Social Media Use, Sleep, and Suicidality in Adolescents

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Principal Investigator: NICOLE R NUGENT
Organization: BROWN UNIVERSITY
Fiscal Year: 2024
Award: $923,457
Funding agency: National Institute of Mental Health

Project Summary
Adolescent suicide rates have increased over the past two decades, with the recent COVID-19 exacerbating
pre-pandemic risk factors including increases in online social messaging. We propose that online social
messaging for adolescents serves as a “social zeitgeber” (an environmental “time giver” that synchronizes
diurnal rhythm) and that late night online social messaging contributes to delays in sleep onset. Over time,
delays in sleep onset in combination with inability to phase shift the wake time for adolescents, contributes to
impairments in cognitive and emotional capacity for managing daily stress, resulting in overall vulnerability
throughout the day as well as a shift of vulnerability to the evenings when research has shown increases in
adolescent suicidal thoughts and behaviors. The present research longitudinal research will examine these
processes in the real world using a combination of (1) text extraction of online social messaging during the
intensive sampling period, (2) ecological momentary assessment (EMA), and (3) wearable technology in
combination with predictive algorithms. Findings will inform interventions that can range from ecological
momentary interventions to adaptations to interventions such as Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy.

Terms: <12-20 years old><Accident and Emergency department><Active Follow-up><Acute><Adolescence><Adolescent><Adolescent Youth><Affect><Affective><Age><Behavior><Biological Markers><COVID-19><CV-19><Caring><Cognitive><Coronavirus Infectious Disease 2019><Deliberate Self-Harm><Deterioration><Diagnostic><Distress><Diurnal Rhythm><Ecological momentary assessment><Emergency Department><Emergency room><Emotional><Epidemic><Facebook><Feeling suicidal><Hour><Impairment><Individual><Instagram><Intervention><Intervention Strategies><Interview><Knowledge><Linguistic><Linguistics><Link><Measurement><Measures><Mental Health><Mental Hygiene><Methods><Modeling><Negative Valence><Neurobiology><Participant><Patient Self-Report><Pattern><Perception><Phase><Prevention><Procedures><Process><Psychological Health><Research><Risk><Risk Factors><Risk Marker><Role><Sampling><Self-Injurious Behavior><Self-Report><Sleep><Sleep Deprivation><Sleep disturbances><Stress><Structure><Suicidal thoughts><Suicide><Symptoms><Teen><Teenagers><Testing><Text><Text Messaging><Thinking><Time><aberrant sleep><active followup><adolescence (12-20)><adolescent mental health><adolescent suicide><adolescent suicides><ages><bio-markers><biologic marker><biomarker><coronavirus disease 2019><coronavirus disease-19><coronavirus infectious disease-19><deficient sleep><deliberate self harm><disrupted sleep><disturbed sleep><diurnal variation><emotion dysregulation><emotional dysregulation><fatal attempt><fatal suicide><fitbit><follow up><follow-up><followed up><followup><impaired sleep><in vivo><inadequate sleep><innovate><innovation><innovative><insufficient sleep><intent to die><intentional self harm><intentional self injury><interventional strategy><irregular sleep><juvenile><juvenile human><media consumption><media use><neurobiological><post-pandemic><pre-pandemic><prediction algorithm><risk predictor><risk predictors><self harm><self injury><short message service><sleep debt><sleep deficiency><sleep deficit><sleep disruption><sleep dysregulation><sleep health><sleep hygiene><sleep insufficiency><sleep loss><sleep onset><social><social media><social role><suicidal><suicidal adolescent><suicidal adolescents><suicidal behavior><suicidal ideation><suicidal thinking><suicidal youth><suicidal youths><suicidality><suicide behavior><suicide ideation><suicide rate><suicides><teen years><teenage><texting><thoughts><thoughts about suicide><wearable><wearable device><wearable electronics><wearable system><wearable technology><wearable tool><wearables>