A Scoping Review of User Characteristics Moderating the Relationship Between Use of Social Networking Sites and Mental Health

The relationship between social networking sites (SNS) and mental health is influenced by individual user characteristics, making it crucial to understand the nature of this complex interaction. Despite its importance, however, there is a lack of comprehensive reviews synthesizing prior studies on how user characteristics moderate the relationship between usage of SNS and mental health. Therefore, to examine how this issue has been studied in the literature, we conducted a scoping review, focusing on quantitative evidence, including experimental, cross-sectional, longitudinal, and experience-sampling studies. We provide an overview of (a) user characteristics that have been examined as moderators of the relationship between (overall, active, or passive) SNS use and mental health (well-being or ill-being), and (b) methodological and theoretical features of these studies. After conducting a systematic database search, followed by title and abstract screening, full-text review of relevant studies, and an interrater reliability check among three authors, we found 30 journal articles examining 24 unique moderators. We then applied a narrative synthesis approach to describe the findings. Most studies were atheoretical, cross-sectional, and relied on convenience samples. Most moderators (<i>n</i> = 16, 67%) were examined in a single journal article only and for those examined at least twice (gender, social comparison orientation, neuroticism, extraversion, SNS use motives, Fear of missing out, self-esteem, social capital &amp; social support, and age), results were mixed. However, experimental studies revealed that social comparison orientation was the most consistent moderator, aggravating the negative consequences of passive SNS use on mental health. We outline four recommendations for future studies on the conditional effects of SNS use on mental health to resolve existing inconsistencies and deepen our understanding of these conditional effects: (a) improving participant sampling, (b) refining the conceptualization and measurement of key variables, (c) accounting for platform diversity, and (d) incorporating theoretical frameworks.

社交网站（Social Networking Sites, SNS）与心理健康之间的关联受个体用户特征的影响，因此厘清这一复杂交互的本质至关重要。尽管该议题具有重要研究价值，但目前仍缺乏全面的综述，以整合过往关于用户特征如何调节SNS使用与心理健康之间关联的相关研究。为此，为厘清该议题在学界的研究现状，我们开展了一项范围综述（scoping review），聚焦定量研究证据，涵盖实验研究、横断面研究、纵向研究与经验抽样研究。我们从两方面对现有研究进行了概述：(a) 被作为调节变量纳入分析的用户特征，这些特征调节了（总体、主动或被动）SNS使用与心理健康（幸福感或心理困扰）之间的关联；(b) 上述研究的方法论与理论特征。在完成系统性数据库检索、标题与摘要筛选、相关研究的全文审阅，以及三名作者间的评定者间信度检验后，我们最终纳入30篇期刊论文，共涉及24种独特的调节变量。随后我们采用叙事综合（narrative synthesis）的方法对研究结果进行阐述。多数研究缺乏理论支撑，采用横断面研究设计，并依赖便利样本。绝大多数调节变量（n=16，占比67%）仅在一篇期刊论文中得到检验；而对于至少被检验过两次的调节变量——包括性别、社会比较取向、神经质、外向性、SNS使用动机、错失恐惧（Fear of missing out）、自尊、社会资本与社会支持，以及年龄——相关研究结果并不一致。然而，实验研究表明，社会比较取向是最为一致的调节变量，它会加剧被动SNS使用对心理健康产生的负面影响。最后，我们针对未来关于SNS使用对心理健康的条件性效应的研究提出四项建议，以解决现有研究的不一致性并深化对这类条件性效应的理解：(a) 优化被试抽样方案；(b) 细化关键变量的概念界定与测量工具；(c) 考虑平台多样性；(d) 纳入相关理论框架。