Trait mindfulness weakens the relationship between Snapchat use and alcohol-related outcomes

Abstract

Objective:

Previous studies identified Snapchat as the most likely social media platform for depictions of excessive drinking and consequences. We sought to further examine this relationship and the possible protective impact of trait mindfulness.

Method:

A sample of 838 college students completed a survey assessing self-reported alcohol use, alcohol-related consequences, trait mindfulness, and individual and peer alcohol-related Snapchat posts.

Results:

Viewing more peer’s Snapchats was associated with increased alcohol-related consequences, except at high levels of trait mindfulness. When controlling for the individual’s Snapchat posts, the significant relationship between peer’s Snapchats and consequences remained at low levels of trait mindfulness but not for moderate levels. The protective effect of high levels of trait mindfulness endured.

Conclusion:

Increasing trait mindfulness may help buffer the negative influence of viewing peer’s alcohol-related Snapchats on alcohol-related consequences. Further examining how trait mindfulness interacts with peer norms offers important avenues for future research.

Keywords:

• Alcohol
• alcohol-related consequences
• college students
• mindfulness
• social media

Conflict of interest disclosure

No potential competing interest was reported by the authors. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines and received approval from the Institutional Review Board of University of Nebraska.

Additional information

Funding

No funding was used to support this research and/or the preparation of the manuscript.