Interpersonal conflicts, social media use and depression associated with protests

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Psychology
• Public Health

Background:

• Social protests have increased globally in the 21st century.
• These events are increasingly associated with adverse mental health consequences.
• Understanding the specific factors linking protests to mental health is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the association between interpersonal conflicts, social media use, and depression.
• To investigate these associations in a prospective cohort before, during, and after major social protests in Hong Kong.
• To determine the long-term mental health impacts of protest-related conflicts and media consumption.

Main Methods:

• A 15-year prospective cohort study involving 1,044-17,000 adults.
• Data collected at 23 time points, encompassing periods before, during, and after two major Hong Kong protests (2014 and 2019).
• Assessed interpersonal conflicts, social media usage (hours per day on politics-related content), and depressive outcomes.

Main Results:

• Interpersonal conflicts were reported more frequently during the 2019 unrest (32.4%) compared to 2014 (11.6-27.5%).
• Interpersonal conflicts showed a long-term association with depressive outcomes, persisting over 13 years (OR=1.49).
• Heavy social media use (≥2 hours/day) was positively associated with both interpersonal conflicts and depression during the 2019 unrest.

Conclusions:

• Protests are associated with long-term depression, primarily mediated by sustained interpersonal conflicts.
• Heavy social media use may exacerbate the link between social unrest and depression.
• Providing social support is vital for mitigating the mental health impact on individuals affected by social unrest and conflicts.