2 - (SYM 91) Daily Associations Between Emotional Responses to Social Media, Affect, and Suicidal Ideation: A Granular Approach

Background: Social media use (SMU) can elicit both positive and negative responses while using it. However, the extent to which these responses are associated with daily emotions (positive and negative affect) and whether these emotions are in turn associated with suicidal ideation (SI) is not well understood. The current study examined daily within-person associations between negative and positive emotional responses to social media, affect, and SI.

Methods: Participants (N = 53) were 14-17 years old (M = 16.04) and most of the participants identified as girls (86%). The sample was diverse in terms of racial identity (45% identified as Black, Asian, or Biracial), and both sexual orientation and gender identity (60% LGBTQIA+). Participants completed eight weeks of daily surveys, where they reported positive affect (PA: happiness, satisfaction, hopefulness), negative affect (NA: worry, irritability, loneliness), SI, and emotional responses to SMU that were positive (e.g., supported or encouraged by others) and negative (e.g., comparing oneself to others). Multi-level modeling was conducted to evaluate within-person fluctuations in positive and negative responses to SMU and associations with PA and NA, and whether daily associations between PA/NA were associated with SI.

Results: Within-person decreases in negative emotional responses to SMU (b = -0.43, p < .001) and individual increases in positive emotional responses to SMU (b = 0.69, p < .001) were significantly associated higher PA on that day, which was, in turn, associated with a reduced likelihood of SI (b = -0.37, p < .001). Further, individual daily decreases in positive emotional responses to SMU (b = -0.28, p < .001) and increases in negative emotional responses to SMU (b = 0.84, p < .001) were associated with higher NA that day, which was associated with SI (b = 0.27, p < .001). The patterns of within-person associations were consistent between global affect (PA/NA) and granular affect.

Discussion: The current study provides evidence that emotional responses to SMU are associated with daily affect. On days when adolescents had greater positive emotional responses to SMU, they also endorsed greater PA and lower NA. When adolescents had greater negative emotional responses to SMU, they also endorsed higher NA and lower PA. Daily NA and PA fluctuations were then, in turn, associated with SI. These results not only demonstrate affect-congruent responses to SMU, but also provide possible avenues that SMU may promote or diminish well-being and heighten risk for SI.