140. The impact of social media engagement on self-integration in individuals with dissociative identity disorder

Abstract Background Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) is a severe trauma-related mental disorder characterized by fragmented identity, memory loss, and a split in self-perception. With the widespread use of social media, DID patients often use online platforms to obtain information about their condition, seek peer support, or express themselves. However, existing research has insufficient exploration of the correlation between social media participation and clinical interventions for DID patients. Therefore, this study aims to systematically investigate the impact of social media engagement on the self-integration of DID patients, providing a theoretical basis for developing targeted rehabilitation support strategies. Methods The study selected 120 patients who were clearly diagnosed with DID and had used social media for ≥3 months. They were divided into three groups of 40 each based on different modes of social media engagement: active participation group A, passive participation group B, and control group C. All three groups maintained their original routine treatments. Group A received guidance on social media use, Group B continued passive browsing without interactive use, and Group C had restricted social media use during the intervention. The intervention period lasted six months. Assessments were conducted at baseline and after six months using the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES), Social Media Usage scale (SMU), and Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS), and the data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA. Results The baseline values and the mean and p-values of each indicator after 6 months are shown in Table 1. As shown in Table 1, after 6 months, the DES score of group A decreased from 69.3 ± 7.8 to 41.5 ± 6.3 (p<.001), the score of group B decreased from 69.4 ± 7.7 to 58.9 ± 6.7 (p<.01), and the score of Group C decreased from 69.6 ± 7.5 to 64.2 ± 7.3 (p<.01). The SSRS score of group A increased from baseline 34.8 ± 5.6 to 59.2 ± 6.5 (p<.001), which was significantly higher than that of group B and group C. In the SMU score, the final score of the interaction dimension in Group A was 32.6 ± 4.8, significantly higher than that in Group B and Group C. Discussion The results show that positive social media engagement can significantly reduce dissociation symptoms and promote self-integration by improving social support levels. Future research could expand the sample size and extend the follow-up period to explore the differences in the impact of different social media platforms, as well as the moderating effect of patient condition severity on intervention effectiveness, in order to develop more targeted and personalized rehabilitation programs.