In-person social contact may protect against psychiatric disorders

The results showed that participants who had in-person contact at least a few times per week had about 50 percent lower odds for both major depression and PTSD symptoms, compared with participants who saw friends and family infrequently. The researchers caution that the results cannot prove a direct cause and effect between social contact and better health. While this and other research suggests that social relationships may directly affect health, it may also be that mental health conditions lead to more social isolation.

The frequency of social contact through Facebook did not affect risk for depression or PTSD. Neither in-person nor Facebook interaction frequency affected risk for alcohol use disorder or suicidality for the study group.

The findings line up with previous research. A 2015 study headed by Teo found that in-person social contact lowered the risk of developing depression, but contact via phone, writing, or email did not.

While Facebook contact did not seem to directly affect mental health one way or the other, keeping in touch over social media could have other benefits. The results show that participants who interacted with others more frequently on Facebook also had more in-person social contact. Of participants who used Facebook at least daily, 37 percent also met up with family or friends several times a day. Only 19 percent of those who used Facebook less than daily saw people in-person several times a day.

The researchers point out that this finding refutes the common theory that frequent Facebook users engage in less face-to-face social contact than occasional users.

Social media use has become increasingly common in recent years. The average Facebook user spends 50 minutes per day on the platform. As the researchers explain, “In today’s world, communication with friends and family online–and particularly through social media–is part of daily life.” While the study results suggest that frequent Facebook users are also very social in real life, it is their in-person interactions that seem to guard against psychiatric problems.

Source: Study: In-person, but not online, social contact may protect against psychiatric disorders