Activism in the Digital Age: The Link Between Social Media Engagement With Black Lives Matter-Relevant Content and Mental Health

Introduction: Research shows that participation in political activism on social media is linked to psychological stress. Additionally, race-based stress disproportionately affects minorities and is linked to greater psychological symptoms. Yet, the impact of the social media presence of Black Lives Matter (BLM) on mental health has yet to be meaningfully assessed. Methods: This study assessed whether engagement with BLM-related social media vignettes was related to mental health symptoms in two non-clinical samples (total N = 389), using a mixed-methods design. Participants completed an online survey with social media vignettes, self-report inventories of mental health symptoms, and open-ended questions about experiences with and the impact of BLM. Results: Correlations revealed that greater engagement with BLM-related social media posts was related to more severe mental health symptoms. Further, moderation analyses revealed that race significantly moderated the relationship between engagement and anxiety and trauma-related symptoms, such that these relationships were stronger for participants who identified as racial minorities. Qualitative analyses revealed that most participants who were engaged in mental health treatment had not discussed BLM-related topics with their providers, despite many participants reporting disrupted relationships and negative emotions due to exposure to BLM-related social media content. Discussion: Taken together, results suggest that engagement with BLM-related content online is linked to increased mental health symptoms, but these issues are infrequently addressed in treatment. Future research should extend these findings with clinical samples, assess the comfort of therapists in addressing these topics in therapy, and develop interventions to improve mental health in digital activists.