The Role of Online Social Support in Mental Health: Comparing Rural and Urban Youth

Social support is essential to development, mental and emotional health, and reducing risk for psychological distress. Youth are exposed to various opportunities for socialization with peers, including through social media. Strong online social networks may be most critical for youth from isolated communities, including those from rural areas or LGBT+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, etc.) youth. With this study, we investigated associations between social media use and online social support among adolescents. Additionally, we compared the online experiences of rural and urban youth. We also examined associations between online social support and psychological functioning and investigated whether the strength of these relationships was moderated by community type (rural versus urban). Finally, we evaluated the online experiences of LGBT+ youth.

Two hundred seventy-five participants (ages 13-19) from seven high schools located in either rural or urban communities completed a paper and pencil survey on their mental health, social media use, and online social support.

Social media use was positively associated with online social support. Rural youth were found to report greater social media use and online social support compared to urban youth. Online social support was not associated with depression or anxiety; community type (rural versus urban) did not moderate the strength of these relationships. LGBT+ youth in rural communities reported greater social media use and support online compared to LGBT+ youth in urban communities.

These findings shed light on the potential positive benefits of social media use as it is related to perceptions of social support among online friends. They demonstrate that interactions online may contribute to stronger support networks within adolescents, particularly among vulnerable youth. Findings suggest social media may increase accessibility to social support for youth who may be at risk for social isolation.