By Nicole Schanen
UWM Report
September 27, 2024
A team of researchers from UWM’s Joseph J. Zilber College of Public Health has received a $1.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study how social media affects suicide rates among transgender youth.
The project is led by UWM faculty members Priya Nambisan and Lance Weinhardt, along with collaborators from four other institutions.
Social media has a complicated effect on mental health. It can both help and hurt the same person. For example, social media can lead to bullying, which can cause feelings of loneliness, depression and even suicidal thoughts. On the other hand, it can also help people connect and find support.
Transgender youth often face bullying and are at a higher risk of self-harm and suicide compared to their cisgender peers. Over the next three years, the research team will conduct a study using a method called digital photovoice to better understand how social media content affects transgender and gender nonbinary youth.
Participants will use an app to take screenshots of social media posts that evoke strong emotions and label them with specific feelings. The research team will then analyze this information to explore the link between social media use and suicide risk.