Helpful or Harmful? The Different Relationships Between Private Facebook Interactions and Adolescents’ Depressive Symptoms

This study aims to provide greater insight into the role of 2 aspects of online peer interactions-perceived online social support and online corumination-in the short-term longitudinal relationship between private Facebook interactions and adolescents' depressive symptoms. Special attention is given to gender differences. To test our hypotheses, a 2-wave panel study was set up (N-Time1 = 1,840). Using structural equation modeling, results showed that private Facebook interactions were concurrently positively related to boys' and girls' online corumination and online corumination was positively associated with boys' and girls' depressive symptoms. In addition, results revealed that private Facebook interactions were predictive of relative increases in boys' and girls' perceptions of online social support over time (i.e., 6 months later). Perceptions of online social support in turn were predictive of relative decreases in girls' depressive symptoms over time. The discussion focuses on the understanding and implications of these findings.