Mental Health Staff's Views on Social Media Use Among People with Psychosis: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

Abstract

Objectives: The use of social media is prevalent in society; however, existing evidence is not sufficient to conclude whether the benefits of social media use can outweigh the risks for people with psychosis. In response to a recent call for staff to take a more active role in asking and advising service users about the impact of using social media platforms on their mental health in clinical practice, we sought to understand staff's attitudes toward service users with psychosis using social media in day-to-day life.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was disseminated from April 2018 to September 2020 in Mental Health Trusts in the Northwest of England.

Results: A total of 155 staff completed the survey. We found that staff's social media use was high; however, as expected, social media was less used for communicating between staff and service users than other digital technologies (i.e., email and text messages). Moreover, staff's awareness of NHS Trust guidelines around communicating with service users via digital technology was limited.

Conclusion: Despite staff views towards service user engagement with social media being mixed, as both benefits and concerns were reported, we need to ensure staff do not overestimate its risks or underestimate its benefits, so that they can offer tailored advice on social media use based on service users' individual circumstances.