Evaluating Mental Health Information on Social Media: The Role of Literacy and Media Use
Abstract/Description/Artist Statement
Social media has become a primary source of mental health information for college students, yet the credibility of such content varies widely. This study examined whether mental health literacy and social media use predict perceptions of presenter expertise, content credibility, and personal relevance in short social media videos about mental health. A 2 × 3 repeated measures ANCOVA was conducted with presenter type influencer versus expert as a between subjects factor and information type factual, misinformation, and new information as a within subjects factor. Mental health literacy and social media use were included as covariates. Mental health literacy was not significantly associated with perceived presenter expertise, F(1, 293) = 3.17, p = .076, ηp² = .011. However, higher mental health literacy significantly predicted lower perceived content credibility, F(1, 293) = 33.86, p < .001, ηp² = .104, controlling for presenter and information type. Social media use was not significantly related to perceived expertise, F(1, 293) = 2.71, p = .101, ηp² = .009, perceived credibility, F(1, 293) = 1.94, p = .164, ηp² = .007, or personal relevance, F(1, 293) = 2.00, p = .159, ηp² = .007. Findings partially support the prediction that greater mental health literacy is associated with more critical evaluations of content, but do not support the prediction that higher social media use is linked to more favorable perceptions. Results suggest that background knowledge, rather than frequency of social media use, may function as a protective factor in how college students evaluate mental health information online.
Faculty Advisor/Mentor
George Noell, Ph.D.
Faculty Advisor/Mentor Email
gnoell@odu.edu
Faculty Advisor/Mentor Department
Psychology
College/School Affiliation
College of Sciences
Student Level Group
Graduate/Professional
Presentation Type
Poster
Evaluating Mental Health Information on Social Media: The Role of Literacy and Media Use
Social media has become a primary source of mental health information for college students, yet the credibility of such content varies widely. This study examined whether mental health literacy and social media use predict perceptions of presenter expertise, content credibility, and personal relevance in short social media videos about mental health. A 2 × 3 repeated measures ANCOVA was conducted with presenter type influencer versus expert as a between subjects factor and information type factual, misinformation, and new information as a within subjects factor. Mental health literacy and social media use were included as covariates. Mental health literacy was not significantly associated with perceived presenter expertise, F(1, 293) = 3.17, p = .076, ηp² = .011. However, higher mental health literacy significantly predicted lower perceived content credibility, F(1, 293) = 33.86, p < .001, ηp² = .104, controlling for presenter and information type. Social media use was not significantly related to perceived expertise, F(1, 293) = 2.71, p = .101, ηp² = .009, perceived credibility, F(1, 293) = 1.94, p = .164, ηp² = .007, or personal relevance, F(1, 293) = 2.00, p = .159, ηp² = .007. Findings partially support the prediction that greater mental health literacy is associated with more critical evaluations of content, but do not support the prediction that higher social media use is linked to more favorable perceptions. Results suggest that background knowledge, rather than frequency of social media use, may function as a protective factor in how college students evaluate mental health information online.