Dr Joanne Davila a psychology professor and her colleague Lisa Starr, from Stony Brook University in New York, who led the research stated, “There is a wealth of communication technology available to teens today that allows them to talk over and over again about the same emotional difficulties."
The researchers examined the lives of 83, 13-year-old girls, who were accompanied by their parents. They re-examined them after a year. On both occasions, the girls were tested for depressive symptoms. They were also questioned about romantic experiences, like being asked out on a date and having been kissed.
Dr Davila said, “We wanted to start the process at the beginning and follow them over time to see what happens."
The researchers concluded, the girls rather became more depressed, when they discussed more of their romantic ups and downs with their online friends. And they wanted to talk more about more extensive relationships.]
Dr Davila said, "Texting, instant messaging and social networking make it very easy for adolescents to become even more anxious, which can lead to depressiondefine."
Co-rumination, which means excessively talking with another person about problems, including rehashing them and dwelling on the negative feelings associated with them. While this is considered as a factor for strengthening ties, the researchers found that in girls it increased the symptoms of depression and anxiety.
However, sharing problems with female friends, does not necessarily lead to depression. It depends upon what sort of discussions are going on. Are the girls fixating on their problems and helping each other find solutions? But a negative focus can snowball and build up depression, while a positive focus on problem-solving can actually be a useful coping mechanism.
Dr Davila added, "Lots of talking can help if those involved have strong problem-solving skills because it helps them reach a solution and it builds friendships."
Dr Davila advises parents to keep track of what is troubling their daughters and set limits to the lengths of the discussion. “They could change the subject, for example, after helping their daughter sum up how they feel about the problem, or think about more active ways to deal with it.”
The study is reported in The Journal of Adolescence.
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