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Project

Understanding the association between adolescents’ media use and their mental wellbeing: introduction of a proximate vs. remote moderators structure

The literature is unclear about the direction of relationships between media use and adolescents’ mental wellbeing. In some studies, media relate to decreased depressive symptoms, while in others it relates to a lower well-being or even seems to prevent the development of a healthy well-being. This project introduces a dual-conditional model explaining the positive as well as negative role of levels of media use in depressive symptoms. The main hypothesis is that this role may unfold differently depending on one’s processing style of media use, with dampening and enhancing styles as (proximate) moderators that predict how media use, and mood management through media, relate to mental well-being. The hypotheses of this project will go through a rigorous program of studies, consisting of a longitudinal study and a diary study, together allowing to assess the hypothesized associations with different time lags, compare hypothesized models to competing models, and add reciprocal relations. In addition, the main hypothesis will be falsified in a preregistered experimental study. In its process, the project also leads to a conceptualization of moderators in a theoretical structure that distinguishes between levels of moderation. This project will thus not only lead to a more sophisticated understanding of associations between media use and adolescents’ wellbeing, but also contribute to an improved conceptual model for explaining (differential susceptibility to) media effects.

Date:1 Jan 2019 →  31 Dec 2022
Keywords:Media sociology
Disciplines:Educational and school psychology