Association between social media usefulness, depression, and self-esteem among adults with disabilities: a longitudinal panel study

BACKGROUND: This study aims to investigate the association between the usability of social media services and the mental health of people with disabilities. METHODS: This study used data from the Disability and Life Dynamics Panel (2019–2021) and included a total of 819 individuals with disabilities aged 19 years or older. The usefulness of social media was measured through a self-report questionnaire based on the model proposed in the Technology Acceptance Model. The primary outcome variable was depression, measured using the CES-D-11 scale, and the secondary outcome variable was self-esteem, measured using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. The association between social media usefulness and depression and self-esteem among people with disabilities was analyzed using generalized estimating equation modeling. RESULTS: Among participants, 36.3% reported depression and 24.5% low self-esteem. People with disabilities who rated the usefulness of social media highly were associated with lower depression and higher self-esteem (depression, odds ratio (OR): 0.57, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.34–0.99; self-esteem, OR: 2.02, 95% CI 1.32–3.08). This association was particularly pronounced among people with deafness, speech or language impairment (depression, OR: 0.39, 95% CI 0.23–0.67), and employed people (depression, OR: 0.48, 95% CI 0.25–0.94; self-esteem, OR: 2.37, 95% CI 1.42–3.96). CONCLUSION: The usefulness of social media was associated with reduced depression and improved self-esteem among people with disabilities.