Emotional literacy and mental health of adolescent girls in facing the psychological impacts of social media use

Hanna Widya Gultom; Nurul Hafizah; Annisa Andriani; Rina Oktaria

doi:10.22437/proca.v1i2.50337

Authors

Hanna Widya Gultom Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Siences, Universitas Jambi
Nurul Hafizah Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Siences, Universitas Jambi
Annisa Andriani Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Siences, Universitas Jambi
Rina Oktaria Department of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine and Health Siences, Universitas Jambi

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22437/proca.v1i2.50337

Keywords:

Emotional literacy skills; social media; adolescent girls; mental health

Abstract

Background: Adolescent girls are highly engaged in social media use and are exposed to risk factors for mental health. Emotional literacy skills are a teachable set of abilities to recognize, understand, express, and regulate emotions and have been proposed as a protective factor. Objective: This study aimed to analyse the relationship between emotional literacy and mental health among adolescent girls who actively use social media, as well as to examine the effects of usage duration and platform type on their psychological well-being. Methods: A quantitative study with a correlational design aimed to examine the relationship between emotional literacy skills and mental health. A survey was conducted among 210 senior high school girls (Grades 10–12) in Jambi City. Instruments included the adapted Emotional Literacy Skills Scale (ELSS) and the Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20). Results: A total of 54.8% screened positive for psychological distress (SRQ-20); most participants had good–very good levels of emotional literacy (57.1%). There was a significant association between higher emotional literacy category and lower odds of distress (χ² = 19.388; p < 0.001; contingency coefficient = 0.291). Most reported low–moderate daily social-media duration (80.9%); the most used platforms were TikTok (56.5%) and Instagram (39.2%); the primary purpose was entertainment (66.7%). Conclusion: Higher emotional literacy skills are associated with lower odds of psychological distress among senior high school girls. Gender-responsive school programs that integrate emotional literacy training and social-media literacy are strongly recommended

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Author Biographies

Hanna Widya Gultom, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Siences, Universitas Jambi

Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Siences, Universitas Jambi

Nurul Hafizah, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Siences, Universitas Jambi

Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Siences, Universitas Jambi

Annisa Andriani, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Siences, Universitas Jambi

Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Siences, Universitas Jambi

Rina Oktaria, Department of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine and Health Siences, Universitas Jambi

Department of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine and Health Siences, Universitas Jambi

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