Subscribe
The latest psychology and neuroscience discoveries.
My Account
  • Mental Health
  • Social Psychology
  • Cognitive Science
  • Psychopharmacology
No Result
View All Result
PsyPost
PsyPost
No Result
View All Result
Home Exclusive Mental Health Addiction

Study links Facebook connections and alcohol use in college-aged females

by University of Georgia
December 7, 2015
in Addiction
Photo credit: Lori Semprevio

Photo credit: Lori Semprevio

[Subscribe to PsyPost on YouTube to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in psychology and neuroscience]

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Researchers at the University of Georgia have found links between certain patterns of connections among Facebook friends and drug and alcohol use among college-aged females.

Using network data extracted from the Facebook accounts of 318 female students at UGA, researchers found that the severity of child physical abuse is associated with how central an individual is in her social network, potentially increasing the risk for alcohol abuse.

Assaf Oshri, a developmental psychologist and assistant professor in the human development and family science department within the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, is the study’s lead author. As director of the college’s Youth Development Lab, Oshri studies the links between childhood experiences and the development of risk behaviors in adolescents and young adults.

“If you try to describe the relationship between early child abuse to risk behavior such as substance abuse, it’s interesting to know that online social networks play a role in this mechanism,” Oshri said. “It’s important to note that this is a correlational study, not experimental, so any causal association should not be made out of this data.”

The data extracted from the students’ social networks, with the consent of the user, was mapped to show unique patterns of connections.

Among the key findings of the study:

  • Students with a history of childhood physical abuse were found to have more densely interconnected groups of Facebook friends, patterns associated with higher risk for alcohol use and problems.
  • Students with a history of childhood sexual abuse were found to have more loosely interconnected groups of Facebook friends, dominated by a few friends. This pattern is associated with decreased alcohol use and problems.
  • Facebook users who were embedded in densely interconnected group of friends were more likely to use alcohol than those in more sparsely connected social networks. In other words, the more a Facebook user’s friends are also friends with one another, the more likely she is to misuse alcohol.
  • Students who were less important or less connected in their own networks were more likely to use alcohol.

“Leveraging social media to understand risk for addiction is a new, emerging frontier,” said James MacKillop, study co-author and director of the Peter Boris Centre for Addictions Research at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada. “Platforms like Facebook provide us with new ways to characterize social networks’ influences on healthy and unhealthy behavior.”

While Oshri noted there are definite limitations to the study, the potential for using online social networks to determine risk and to even create targeted interventions is a possibility.

“Social networks analysis emerges as a powerful methodological tool to better understand the social media peer environment,” said study co-author Itai Himelboim, an associate professor in the UGA Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.

“We know that there is a link between child abuse and risk behaviors,” Oshri said. “It seems like social media might either buffer or assist with it.”

The study appears in the November issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

ShareTweetSendScanShareSharePinSend

STAY CONNECTED

TRENDING

People are less satisfied with their marriage when their partner is not interested in social interactions, study finds

Toxoplasma gondii parasite infection linked to cognitive deterioration in schizophrenia

Narcissism and mental health in relationships: Surprising results revealed in new psychology study

Sleep effort mediates the relationship between anxiety and depression, study finds

New research shows link between tropical vacations and improved mental health

Pro-female and anti-male biases are more influential than race and other factors in Implicit Association Tests

RECENT

Linguistic analysis of 177,296 Reddit comments sheds light on negative attitudes toward science

Are you a frequent apologizer? New research indicates you might actually reap downstream benefits

Pro-female and anti-male biases are more influential than race and other factors in Implicit Association Tests

Toxoplasma gondii parasite infection linked to cognitive deterioration in schizophrenia

New research shows link between tropical vacations and improved mental health

Narcissism and mental health in relationships: Surprising results revealed in new psychology study

Sleep effort mediates the relationship between anxiety and depression, study finds

Masks hinder our ability to recognize facial expressions of sadness and fear

Currently Playing

Are you a frequent apologizer? New research indicates you might actually reap downstream benefits

Are you a frequent apologizer? New research indicates you might actually reap downstream benefits

Are you a frequent apologizer? New research indicates you might actually reap downstream benefits

Social Psychology
People with dark personality traits are better at finding novel ways to cause damage or harm others

People with dark personality traits are better at finding novel ways to cause damage or harm others

Dark Triad
Exercising in nature produces psychological benefits and measurable changes in brain activity

Exercising in nature produces psychological benefits and measurable changes in brain activity

Cognitive Science
People with social anxiety tend to engage in restrictive “safety behaviors” that make them less likable, study finds

People with social anxiety tend to engage in restrictive “safety behaviors” that make them less likable, study finds

Anxiety
Study helps untangle the complicated relationship between psychopathy and emotional awareness

Study helps untangle the complicated relationship between psychopathy and emotional awareness

Psychopathy
People exposed to phubbing by their romantic partner are less satisfied with their romantic relationship

People exposed to phubbing by their romantic partner are less satisfied with their romantic relationship

Relationships and Sexual Health
  • Cognitive Science
  • COVID-19
  • Mental Health
  • Social Psychology
  • Drug Research
  • Conspiracy Theories
  • Meditation
  • Psychology of Religion
  • Aviation Psychology and Human Factors
  • Relationships and Sexual Health
  • Evolutionary Psychology
  • Neuroimaging
  • Psychedelic Drugs
  • Dark Triad
  • Political Psychology

About

PsyPost is a psychology and neuroscience news website dedicated to reporting the latest research on human behavior, cognition, and society. (READ MORE...)

  • Contact us
  • Privacy policy

Subscribe
  • My Account
  • Cognitive Science Research
  • Mental Health Research
  • Social Psychology Research
  • Drug Research
  • Relationship Research
  • About PsyPost
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used.