Abstract
Objective
This study investigated the relations of adolescent and parent reports of adolescents’ aggression and victimization on social media with self-perception (e.g., self-esteem, narcissism) and psychosocial adjustment (e.g., attention problems, conduct problems, anxiety, depression).
Method
The sample consisted of 428 participants (214 parent–adolescent dyads) from the United States, with adolescents ranging from 14 to 17 years of age.
Results
The majority of adolescents and parents reported that the adolescents had not engaged in social media aggression or experienced victimization; however, nearly one-third of parents reported that they were “unsure.” Those involved in such online interactions tended to demonstrate a variety of psychosocial difficulties. Specifically, parent- and adolescent-reported aggression were associated with parent-reported inattention, oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) symptoms, anxiety and depressive symptoms, as well as adolescent-reported narcissism, loneliness, fear of missing out (FoMO), and lower self-esteem. Adolescent-reported victimization was associated with many parent-reported indicators of adjustment as well as adolescent-reported loneliness, FoMO, and lower self-esteem.
Conclusions
Social media aggression and victimization were related to a variety of indicators of adolescent self-perception and adjustment. Importantly, adolescents who reported experiencing social media aggression and victimization tended to be viewed by their parents as more maladjusted. Implications for further research on the developmental trajectories of these relations are discussed.
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C.T.B.: designed the study, secured IRB approval, conducted analyses, and assisted in writing the paper. S.M.B.: assisted with the literature review and writing the paper. C.L.S.: assisted in designing the study and assisted in writing the paper.
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All procedures performed in this study were approved by the Institutional Review Board at Washington State University. All procedures were also conducted in accordance with APA Ethical Standards and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
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All parents provided informed consent for their participation and permission for their adolescents to be contacted about the study. All adolescent participants provided voluntary assent for their participation.
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Barry, C.T., Briggs, S.M. & Sidoti, C.L. Adolescent and Parent Reports of Aggression and Victimization on Social Media: Associations With Psychosocial Adjustment. J Child Fam Stud 28, 2286–2296 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-019-01445-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-019-01445-1
Keywords
- Social media
- Aggression
- Victimization
- Adolescence
- Psychosocial adjustment