The relationships between digital media use, loneliness and interpersonal relationship quality in young people

Reference: SHLS20048

Loneliness is distressing (Perlman & Peplau, 1981), has strong links with a myriad of mental health difficulties (Wang et al., 2018), and is associated with reductions in wellbeing (Houghton et al., 2016). This is particularly relevant during adolescence when social interaction (Orben et al., 2020), and the influence of the peer group on social and behavioural growth (Foulkes & Blakemore, 2016), and identity development (Cicognani et al., 2014) are highly salient issues.

 The Scottish Government’s (2018) strategy for tackling social isolation and loneliness and building stronger social connections makes explicit reference to both the challenges and risks of online activity, as did the Red Cross / Jo Cox Commission (2019) report into triggers for loneliness in the UK. However, although risks do exist online, Ellis (2019) refutes positioning technology use as inherently problematic.

 While a body of low-quality, cross-sectional data suggests that screen-based media engagement by young people is associated with negative consequences (see Orben, 2020) there is a growing body of more rigorous, often longitudinal, research that presents a more nuanced picture (e.g., Houghton et al., 2018; Orben & Przybylski, 2019; Zink et al., 2019). The validity of self-report measures of screen-based media use (e.g., Ellis et al., 2019; Johannes et al., 2020; Shaw et al., in press) has also been questioned.

 Research has failed to capture the diverse ways that young people interact using screen-based media and it is important to develop new and better methodologies to understand how specific online behaviours relate to loneliness to promote young people’s wellbeing. This PhD will therefore seek to understand and describe the relationships between young people’s screen-based media engagement and loneliness employing objective measurements where possible and appropriate. This research aligns with the School of Health and Life Sciences Child and Adolescent Health Research Group (CAHRG).

How to Apply

This project is available as a 3 years full-time or 6 years part-time PhD study programme and candidates are encouraged to contact the research supervisors for the project before applying. 

 Applicants should apply for their preferred intake date using the Psychology links via the Application Process page