Post-secondary student adoption of mental health labels through their use of social media: a scoping review.

BACKGROUND

Social media is a significant source of information for post-secondary students, who are usually at the age at which many common mental disorders first express themselves. Social media can have a role in the way post-secondary students identify and act on mental health issues.

OBJECTIVES

Explore how the use of social media influences post-secondary students' adoption of mental health labels.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: We included empirical studies on mental health labelling in the context of social media use among post-secondary students published in English between January 1995 and April 2025.

SOURCES OF EVIDENCE: The review includes references from five databases: Scopus, PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE (to access APA PsycINFO), Web of Science and ProQuest Global Dissertations and Theses. Based on the included studies from the initial search, we built a complementary search strategy using Research Rabbit artificial intelligence.

CHARTING

METHODS

We present a table listing characteristics of the studies and brief summaries of their findings. A narrative synthesis compiled the information from each study to answer the research questions.

RESULTS

The search identified 7551 references and 1099 additional records from Research Rabbit. 11 studies published since 2011 met the inclusion criteria with qualitative, mixed methods and quantitative designs, without major quality concerns. Approaches to measuring social media exposure varied, including platform reports of user activity and self-reported indicators. Individuals adopted labels themselves or received labels from peers or researchers. Most research focused on self-presentation and symptom disclosure rather than labelling itself. The accuracy of self-diagnosis was higher for common disorders and lower for complex conditions such as mania or panic disorders. Labelling varied across social media platforms. Online interaction revealed issues that students were reluctant to share face-to-face. Label use appeared to influence help-seeking and peer support, with effects shaped by social stigma.

CONCLUSIONS

The adoption of mental health labels via social media among post-secondary students remains largely unexplored. The concept of labelling and its operationalisation vary across research. Future studies should provide more formal definitions, investigate mechanisms driving labelling and assess its potential effects on human health.