The Bidirectional Relationships between Social Pressure in Digital Contexts, Depression, and Social Support over Time

Area of Science:

• Digital communication
• Psychological adjustment
• Social well-being

Background:

• Digitalization increases communication demands and social pressure.
• Social pressure is linked to compulsive digital behavior and negative psychological and social adjustment.
• Longitudinal studies are needed to understand the dynamic interplay between digital social pressure and user well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the longitudinal and bidirectional relationships between social pressure in digital contexts, depressive symptoms, and social support.
• To examine how social pressure affects psychological and social adjustment over time.
• To analyze the influence of user adjustment on social pressure in digital environments.

Main Methods:

• A three-wave longitudinal design was employed.
• Random intercept cross-lagged panel models (RI-CLPMs) were utilized.
• The study included 1,878 participants representative of the Spanish internet population.

Main Results:

• Increases in social pressure were associated with higher depressive symptoms over time.
• Increases in social pressure were linked to diminished social support over time.
• Depressive symptoms and social support levels did not predict changes in social pressure.

Conclusions:

• Social pressure in digital contexts adversely impacts users' psychological and social adjustment.
• Digital social pressure appears to be a one-way influence, not significantly affected by user adjustment.
• Findings emphasize the need for context-specific interventions to enhance digital well-being and mitigate negative effects of social pressure.