The association of 'self-monitoring' with depression in help-seeking Facebook users

'Self-monitoring' refers to the extent to which people control how they act in social situations. Some evidence suggests that those with various mental health issues engage in less self-monitoring than those without such issues. In the current study, we investigated the association of (offline and online) self-monitoring with depression in help-seeking Facebook users.

We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of an anonymised dataset generated using the myPersonality Facebook application ( N = 1,857). Participants were those who accessed an application for depressive symptom-reporting that was linked to the myPersonality application.

The odds of depression were 1.85 times greater in low self-monitors than high self-monitors (odds ratio = 1.85; 95% confidence interval (CI) = [1.50, 2.27]). The association remained significant after adjusting for 'big five' personality traits (odds ratio = 1.48; 95% CI = [1.18, 1.86]). In fully adjusted analyses involving different operationalisations of self-monitoring, (1) the odds of depression were 1.38 times greater in low acquisitive self-monitors than high acquisitive self-monitors (odds ratio = 1.38; 95% CI = [1.10, 1.74]) and (2) the odds of depression were 1.48 times greater in low protective self-monitors than high protective self-monitors (odds ratio = 1.48; 95% CI = [1.18, 1.85]).

The utility of self-monitoring in interventions for depression is worthy of investigation. Moreover, the assessment of self-monitoring may offer insights into clients' social skills, motivation and self-awareness.