AP Research: The Top 3 Components of Social Media That Drive Mental Health Issues in American Teenagers
Advisor: Erin Vander Wall
Internship Location: BASIS Independent McLean
AP Research
Between 2015 and 2022, the number of teens using social media has risen from 24% to 46%. In addition, between 2007 and 2017, the total number of teenagers in the United States who have experienced depressive symptoms has increased 59%. These numbers will only continue to rise with time and studies show that there is a strong correlation between the two. Over 59.3% of the world’s population uses social media, and depression has been on a significant rise since the early 2000’s. In my research project, I will explore the top three components of Instagram that drive depressive symptoms in American teenagers. I will conduct a case study by analyzing data which shows the strongest and weakest indicators of depressive symptoms and identifying which components of social media cause such symptoms. With the help of this research along with the compliance of social media platforms like Instagram, we can lower the depression rate in the United States as well as globally.
Project Blog
Post 1: Introduction
Hi everyone! My name is Eesha. I have been at BASIS for about 6 years now, and am excited for you all to follow me on my AP Research journey.
I am researching the Top 3 Components of Social Media Platforms on Depression & Anxiety. My goal is to identify the top components of social media platforms that cause depression and anxiety in adolescents and use this information to decide how we can make social media a safer place.
Eesha – ResearchPoster
Week 1
Hi Everyone!
I hope you are all having a fantastic week. For me, this week has been all about navigating my way through the AP research process. As I am working on my own now, it is important that I organize and execute my goals well, and hold myself accountable for what I accomplish each week.
This week, I attended class on Tuesday and Thursday. For me, Monday was a catch-up day since I was traveling last week. On Tuesday, I attended class and we discussed the Methods Element Review Activity which was insightful because I gained a greater understanding of the rubric and requirements I need to meet. On Wednesday, I began formulating my plan for the rest of the week. On Thursday, I attended class and we watched a sample AP Research presentation. This was incredibly helpful because I was able to visualize what information I need to gather and how it should be presented. Today, I am writing my Methods Draft. I am realizing that I may need to alter my research question a little bit as I am finding it difficult to find reliable sources and execute a case study with what I have currently found. I plan to stay in the realm of social media and its effect on adolescents and young teens, but I will continue to keep you all updated. Please feel free to reach out or comment if you have any ideas or suggestions for me, as I am always looking to improve my research.
See you soon!
Week 2
Hi Everyone!
I hope you are all having another great week. This week has been significant for me because after working more on the methods section of my original research question, “The Top 3 Components of Social Media that cause Depression and Anxiety in Adolescents”, I realized that this research question is not as feasible as I thought it would be. I was having trouble finding sources and identifying “components” and I knew I wanted to do research relating to nutrition and health in some way. After talking to a few people, I decided to change my research question. I will now be doing research on “The Effect Soy Products have on the Risk of Breast Cancer in Women”, either over the age of 50 or in Asian women (still deciding). I gravitated towards this topic heavily because breast cancer is a very personal disease for me and my family. I have already been able to find several sources to start my research and am looking forward to this new topic.
Now that I have changed my research question, there are a lot of changes that need to be made to my progress already. This week, I worked on writing a new methods draft and got started on my research presentation. I spent a lot of time researching questions and examining other research papers, in order to narrow my own. In class, we worked on key aspects of research presentations and narrowed our research questions as well. Next week, I hope to begin formulating the sources that I will be using to back up my hypothesis and work on the details of my research. I am hopeful about this new research question, and look forward to the progress I will make.
Until then, have a great weekend!
Week 3
I hope you all had a great week. My week was certainly slower than usual but I was still able to work on my research. This week I really worked on examining other research papers to start typing out my own. My methods section is almost done and I hope to finish my research in the next 2 to 3 weeks. I have gained a greater idea of how my research paper should and will look like. This week, we didn’t have class on Tuesday but went over Oral Defense Questions on Thursday. I am getting a little nervous as deadlines and presentations are approaching, so I hope everything comes together the way I am envisioning it on time.
In addition to my research, I got a job on the marketing team at McLean Family Dentistry in McLean, VA. Although it is not directly related to my research, I am looking forward to spending some time there and exploring other fields. I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend, and I look forward to making more progress and writing again next Friday.
Post 5: The Past Couple Weeks!
Hi Everyone!
After many disruptions (spring break and word press down), I was finally able to get back to writing and into word press! Over these past few weeks, I have had great findings and made a lot of progress on my research paper. I have created a table, analyzing the 5 different data sets I am studying (shown below). My research paper is almost complete. I just have to add to my results and conclusion. Overall, I am done with the bulk of my research and now working on the finishing touches.
In addition to my paper, I have preparing for my Oral Defense Presentation, next Tuesday. My presentation is looking good, and I plan to spend this weekend continuing to prepare for it.
Have a great weekend!
Study | Country | Sample Size & Ages | Duration Of Study | Other Factors | Independent Variable | Results
Kang, H. S., Zhang, Y., Yang, J., & Lu, K. (2012c). Study On Soy Isoflavone Consumption And Risk Of Breast Cancer And Survival. Asian Pacific Journal Of Cancer Prevention, 13(3), 995–998. Https://Doi.Org/10.7314/Apjcp.2012.13.3.995 | USA (Asian women) | 6,235 Women With Breast Cancer (50+ Years Old) | 11 Years | Age, BMI, Hormone Therapy Use, And Family History Of Breast Cancer | Soy Isoflavone Consumption | High Consumption Of Soy Is Linked With Decreased Breast Cancer Risk
Wei, Y., Lv, J., Guo, Y., Bian, Z., Gao, M., Du, H., Yang, L., Chen, Y. P., Zhang, X., Wang, T., Chen, J., Chen, Z., Yu, C., Huo, D., & Li, L. (2020b). Soy Intake And Breast Cancer Risk: A Prospective Study Of 300,000 Chinese Women And A Dose–Response Meta-Analysis. European Journal Of Epidemiology, 35(6), 567–578. Https://Doi.Org/10.1007/S10654-019-00585-4 | China | 300,000 Women | 7.4 Years | Post Vs Pre Menopausaland Asian Vs Western Populations | Soy Isoflavone Intake | Women In Highest Soy Intake Group Had 14% Lower Risk Of Breast Cancer Than Women In Lowest Soy Intake Group (stronger in post menopausal women than pre menopausal women)
Zhang, Y., Kang, H. S., Li, B., & Zhang, R. (2012). Positive Effects Of Soy Isoflavone Food On Survival Of Breast Cancer Patients In China. Asian Pacific Journal Of Cancer Prevention, 13(2), 479–482. Https://Doi.Org/10.7314/Apjcp.2012.13.2.479 | China | 5,402 Women | 5.3 Years | Asian Vs Western Populations And Hormone Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer Vs Hormone Receptor-Negative Breast Cancer | Soy Isoflavone Consumption | Highest Quartile Had 32% Lower Risk Of Breast Cancer Mortality (More Effective In Hormone Receptor Positive Breast Cancer)
Morimoto, Y., Maskarinec, G., Park, S. Y., Ettienne, R., Matsuno, R. K., Long, C., Steffen, A., Henderson, B. E., Kolonel, L. N., Marchand, L. L., & Wilkens, L. R. (2014). Dietary Isoflavone Intake Is Not Statistically Significantly Associated With Breast Cancer Risk In The Multiethnic Cohort. British Journal Of Nutrition, 112(6), 976–983. Https://Doi.Org/10.1017/S0007114514001780 | USA (Multiethnic Women In Hawaii And California) | 165,340 Post-Menopausal Women | 15 Years (Average) | Strictly Post Meno-Pausal Women | Dietary Isoflavone Intake | No Significant Results (Consistent Across Ethnic Groups)
Touillaud, M., Gelot, A., Mesrine, S., Bennetau-Pelissero, C., Clavel-Chapelon, F., Arveux, P., Bonnet, F., Gunter, M. J., Boutron-Ruault, M., & Fournier, A. (2019). Use Of Dietary Supplements Containing Soy Isoflavones And Breast Cancer Risk Among Women Aged >50 Y: A Prospective Study. The American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition, 109(3), 597–605. Https://Doi.Org/10.1093/Ajcn/Nqy313 | France (Etude Epidemiologique aupres de Femmes de la Mutuelle Generale de l’Education Nationale (E3N) cohort) | 76,442 Women (50+ years old) | 11.2 Years (Average) | Self-Reported Data | Dietary Supplements Containing Soy Isaflavones | Soy Isoflavone Supplements Are Not Associated With Risk Of Breast Cancer, But Women With A Family History Of Breast Cancer Were At A Slightly Higher Risk Of Breast Cancer If They Used Soy Isoflavones
Post 6: My Last Post
Hi everyone!
I hope you are all doing well. It’s been a hectic week, but I am happy to say that I have finished and submitted my research paper! Overall, it was an insightful process. I learned a lot. Here are some of my takeaways:
Try To Do As Much Background Information As You Can Before Deep-Diving Into Your Research Question
Sometimes You Won’t Be Able To Reach A Conclusion And That Is Okay, Just Be Able To Open Up A New Gap In The Field Of Research (Mention Future Steps/Research)
Always Be Willing To Explore New Things And Find New Interests
Keep Things Simple And Understandable
Learn How To Take Feedback And Use Your Resources (Specifically, Teachers And Peers) To Make Improvements/Changes In Your Research
I learned that the research process can be tedious, but is fun and will help you understand things more deeply and comprehensively. In the future, I look forward to making improvements in my current research and also conducting more research on other topics that I am passionate about. In college and in my professional life, I’d like to be able to conduct surveys for my own research. Have a great summer! I look forward to seeing you all soon.