(PS9-D95) Instagram Use and Social Comparison in the Context of the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide

Social media use is increasing rapidly among young adults and recent research has indicated that greater social media use has been associated with negative mental health outcomes including suicidality (Berryman, 2018). Due to the highly interpersonal nature of social media, social comparison (comparing one’s accomplishments, situation, or experiences with others) is very common (Vogel, 2014). Furthermore, social comparison is associated with negative mental health outcomes and decreased social support (Reer, 2019; Halbesleben, 2006).

The Interpersonal Theory of Suicide posits that interpersonal factors, specifically perceived burdensomeness (PB) and thwarted belongingness (TB), increase suicidal ideation (SI; Van Orden et al., 2010). Considering the relationship between social media use, social comparison, and social support, we hypothesized that there would be an indirect effect of daily usage of Instagram on SI through social comparison and TB, with higher daily Instagram use associated with greater social comparison, greater comparison associated with higher TB, and higher TB associated with more severe SI.

We examined these relationships in a sample of 386 young adults who reported using Instagram at least once per week. Social comparison, TB, PB, and SI were assessed via self-report measures while Instagram use data was collected directly via participants’ Instagram profiles through use of the “daily average” metric.

There was not a significant direct effect of average daily Instagram use on SI (β = .0025, p > .05). However, as predicted, there was a significant indirect effect of average daily Instagram use on SI through social comparison and TB, CI[.0001-.0016]. There was a significant association between average daily Instagram use and social comparison (r = .123, p </em>< .05), but not between Instagram use and TB (p > .05).

The results of our study indicate that social comparison and TB play important roles in the relationship between Instagram usage and SI. Our results add to a burgeoning literature that indicates that social media use, per se, may not directly lead to negative mental health outcomes, but how one interacts with social media (e.g., by engaging in social comparison) may be particularly important. Future work is needed to determine causal relationships among these variables but examining and reducing social comparison on social media may represent a promising avenue for reducing negative mental health outcomes in young adults.