Social media as a behavioral activation tool, conferring possible protection against suicidal thoughts among adolescents

Objective: Anhedonia is a risk factor for suicidal thoughts. Treatment for anhedonia (behavioral activation) involves engaging in rewarding activities. Social media use is a rewarding activity for adolescents, and thus, a possible behavioral activation tool for adolescents experiencing anhedonia, reducing further symptom escalation (e.g., suicidal thoughts). The current study tested: 1) Is momentary anhedonia negatively associated with looking forward to checking social media (predicted pleasure)? 2) Is momentary anhedonia associated with subsequently experiencing less positive mood on social media (actual pleasure)? 3) Are within-person changes in positive mood on social media (actual pleasure) associated with reduced likelihood of suicidal thoughts, and does this vary by levels of anhedonia? Method: Sixty-two adolescents (Mage = 16.15 (0.97); 49.3% girls, 16.4% boys, 34.4% nonbinary; 40.3% white) completed ecological momentary assessments three times daily for eight weeks. All prompts asked about anhedonia, predicted pleasure from social media, and actual pleasure on social media. Evening prompts assessed daily suicidal thoughts. Multilevel models tested the above research questions. Results: Adolescents experiencing momentary anhedonia above their average levels looked forward to checking social media less. However, more-than-usual momentary anhedonia was not associated with positive mood on social media (actual pleasure). Experiencing above-average positive mood on social media was associated with decreased probability of suicidal thoughts at the daily level. This relationship was not moderated by anhedonia. Conclusion: For adolescents experiencing more-than-usual anhedonia, using social media for positive mood-boosting activities could be a behavioral activation tool and may be an important protective factor against suicidal thoughts.