City Research Online

Abstract

In the UK and much of the West, rates of mental-health difficulties amongst young adults have dramatically increased in recent years, some have described this a generational crisis in mental-health (Haidt, 2024). There are many possible causes for this decline in wellbeing, one potential factor that has gathered interest amongst researchers is the rapid rise of smartphone and social media (SM) use. Recent research has shown associations between smartphone use and various forms of psychopathology (Yang et al., 2020), yet, very few studies have actually explored young adults’ experiences of smartphone use and mental-wellbeing. This study aims address this gap in the literature. This study recruited six, 18-25-year-olds who felt their mental-wellbeing was impacted by smartphone use. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore the impacts in depth, data was analysed using interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA), producing 5 main themes. The first theme, ‘Smartphones are complex: You can’t separate the good from the bad’ describes how difficult managing smartphone use is as the positive aspects are often inextricably linked with the negative. The second theme, ‘It’s the seeing it! Comparison to visual media, insecurity exacerbation and identity distress’ explores the detrimental impact idealised profiles on SM and image-editing had on participant wellbeing. The third theme, ‘Revolutionising communication and relationships’ describes the impact of constant connectivity on participant’s wellbeing and relationships. The fourth theme, ‘Connection, freedom and learning: The positives of smartphone use’ explores smartphone’s usefulness, and ability to bond people together. The fifth theme, ‘What you don’t know really does hurt you’ describes the importance of knowing what types of smartphone use are beneficial or harmful to wellbeing, and the difficulties involved in developing and maintaining that awareness. Findings from this study are discussed in relation to preexisting theory and research. Their relevance to counselling psychology is explored as well as implications for clinical practice and future research.

Publication Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology H Social Sciences > HM Sociology
Departments:	School of Health & Medical Sciences > Department of Psychology & Neuroscience School of Health & Medical Sciences > School of Health & Medical Sciences Doctoral Theses Doctoral Theses

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