The role of automaticity in the associations between daily social media use and mental health outcomes among Hispanic & Latinx Dementia Caregivers

Introduction: Hispanic & Latinx (H&L) family caregivers of people living with dementia experience high levels of stress that can negatively impact their mental health, and may turn to social networking sites (SNS, commonly known as ‘social media’) for coping or social support. However, frequent engagement with these platforms may contribute to changes in caregivers’ mental health over time, and SNS automaticity (i.e., the degree of automatic SNS use with minimal thought or awareness) may further shape these effects. The purpose of this study was to understand the contributions of SNS automaticity in the associations between daily SNS use and mental health outcomes. Methods: Data from the “Nuestros Días” (Our Days) study were used for this analysis. Participants (n=80) completed a baseline survey followed by 21 daily diary surveys assessing hours spent using SNS and daily mental health experiences. Multilevel modeling was used to examine associations between baseline SNS automaticity (adapted Self-Report Behavioral Automaticity Index), daily number of hours spent engaging in active and passive SNS use and daily depression and anxiety symptoms, measured using the PROMIS Depression and Anxiety Short Form Surveys. Covariates included caregivers’ age, gender, and baseline levels of general stress (Perceived Stress Scale), anxiety (GAD-7), and depression (PHQ-9). Results: Participants were predominately female (85.0%) with an average age of 56.86 years (SD=9.94), and most indicated Spanish was their preferred language (82.7%). Passive SNS use significantly predicted daily depressive symptoms (B=0.7, p<.01). Further, a significant interaction effect was observed between SNS automaticity and daily passive SNS use on depressive symptoms (B=0.10, p<.01). This indicates a moderating effect where the positive association between passive SNS use and depressive symptoms becomes stronger at higher levels of automaticity. No significant main effects or interaction effects between SNS automaticity and daily passive SNS use on anxiety symptoms. Conclusions: Findings highlight the role of automaticity in shaping the relationship between daily SNS use and caregiver mental health. Caregivers may develop habitual SNS engagement as a coping strategy for ongoing stressors. The results suggest that greater automatic SNS use intensifies the link between passive SNS use and depressive symptoms, possibly by reinforcing disengagement. Additional research is needed to clarify the underlying mechanisms driving these associations. Limitations: While the short-form PROMIS Emotional Distress scales have been validated in Spanish-speaking samples, items do not specifically assess somatic symptoms of anxiety. H&L individuals, particularly those who primarily speak Spanish, are more likely to endorse somatic symptoms, which may have contributed to the null findings related to anxiety. Additionally, automaticity was assessed as a single construct instead of capturing distinct social- cognitive features. Future research should refine these measurement approaches to better capture the complexity of how SNS use influences caregiver mental health.