An experimental investigation of adolescent and young adult responses to stigmatizing and supportive social media posts in response to a depressed peer

Abstract

Mental disorders and their stigmatization is common among young people. The present independent groups experiment explored mental disorder stigma on social media. Study 1 examined adolescents aged 13–17 (140 participants; 90 female). Study 2 examined young adults aged 18–25 (485 participants; 274 female). All participants read a vignette describing a character with symptoms of depression, and were then randomized to read social media comments that were stigmatizing or supportive of the character. Personal stigma, perceived levels of stigma in society, previous contact with mental disorders, and behavioral intentions in response to the comments were then collected. Linear regression analyses indicated that adolescents and young adults in the stigmatizing (vs supportive) condition perceived significantly higher levels of stigma in society, while young adults in close contact with mental disorders also perceived higher levels of stigma in society. Further regression analyses found that male young adults displayed higher levels of personal stigma than females, though this difference was not observed among the adolescents. Intent to provide support to the vignette character was prevalent in both studies. Binary logistic regressions found that adolescents and young adults with lower levels of personal stigma were significantly more likely to intend support. Experimental condition also predicted support intentions among young adults, with those in the stigmitizing condition more likely to indicate intentions to provide support. Findings provide novel insight into the complexities of stigma among adolescents and young adults.