Online self-disclosure and wellbeing of adolescents: A systematic literature review

TL;DR

This systematic review examines adolescent online self-disclosure, highlighting research focus areas, gaps in variables studied, and the need for more rigorous future research to better understand its impact on wellbeing.

Contribution

It categorizes existing research on adolescent online self-disclosure and identifies significant gaps, emphasizing the need for more sophisticated research designs.

Findings

Research focuses on contributing factors, risks, and future directions.

Limited in-depth analysis of variables related to online SD.

Some aspects of online SD are overstudied while others are neglected.

Abstract

The present research investigated the extent of online self-disclosure (SD) of adolescents through a systematic decadal literature review. This review identified three major areas of research focus, with studies categorized mainly as: (1) factors contributing to online SD of adolescents; (2) risks and consequences of online SD; and (3) future directions of research and practical interventions to address the problems. A detailed examination of the variables covered by the studies indicated that only a few aspects related to adolescents' online SD were addressed and these variables did not receive in-depth analysis. Some aspects of online SD received too much attention while others received none. Based on these findings, the present research argues that further research using sophisticated scientific research designs is needed to understand adolescents' online SD.