Pupils’ Use of Social Media and Its Relation to Mental Health from a School Personnel Perspective: A Preliminary Qualitative Study

Gunnhild Johnsen Hjetland, Viktor Schønning, Bodil Elisabeth Valstad Aasan, Randi Træland Hella and Jens Christoffer Skogen
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Gunnhild Johnsen Hjetland: Department of Health Promotion, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, 5015 Bergen, Norway
Viktor Schønning: Department of Health Promotion, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, 5015 Bergen, Norway
Bodil Elisabeth Valstad Aasan: HUNT Research Centre, Department of Public Health and Nursing, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7600 Levanger, Norway
Randi Træland Hella: Department of Work, Social Services and Housing, Section for Children, Families and Disabled, 5020 Bergen, Norway
Jens Christoffer Skogen: Department of Health Promotion, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, 5015 Bergen, Norway

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 17, 1-15

Abstract: The extent of mental health problems among adolescents seems to be on the rise, and this observed trend has often been linked to a coinciding increase in social media use. The goal of the current preliminary study was to investigate how senior high school personnel experience the role of social media in relation to the mental health of their pupils. Two focus group interviews (total n = 11) were completed and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis, resulting in 4 themes and 11 subthemes. The results illustrate that school personnel experience social media as a tool for communication, but also as a potential cause of mental health issues and reduced academic performance among pupils. The participants called for schools to become better equipped to meet the opportunities and challenges of social media.

Keywords: social media; mental health; adolescents; focus group study (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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