Our interdisciplinary published another important study, “Social comparisons, social media addiction, and social interactions: An examination of specific social media behaviors related to major depressive disorder in a Millennial population,” which aimed to identify specific social media behaviors related to major depressive disorder (MDD). Millennials (N = 504) who actively use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and/or Snapchat participated in an online survey assessing major depression and specific social media behaviors. The results identified five key social media factors associated with MDD. Individuals who were more likely to compare themselves to others better off than they were (p = 0.005), those who indicated that they would be more bothered by being tagged in unflattering pictures (p = 0.011), and those less likely to post pictures of themselves along with other people (p = 0.015) were more likely to meet the criteria for MDD. Participants following 300+ Twitter accounts were less likely to have MDD (p = 0.041), and those with higher scores on the Social Media Addiction scale were significantly more likely to meet the criteria for MDD (p = 0.031). Participating in negative social media behaviors is associated with a higher likelihood of having MDD.

You can read our study here, which has also been featured on several news outlets, including Good Morning America (see below) and U.S. News & World Report. 

I am part of an interdisciplinary team exploring the relationship between social media use and well-being. This new study, “Collegiate Binge Drinking and Social Media Use Among Hispanics and Non-Hispanics” sought to better understand students’ social media habits in relation to drinking. An online survey demonstrated that historical binge drinkers had greater intensity scores for Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter, and were more likely to report using social media and alcohol concurrently, even while intoxicated (ps < .05). Compared with Hispanics, non-Hispanics exhibited greater intensity of use for Instagram (ps = .001). Quantity and frequency of alcohol use was positively correlated with intensity scores for Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter (ps < .001), as well as social media addiction (p < .001), and use of social media while drinking and after intoxication (ps < .001). Age at first alcohol use and first intoxication were negatively correlated with use of social media while drinking and after intoxication (ps < .001). The results of this study may inform intervention efforts aimed at curbing hazardous college drinking by highlighting a context in which students could be exposed to harm-reduction messages presented through social media.

In addition to being published in a journal with a high impact factor rating (2.616), this research has been featured on several news outlets, including U.S. News & World Report (see below) and Psychology Today.

I feel so honored to have received one of Texas State University’s highest accolades: the Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching. These presidential awards are intended to recognize and reward superior accomplishments, to provide models of excellence for fellow faculty, and to encourage all faculty to continue to perform, improve and advance their teaching, scholarly/creative activity, and service.

I am excited to share some new workplace wellness research published in Management Communication Quarterly! This study provides insight into how employees make sense of multiple meanings surrounding free wellness time at work. In contrast to other research that focuses on workplace health initiatives that take place outside of work hours, which has found that employees define health differently from management, our study demonstrates how employees talk about wellness through both organizational and employee discourses. Read more here.

Check out my latest publication in the Journal of Health Communication! In this study, our research team, led by Yaguang Zhu, showed the effect that two communicative features–social sharing and social competing–of wearable fitness trackers have on physical exercise. Do you “social networkout?” Read more here.

I am thrilled to share that my work with Ashley Barrett is now published in Communication Monographs. The study examines how conceptions of identity and meaningful work are influenced by Norway’s changing economic and political environment. Through interviews with 27 Norwegian workers, we show how employees safeguarded their traditional, collective workplace values, yet were simultaneously confronted with modern – more masculinized – workplace performances ushered in with the oil era. We hope you enjoy the piece, which you can read here.

My thesis advisee, Vanessa Salazar, and I won the Top Interactive Display Award in the Organizational Communication Division at the International Communication Association Conference! It has been such a pleasure working with Vane, and I’m thrilled our poster was selected as the winner.

Tricia Burke, Yaguang Zhu, and I recently completed a study exploring how work colleagues influence each other’s health behaviors. Specifically, our research employed the social ecological perspective to examine co-worker communication about workplace wellness. We found an indirect effect of colleagues’ social influence on health behaviors through co-worker social support and organizational socialization. This shows that both health-related communication as well as the organizational environment itself are related to employees’ health behaviors. You can read our manuscript, titled “Let’s work out: Communication in workplace wellness programs,” here.

Today I had the pleasure of participating in Texas State’s first Health Scholar Showcase. Recently, I have joined an interdisciplinary team of Texas State faculty and clinicians who are all interested in the intersection of social media and mental health. As technology advances, people are increasingly using social media. Mental health issues are also on the rise, now affecting 1 in 5 US adults. Studies show a relationship between these two phenomena, and clinicians on our team have also reported this link. But, these observations are, of course, anecdotal, and much of the research conducted is correlational and meta-analytic. Our team is dedicated to understanding if there is a causal relationship between social media use and mental health, particularly subclinical ailments, like mild-to-moderate depression. If there is a relationship here, why? Does consuming content lead to mental health issues? Or, does creating content? We know that these are complex questions, and we have assembled a complex team to carry out this innovative research project. I’m so proud to be a part of it!

Excited to share that our publication, titled “Understanding healthcare providers’ professional identification: The role of interprofessional communication in the vocational socialization of physicians,” is published in the new Journal of Interprofessional Education & Practice. This project originated from Brenda MacArthur’s masters thesis at Texas State, advised by Dr. Melinda Villagran. I was thrilled to join them on the project, which shows the crucial role of interprofessional communication—communication between physicians and other healthcare providers-in fostering professional identification among physicians.