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Abstract
Mental health is an increasingly prevalent topic of public interest, but remains a complex area requiring focused research that must account for negative perceptions surrounding mental health issues. The current work explores the roles of social media information source credibility and valence of social media comments on health outcomes in such a mental health context. We used a 2 (message source: professional vs. layperson) × 3 (valence of comments: positive vs. negative vs. mixed) online experiment to examine the effects of source and valence of comments on trust, attitudes and intentions related to mental health information and services among 422 undergraduate students. Results supported the hypothesized model in which source influenced cognitive trust while comments influenced affective trust. Cognitive and affective trust both impacted attitudes towards mental health information which encourages the intention to share such information on social media. Additionally, affective trust impacted attitudes towards mental services which influenced intentions to seek them out. Source and valence of comments on social media impact different behavioral intentions regarding the use of mental health services. This study provides insights for future social media campaigns promoting mental health service use.
Highlights
1 in 5 of all adults in the United States, approximately 46.6 million people, experienced mental illness in 2017 [1]
We evaluated the effects of different social media sources and the valence of comments on cognitive trust, affective trust, attitudes toward social media posts on health information, attitudes toward mental health services, behavioral intention to share mental health information on social media, and behavioral intention to use mental health services in the future
The results of our analysis indicate three sets of primary findings: (1) first, mental health posts delivered by professional sources were deemed as credible sources of information, while comments demonstrating positive or negative valence were associated with emotion-driven affective trust; (2) both cognitive and affective forms of trust were positively associated with one’s attitudes towards the mental health information delivered in the Facebook posts, which in turn promoted in individuals a greater intention to share the mental health information on social media; (3) only elevated affective trust positively impacted one’s attitudes towards mental health services, which in turn promoted in individuals a greater intention to actively use mental health services
Summary
1 in 5 of all adults in the United States, approximately 46.6 million people, experienced mental illness in 2017 [1]. Young adults have the highest prevalence of any mental illness (25.8%) [1], making it one of the greatest health concerns for this population. While mental health or mental illness may refer to a range of disorders and conditions (e.g., anxiety, depression, schizophrenia), it is often incorrectly perceived as less important than physical health due to its lack of visual symptoms [2]. The consequences of lack of treatment of mental illness include serious health concerns, such as high risk for chronic medical conditions and suicide. Only 41% of those with a mental illness have sought treatment [3]. Low rates of utilization of mental health services may be attributed to an unwillingness to seek treatment due to distrust or negative attitudes towards such services
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