Abstract
Purpose
To determine acceptability, preferred communication medium, and other key considerations
for intervention by friends, professors or resident advisors, and strangers in response
to college students' references to depression on the social networking site Facebook.
Methods
Facebook profiles belonging to 18- to 19-year-old students (n = 60) at a large public
university were evaluated for references to depression. In-person, structured interviews
assessed how students would prefer to be approached by a friend, professor or resident
advisor, or stranger if that person saw displays of depression on the student's Facebook
page. We coded interview transcripts for approach acceptability, communication medium,
and emerging themes. We used chi-square tests to assess differences between depression
displayers and non-displayers.
Results
The sample was 60% female with a mean age of 18.5 years. All students were accepting
of intervention approaches by friends. Most (93%) were accepting of an approach by
known adults. Approximately half would accept an approach by a stranger, but this
proportion was 26% lower among those who had displayed depression references on Facebook
than among non-displayers (p = .072). In-person communication was preferred for approaches made by friends and
adults. E-mail or using a student's friend as an intermediary was preferred if a stranger
were to intervene.
Conclusions
In-person communication from friends or trusted adults is the preferred means for
raising concerns about a student's signs of depression displays on Facebook. Programs
that encourage resident advisors and peers to respond in this manner and encourage
treatment may represent a way to improve access to care for depression.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
September 30,
2012
Received:
June 14,
2012
Identification
Copyright
© 2013 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
