ArticleJMIR formative research2021
Seeking Mental Health Support Among College Students in Video-Based Social Media: Content and Statistical Analysis of YouTube Videos.
Article in JMIR formative research, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed.
- The impact of social media use on college students' mental health: a narrative review.Frontiers in public health · 2026Review
- Can't help falling in love… with a bot? A mixed-methods analysis of public discourses of AI intimacy and companionship on YouTube.Frontiers in sociology · 2026Article
- Article
- Postpartum Depression and Maternal-Infant Bonding Experiences in Social Media Videos: Qualitative Content Analysis.JMIR infodemiology · 2025Article
- A Social Media Study of Portrayals of Bipolar Disorders on YouTube: Content and Thematic Analyses.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Understanding the Long Haulers of COVID-19: Mixed Methods Analysis of YouTube Content.JMIR AI · 2024Article
- Research on the mechanism of short video information interaction behavior of college students with psychological disorders based on grounded theory.BMC public health · 2023Article
- Seeking and Providing Social Support on Twitter for Trauma and Distress During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Content and Sentiment Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Article
- Article
- Self-reliance, Social Norms, and Self-stigma as Barriers to Psychosocial Help-Seeking Among Rural Cancer Survivors With Cancer-Related Distress: Qualitative Interview Study.JMIR formative research · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundMental health is a highly stigmatized disease, especially for young people. Due to its free, accessible format, college students increasingly use video-based social media for many aspects of information needs, including how-to tips, career, or health-related needs. The accessibility of video-based social media brings potential in supporting stigmatized contexts, such as college students' mental health. Understanding which kinds of videos about college students' mental health have increased viewer engagement will help build a foundation for exploring this potential. Little research has been done to identify video types systematically, how they have changed over time, and their associations on viewer engagement both short term and long term.
objectiveThis study aims to identify strategies for using video-based social media to combat stigmatized diseases, such as mental health, among college students. We identify who, with what perspective, purpose, and content, makes up the videos available on social media (ie, YouTube) about college students' mental health and how these factors associate with viewer engagement. We then identify effective strategies for designing video-based social media content for supporting college students' mental health.
methodsWe performed inductive content analysis to identify different types of YouTube videos concerning college students' mental health (N=452) according to video attributes, including poster, perspective, and purpose. Time analysis showed how video types have changed over time. Fisher's exact test was used to examine the relationships between video attributes. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to test the association between video types and viewer engagement. Lastly, we investigated the difference in viewer engagement across time between two major types of videos (ie, individuals' storytelling and organization's informational videos).
resultsTime trend analysis showed a notable increase in the number of (1) videos by individuals, (2) videos that represent students' perspectives, and (3) videos that share stories and experiential knowledge over the recent years. Fisher's exact test found all video attributes (ie, poster, perspective, and purpose) are significantly correlated with each other. In addition, the Mann-Whitney U test found that poster (individual vs organization) and purpose (storytelling vs sharing information) type has a significant association with viewer engagement (P<.001). Lastly, individuals' storytelling videos had a greater engagement in the short term and the long term.
conclusionsThe study shows that YouTube videos on college students' mental health can be well differentiated by the types of posters and the purpose of the videos. Taken together, the videos where individuals share their personal stories, as well as experiential knowledge (ie, tips and advice), engaged more viewers in both the short term and long term. Individuals' videos on YouTube showed the potential to support college students' mental health in unique ways, such as providing social support, validating experience, and sharing the positive experience of help-seeking.
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