Online posting effects: Unveiling the non-linear journeys of users in depression communities on Reddit
Virginia Morini, Salvatore Citraro, Elena Sajno, Maria, Sansoni, Giuseppe Riva, Massimo Stella, Giulio Rossetti

TL;DR
This study analyzes how online interactions in Reddit depression communities influence users' psychological states, revealing non-linear emotional journeys shaped by social exposure and content, with implications for mental health support online.
Contribution
Introduces a data-informed framework analyzing user transitions between psychological states in Reddit depression forums, highlighting non-linear online posting effects and their psychological implications.
Findings
Users transition through positive and negative states in a spiral, not linearly.
Online social exposure influences users' psychological state changes.
Different content types and social interactions impact users' mental health journeys.
Abstract
Social media platforms have become pivotal as self-help forums, enabling individuals to share personal experiences and seek support. However, on topics as sensitive as depression, what are the consequences of online self-disclosure? Here, we delve into the dynamics of mental health discourse on various Reddit boards focused on depression. To this aim, we introduce a data-informed framework reconstructing online dynamics from 303k users interacting over two years. Through user-generated content, we identify 4 distinct clusters representing different psychological states. Our analysis unveils online posting effects: a user can transition to another psychological state after online exposure to peers' emotional/semantic content. As described by conditional Markov chains and different levels of social exposure, users' transitions reveal navigation through both positive and negative phases in…
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Taxonomy
TopicsMental Health Research Topics · Mental Health via Writing · Digital Mental Health Interventions
