Assignment task:
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Qualitative/Mixed Methods Critique
Description of the purpose: The purpose of this article is to help us understand how social media impacts depression and adolescent well-being. There has been a simultaneous uprise in mental health issues, and it is estimated that half of them become established by the age of 14. Generalized anxiety disorder and depression are the two most common disorders in children and adolescents. The intention of the article is to inform policy and practice and provide information for further research on the topic (Keles et al., 2019).
Explanation of research design: The research designs used in this article is a systemic review along with a narrative synthesis that examined evidence looking for a meaningful correlation between social media and depression. The studies were cross-sectional, with one being longitudinal.
Discussion of the sample: The sample age group was 13 to 18 years old, and it measured exposure to social media use. The sample group used validated instruments to assess depression, anxiety, and psychological distress using studies published in peer-reviewed journals.
Description of data collection methods: All journal articles from the database searches were combined using Mendeley reference management software. Duplicates were then deleted, and screening was completed to ensure eligibility criteria were met. The quality was assessed using the National Institutes of Health Quality Assessment tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies and rated good, fair, or poor.
Summary of findings: The systemic review found a putative relationship between social media and mental health issues in adolescents during evidence review, although it was not found to be entirely consistent. This review is said to likely be multifactorial, noting it is fair to say there is an association between mental health and social media, but it is not necessarily scientifically valid.
Strengths of the study: The study utilized literature from five databases and narrowed it down to 13 articles being eligible for review. This screening process was specific as it started with 6598 articles, which is a strength when it comes to conciseness and accuracy.
Limitations of the study: Twelve out of the thirteen articles were cross-sectional and unable to determine a causal relationship between the variables of interest as they did not answer the review question. The studies were self-reported measures and may not be accurate and dependable due to risk of bias.
Recommendations regarding potential application for future practice that are insightful and appropriate: A recommendation regarding future practice would be to investigate mediating and moderating factors that may contribute to the relationship of social media and depression. Closing the gaps in literature in regard to methods, study design and sampling would also benefit future research and practice.
References
Keles, B., McCrae, N., & Grealish, A. (2019). A systematic review: The influence of social media on depression, anxiety and psychological distress in adolescents. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 25(1), 79-93.