Mental health self-help accounts on social media often provide tips and strategies for individuals struggling with mental health difficulties to improve mental health outcomes. As mental health poses a public health concern that causes economic and physical problems worldwide, this self-help approach offers a potential solution to help millions of people at risk. In accordance with Technology Acceptance Models, how useful an individual finds a social media account should predict their intent to follow such accounts. Additionally, since social media accounts are highly visual content-driven, aesthetics may be a significant driver of intent to follow social media accounts. The present research examines how feelings of depression moderate the relationship between perceived usefulness of a self-help account and intent to follow the self-help account, as well as perceived aesthetics and intent to follow the self-help account. An online study was conducted with N = 410 participants in which participants were shown both self-help accounts and non-self-help accounts from Instagram. Participants were then asked to rate each account's perceived visual appeal and usefulness and their intent to follow these accounts. Lastly, participants completed a Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and a Temporal Experience of Pleasure Scale (TEPS). Results indicate that while aesthetics and perceived usefulness of self-help social media accounts are positively correlated with intent to follow such accounts, perceived usefulness is the dominating predictor of intent to follow.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ucf.edu/oai:stars.library.ucf.edu:honorstheses-2561 |
| Date | 01 January 2023 |
| Creators | Thai, Quang Hong Phuoc |
| Publisher | STARS |
| Source Sets | University of Central Florida |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Honors Undergraduate Theses |
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