Girls get depressed chatting online about love problems

By William Atkins
Tuesday, 03 February 2009 06:40

Science - Health

A New York study found that teenage girls get anxious and depressed more often when chatting online excessively about problems with their romantic relationships. Is it a problem with the Internet or a problem that has been present in girls for generations?


The abstract to their paper, which summarizes the study, introduces the reason for their study. It states, “Co-rumination, or excessive discussion of problems within friendships, has been associated with internalizing symptoms and is especially prevalent among adolescent girls.”

Lisa R. Starr and Joanne Davila, both from the Department of Psychology at State University of New York at Stony Brook, conducted the study.

The February 1, 2009 article “Clarifying co-rumination: Associations with internalizing symptoms and romantic involvement among adolescent girls” was published in the Journal of Adolescence. [volume 32, issue 1, February 2009, pages 19-37]

Consequently, they studied 83 girls that were thirteen years of age, who were already taking part in a study examining similar correlations with depressive symptoms and friendships.

Along with the participation of their parents, the teenage girls were interviewed and evaluated twice over a one-year period with respect to their mental state, specifically concentrating on depressive symptoms and aspects of romantic relationships.

Dr. Davila stated, “We wanted to start the process at the beginning and follow them over time to see what happens." [TheMedGuru.com: “Co-ruminating may lead to more depression in teenage girls”]

She added, “Lots of talking can help if those involved have strong problem-solving skills because it helps them reach a solution and it builds friendships…. They often don’t realize that excessive talking is actually making them feel worse." [Tech.Blorge.com: “Too much Facebook depresses teen girls”]

Page two continues with additional comments from Dr. Davila, along with comments as to possible reasons why girls co-ruminate so much.