/26183
Subject(s) - loneliness , mental health , social media , anxiety , usability , intervention (counseling) , psychology , depression (economics) , clinical psychology , medicine , psychiatry , world wide web , human–computer interaction , computer science , economics , macroeconomics
Background Supporting Our Valued Adolescents (SOVA) is a moderated and anonymous social media website intervention. SOVA ambassadors are adolescents and young adults (AYA) asked to write monthly blog posts and comments on others’ posts on topics surrounding mental health. Objective This study aims to understand the feasibility and acceptability of peer blogging for a moderated mental health intervention website and explore whether bloggers—AYA who self-report symptoms of depression and anxiety—experience potential benefits. Methods AYA aged 14 to 26 years with a self-reported history of depression or anxiety were recruited to the SOVA Peer Ambassador Program. Participants were asked to write one blog post a month and comment at least four times a month on other blog posts, for which they were compensated for up to US $15 monthly. Outcome variables measured at baseline and 3 months after intervention included website usability and feasibility, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, mental health treatment history, cybercoping, personal blogging style, self-esteem, loneliness, mental health stigma, social support, and positive youth development characteristics. Open-ended questions were asked about their blogging acceptability and usability. Results Of 66 AYA showing interest and completing onboarding, 71% (47/66) wrote at least one blog post, with an average of 3 posts per person. A sample of 51% (34/66) of participants completed a 3-month survey for the full analysis. Almost all 34 participants were satisfied with the experience of blogging (32/34, 94%) and rated the website usability as good (80.1, SD 14.9). At 3 months, self-esteem scores increased by 2.1, with a small-medium effect size ( P =.01; Cohen d =0.45), and youth competence and confidence increased by 0.7 ( P =.002) and 1.3 ( P =.002), with medium effect sizes (Cohen d =0.62 and 0.60), respectively. Conclusions A blogging intervention for AYA with a history of depression or anxiety was feasible with regular and active engagement and shows evidence in a one-sample design for positive changes in strength-based assets—self-esteem, competence, and confidence—which map onto resilience.