青少年网络自我表露与抑郁:社会支持的性别效应

Adolescents' Online Self-disclosure and Depression: Gender Effect of Social Support

本研究旨在探讨青少年网络自我表露对抑郁的作用机制及作用机制的性别差异。采用问卷法调查了667名初中生。结果显示,女生对同性好友的网络自我表露对抑郁存在正向的间接效应和负向的直接效应,而男生对同性好友的网络自我表露只有正向的间接效应;女生对异性好友的网络自我表露仅有负向的直接效应,男生对异性好友的网络自我表露仅有正向的间接效应。研究表明青少年网络自我表露通过社会支持对抑郁的作用机制存在性别差异。

Nowadays, depression is a serious symptom in adolescents. In China about 73.2% adolescents suffer from depression. Depression could affect adolescents＇ mental health, social adaptation, and interpersonal relationship. Recently, a recta-analysis has reported that self-disclosure is a protective factor for adolescents＇ depression. This meta-analysis has also reported that, the effect of media on adolescents＇ depression is small. That means there may be a complex relationship between adolescents＇ media use and depression. Thus we should investigate the effect of specific cyber behavior on adolescents＇ depression. Previous study has found self-disclosure can decrease individuals＇ depression or buffer the effect of peer-victimization on depression. With the development of information technology, online self-disclosure is a common daily life-style of adolescents. As cyber space is a safety environment for adolescents disclosing themselves, especially for those with low self-esteem, depression, and social withdrawal. Studies have found there is positive relationship between online self-disclosure and depression. Adolescents always see online self-disclosure as a way of depression remission. Other studies have found that adolescents who disclose self-related information online want to search and gain social support. Based on the self-disclosure process model, self-disclosure as a distal factor that can enhance mental health via social support. To sum up, the present study puts forward the hypothesis that adolescents＇ online self-disclosure is positively associated with depression. Online self-disclosure can predict depression via social support indirectly as well. Self-disclosure is a target focus behavior. Studies have found different disclosure targets can affect the degree of self-disclosure. Besides, the degree of self-disclosure and online self-disclosure has gender differences. Based on these, the present study explores the gender differences of the relationship between online self-disclosure and depression. In order to test these hypotheses and research questions, the present study surveyed 667 adolescents from two Chinese provinces （Mean age = 13.03, SD = .70）. All adolescents completed the questionnaires on online self-disclosure, social support, and depression. The online self-disclosure asked the adolescents to assess the degree of their online self-disclosure to the same-gender vs. to the opposite-gender friends. All questionnaires had good reliability and validity. Data had no serious common method bias. Results showed that, online self-disclosure and depression had significant gender differences. Specifically, girls had higher degree of online self- disclosure to the same-gender friends than boys, and boys had higher degree of online self-disclosure to the opposite-gender friends than girls. Girls had higher degree of depression than boys. Path analysis revealed that there was no significant direct effect of online self-disclosure, both to the same- and opposite-gender friends, on depression, but when considering social support, both to the same-and opposite-gender friends, online self-disclosure had positively direct effect and negatively indirect effect on depression. Model comparison revealed that when disclosing to the same-gender friends online, boys only had negatively indirect effect on depression, but girls had both positively direct effect and negatively indirect effect on depression. When disclosing to the opposite-gender friends, boys also only had negatively indirect effect on depression, girls only had positively direct effect on depression. The present study concluded that the effects of online self-disclosure on depression via social support had gender differences. The study results can help researchers to understand the relation between adolescents＇ online self-disclosure and depression.