Greenwood 1

Amelia Greenwood

Professor Lindsey Slanker

English Composition 1201-509

25 October 2019

Annotated Bibliography

Bahrampour, Tara. “Mental Health Problems Rise Significantly among Young Americans.” The

Washington Post, WP Company, 16 Mar. 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/local/social-

issues/mental-health-problems-rise-significantly-among-young-

americans/2019/03/14/5d4fffe8-460c-11e9-90f0-0ccfeec87a61_story.html. Accessed 16

Oct. 2019.

In the article published by the Washington Post on March 16, 2009, “Mental Health

Problems Rise Significantly Among Young Americans” by Tara Bahrampour, the author addresses

the rise in mental illnesses in adolescents by using studies done by the American Psychological

Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to link the rise in adolescent use

of technology and the rise in mental health disorders. In the survey done by the American

Psychological Association, the results show a drastic increase in symptoms of major depressive

disorder in adolescents who range from twelve to seventeen years old. Bahrampour also discusses

the surgery done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; in this survey, they found that

the increase in rates of depression, suicidal thoughts and actions , and psychological distress could

be linked to the increase of time that each adolescent spent on social media and the lack of sleep

that each child is getting. The article includes direct quotes from various professors and
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psychologist that further enforce the theory that mental health is impacted by one’s use of social

media and technology. Bahrampour writes that the increased use of social media contributes to the

additional stress that each adolescent encounter due to the sense of competition to be better that

one’s peers regarding social media postings.

Tara Bahrampour writes this article for the parents and guardians of adolescent’s in hopes

of informing each adult on the impact that social media can have on one’s self esteem. Due to the

publication in the Washington Post, a well-known and trusted journal, the possibility of the readers

considering the topic discussed as a threat to their adolescent’s is higher than if the article was

published in a less read and trusted magazine.

Based on the well-known scientific studies, the credentials of each person interviewed and

the biography of the author, this article is reliable. Throughout the article, Bahrampour cites the

study done by the American Psychological Association and the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention (CDC). The CDC is a government federal agency and the American Psychological

Association is the largest scientific and professional organization composed of psychologist,

scientist and educators. These two organizations are well known and trusted due to their reputation

in society. Jean Twenge, a professor at San Diego State University, a psychologist, author and a

public speaker, was interviewed and commented about the drastic expansion regarding the number

of teens actively using social media daily. The author, Tara Bahrampour, is an author, professor at

New York University and a journalist since 2004.

The information found in this article will provide statistics about adolescent mental health

and technology use that can be used in regards understanding the drastic impact that social media

has on one’s mental health.

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Blomqvist, Ida, et al. “Increase of Internalized Mental Health Symptoms among Adolescents

during the Last Three Decades.” Oxford Academic, Oxford University Press, 11 Mar. 2019,

https://academic.oup.com/eurpub/article/29/5/925/5374731?searchresult=1. Accessed 18

Oct. 2019.

“Increase of Internalized Mental Health Symptoms Among Adolescents During the Last

Three Decades” written by Ida Blomqvist and others, was published by the European Journal of

Public Health in March of 2019 provided a study about the drastic growth of mental illnesses in

adolescents. In this study, the authors survey European students in 1981 and 2014. In each of the

survey’s they created a grading rubric in order to assess the mental health of each student. This

report shows quantitative data showing that the mental illnesses in children were higher in the

study conducted in 2014 when compared to the 1981 study. In 2014, sixty-eight percent of all

students showed depressive symptoms and thirty-two percent showed anxiety symptoms. This is

significantly higher than the results of the 1981 survey that showed that forty-eight percent of

students showed depressive symptoms and twelve percent showed symptoms for anxiety. The

report includes the reasoning behind the survey, how the questionnaire given to each student was

scored, and the results of the survey.

The purpose of this article and study is to inform all readers about the increase of mental

illness in adolescents when comparing students from 1981 to 2014. This article is a scientific report

and is written for other scholars and psychologist. Based on the publication by the European

Journal of Public Health, the article is regarded with more respect and trust due to the reviewing

process that the organization has in place before publication.

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Each author is a Swedish psychologist from the Department of Public Health and Caring.

They directly state previous studies done and the various popular methods used for scoring mental

health illnesses. This article is published by the European Journal of Public Health, a peer-

reviewed journal published by the well-known Oxford University, thus increasing its credibility.

The information found in the study will be useful when providing specific numbers about

the increase in mental health of adolescents around the world, not directed at the United States.

The question relating to the specific mental illnesses will be answered due to the data collected in

the report. In the report, the scientists specifically look at depression and anxiety symptoms.

“Depressive Disorders, Bipolar Disorders, and Suicidality.” Disorders of Childhood Development

and Psychopathology, by Robin Hornik Parritz and Michael F Troy, Third ed., Cengage

Learning, 2018, pp. 219–223.

In 2018, Cengage Learning published “Depressive Disorders, Bipolar Disorders and

Suicidality” by Robin Hornik Parritz and Michael F. Troy, in the twelfth chapter, they discuss

depressive disorders. Throughout the chapter they include information about the various disorders,

the symptoms linked to each disorder, the symptom differences that are presented with each

gender, and the causes of each disorder. As written in the chapter, females often develop depressive

disorders twice as quick when compared to the development of depression in males. Researchers

attribute the increase of depression due to the history of sexual abuse and females. Depression can

be caused by biological factors as well as environmental factors. For example, Genetics can play

a crucial role in depression and any traumatic events or life changes.

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The book was published as a college textbook meant to educate college students on the

variety of depressive disorders and other mental health illnesses. Due to the purpose of the

textbook, it can be assumed that the information is reliable and proof-read before publication.

Robin Hornik Parritz is a professor of psychology from Hamline University. Michael F.

Troy is a clinical psychologist at Minnesota’s Children’s Hospital. Throughout the chapter, the

author has in-text citations from various scientific studies and other research articles. This allows

the readers to review the author’s extensive sources and ensure the chapters reliability.

This information will be useful when studying the impact that environmental factors have

on an adolescent’s mental health. The chapter also includes basic information about adolescent

depression that can be used as a baseline definition and background information when starting out

the research proposal.

George, Madeleine J., et al. “Concurrent and Subsequent Associations Between Daily Digital

Technology Use and High‐Risk Adolescents' Mental Health Symptoms.” Society for

Research in Child Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd (10.1111), 3 May 2017,

https://srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/cdev.12819. Accessed 18 Oct. 2019.

Madeleine J. George and other authors wrote the article, “Concurrent and Subsequent

Associations Between Daily Digital Technology Use and High-Risk Adolescents’ Mental Health

Symptoms” that was published on the Society for Research in Child Development website on

May 3, 2017, providing a detailed report that showed the connections between daily social media

usage and a high-risk adolescent’s mental health. This article provides specific details about the

amount of time an adolescent spends texting and using social media network sites. George and
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the other authors create a survey done on students who show signs of mental health symptoms

and are considered high-risk. To begin the experiment, the 151 students selected are required to

participate in a base-line assessment regarding their mental health. After the baseline assessment,

the researchers conduct daily assessments – three times a day – using a mobile phone. These

daily assessments are done in the morning, after school and before bed. After the thirty-day

period, the adolescents participate in a follow-up assessment eighteen months after the baseline

assessment. In the data recorded, researchers found that when students recorded a greater use of

social media that day, they also reported feeling more ADHD symptoms and conduct disorder

symptoms. Throughout the article, the authors discuss their findings when studying the

adolescents and the use of social media. They describe prior research that influenced their

experiment such as past reports done by other psychology scientist. After completing their

survey and examining the data collected, the researchers concluded that their subjects reported

less depressive and anxiety symptoms when spending more time on social media but reported

more ADHD and conduct disorder symptoms. They discovered that the students spent

approximately 2.3 hours on digital technology, 1.15 hours texting and about 41 text messages

sent per day.

The writers’ purpose is to examine the theory that correlates mental health disorders to an

adolescent’s use of technology. Based on the scientific nature of this report, the audience of the

article is scholars and various researchers who want to gain more information on the topic. Due

to the location of the publication, the article is published with intelligence and credibility.

All writers of the report are well respected researchers at Duke University or

Pennsylvania State University. Based on the extensive list of outside sources, the authors did
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substantial research regarding their topic. The research done was founded by the National

Institute for Drug Abuse, a federal government institution, thus ensuring reliability due to the

strict proof reading of any report they sponsored.

The information found in the report provides a counter argument. In the article, the

authors discuss how the decreased mental illness symptoms paired with the increased social

media time could be due to the activities that the individual participated on the social media sites.

For example, if the adolescent were to participate in encouraging text messages between peers,

then social media use would not be detrimental to the mental health of the student.

Riehm, Kira E, et al. “Associations Between Social Media Time and Internalizing and

Externalizing Problems Among US Youth.” JAMA Network, JAMA Psychiatry, 11 Sept.

2019,

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2749480?guestAccessKey=86

6a0678-6da9-4177-9c61-

da0accc8257c&utm_source=For_The_Media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm

_links&utm_content=tfl&utm_term=091119. Accessed 16 Oct. 2019.

In the article, published by JAMA Network on September 11, 2019, “Associations

Between Social Media Time and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth,”

by Kira E. Riehm and other authors, they proposed that mental illnesses can be related to the

amount of time an adolescent spends on social media. Many previous studies were mentioned

and used during the new experiment in order to conduct an experiment that is reliable. The

authors and researchers describe their process for finding adolescents (twelve to seventeen-year-

old) and their experiment done on the selected participants. In the experiment, the researchers
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contain data regarding the amount of time spent on social media and the participant’s mental

health. Researchers explained the rubric used to transcribe the student’s answers into quantitative

data. Once all data was collected, the researchers found that as social media usage increased, the

amount of depression and anxiety symptoms increased. Like stated in the article, the researchers

found no evidence that increased social media usage affected external problems.

The authors’ purpose is to inform the readers, typically scholars based on the publication

location, about the study done regarding the correlation between adolescent’s mental health and

technology usage. Due to the article being published by JAMA Network that is peer reviewed by

the American Medical Association, it can be assumed that the text written is reliable and trusted.

All the writers of the article are psychologist and/or researchers at Johns Hopkins

University, Duke University or the University of Maryland. Each author is highly educated in

Mental Health or Psychology and thus have the credentials to perform an experiment regarding

the mental health of adolescents. At the end of the article the authors list thirty-nine additional

references that they used during research thus allowing the reader to find confidence in the

author’s knowledge about the topic. Due to the credibility of the authors, the list of references,

and the revision process that the JAMA Network uses before publication, the source can be

trusted in providing accurate and educational information.

This source will aid in answering how social media affects one’s self-esteem due to the

extensive research that was provided about negative social networking postings and the statistics

that were published regarding the mental health of each participant.

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University of Toledo Staff. “Study Details Link between Social Media and Sex Trafficking.”

Phys.org, Science X Network, 8 Oct. 2018, https://phys.org/news/2018-10-link-social-

media-sex-trafficking.html. Accessed 18 Oct. 2019.

In the article published by Science X Network on October 18, 2019, “Study Details Link

Between Social Media and Sex Trafficking,” by the University of Toledo discusses the

importance of educating adolescents about the dangers of online sex trafficking. In the article,

the author explains an example of how social media has created a platform for traffickers to

selectively pick their next victim. As described, a girl in Toledo, Ohio was trafficked by a

predator in Columbus due to the social media postings from the girl’s account. Due to social

media and the girl’s social media networking, the predator was able to connect with the girl and

eventually pull her into sex trafficking. Throughout the article, the author discusses the numerous

phrases that sex predators look for in hopes of finding easy targets and common phrases that the

predator uses in order to gain the victims trust.

The author of this article directed the information at parents, teens and youth professionals

in order to educate them about the use of social media for sex trafficking. Due to the date of

publication, this emphasis the message of the article because of the severe number of children

who are deceived by predators in the recent years. The publication location affects the message

because it is not published directly from the University of Toledo and thus makes the article less

reliable.

The author is listed as the University of Toledo, a well-respected organization full of

credible researchers and authors. At the end of the article, the author lists the study that was

discussed throughout the article as well as additional resources that provide supplementary
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information related to the topic. Based on the credentials of the University and the additional

sources cited from the article, this article is credible and able to be trusted to provide accurate

information.

The information found from this article will be used to support the idea that social media

is harmful to adolescents due to the sex trafficking industry and the ease that sex traffickers have

when scouting for their next victim. Although this source does not answer the original questions

proposed, it will be supplementary in proving that social media can damage the mental health of

adolescent’s based on PTSD from being involved in sex trafficking.

Williams, Joseph P. “Social Media Use May Increase Teens Risk of Mental Health Issues.” U.S.

News & World Report, U.S. News & World Report, 12 Sept. 2019,

www.usnews.com/news/healthiest-communities/articles/2019-09-12/social-media-use-

may-increase-teens-risk-of-mental-health-issues. Accessed 17 Oct. 2019.

On September 12, 2019, U.S. News published Joseph P. Williams’s article “Social Media

Use May Increase Teens Risk of Mental Health Issues,” that explains a study done by the JAMA

Psychiatry and the results that showed a correlation between social media and teen mental health.

During the article, Williams discusses how an increase of social media can influence a student’s

mental health negatively by cyberbullying. Cyberbullying has been strongly correlated with

depressive symptoms and the decrease in self-esteem. In social media networking sites, the

popular accounts send unrealistic lifestyles and body images that negatively deceive adolescent’s

into believing that the highly edited photos were obtainable.

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Joseph P. Williams writes this article to inform the general public about the dangers of

adolescent’s using social media. Due to the popularity of the magazine company, this ensures

that many readers are encountering the article and ensuring that a large audience reads it.

The writer is a well-respected senior editor with many certificates, including a Neman

Fellowship from Harvard. During the article, Williams includes the study done by Johns Hopkins

University and other government funded surveys. These allow the readers to verify the author’s

statement and allow for a reliable article.

This article will be used to show the impact that social media can have on an adolescent’s

body image. This negative impact on one’s body image can lead to eating disorders, thus partly

answering the question posed about the variety mental disorders impacted.