The Relationship Between Alcohol-Related Content on Social Media and Alcohol Outcomes in Young Adults: A Scoping Review.

Background: Alcohol-related content (ARC) is pervasive across social media. Existing research suggests that posting of and exposure to such content may affect young adults' drinking and alcohol-related problems. However, a scoping review has yet to examine the literature within this field of research.

Objectives: This scoping review delineates and describes the existing peer-reviewed quantitative research examining the associations between ARC posting and exposure and drinking and alcohol-related problems among young adults ages 18 to 30. Specifically, the authors sought to investigate (1) methodological trends in how exposure to and posting of ARC is assessed; (2) potential moderators of the association between exposure to and posting of ARC and drinking outcomes; (3) how exposure to and posting of ARC is associated with alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems; and (4) potential gaps in the literature.

Eligibility criteria: This review includes original, empirical, quantitative studies, published in English from 2006 to 2023, that measured alcohol consumption and/or alcohol-related problems and the use of ARC on social media in 18- to 30-year-olds.

Sources of evidence: The authors systematically searched the PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PsycInfo, and Scopus databases on May 30, 2023, and reran the searches on November 1, 2023.

Charting methods: The authors designed a form to extract data and statistics related to alcohol drinking and ARC measures. Pairs of authors extracted the data for each study independently, and then a third author reviewed their work to resolve differences.

Results: In total, 3,112 papers were selected via preliminary search terms. After removing duplicates and other articles deemed ineligible based on screening articles at the title and abstract level as well as assessing full-text articles for eligibility (n = 3,079), the final review included 33 studies. Overall, the results of the scoping review revealed a lack of consistent definitions and standardized assessments related to ARC. Despite these factors, the authors uncovered robust positive relationships between posting ARCand drinking and alcohol-related problems. The literature also mostly found positive, significant linkages between exposure to ARC and drinking and alcohol-related problems.

Conclusions: This scoping review highlights the need for consistentoperationalization and empirically validated measures related to ARC. In addition, the authors propose a theoretical model that may serve as a road map for future interventions targeting young adults.