Special Project
“Social Media linked to Depression”
Utilization of the 9 competencies of Social Work in special project:
Competency one: During the development of my special project, I was able to demonstrate ethical and professional behavior when I engaged with the participants during my project as the initiator. I also engaged with my supervisor during my development of the questionnaire to ensure adequate and necessary questions to obtain the desired outcome.
Competency 2: During the I was able to engage in diversity and difference in practice through the development of the survey questions. One question asked regarding the gender and provided the response of “do not want to answer”.
Competency 3: I was able to advance human rights, and social, economics and environmental justice through the project itself to advocate for the social issue with social media and depression. A social media questionnaire was developed during my internship at Highlands Community Services, CSB in Abingdon VA. The duration of the project lasted two weeks. Participants included adult mental health case manager workers at the CSB. 30 participants were asked and only 11 participated.
Competency 4: Engage in practice informed research and research informed practice was utilized during my research for social media and being linked to depression. According to research, there has been an increase use of social media from 12% to now 90%. This includes an increase in depression reported that can be contributed to distorted thinking depending on the brain development. And additional training on suicide care was also beneficial to be more aware of the information provided within social media sites and in the survey itself. certificate-of-completion-for-suicide-safer-care.pdf
Competency 5: I engaged in policy practice through the development of laws surrounding social media and development of programs recognizing language around depression.
Competency 6: Engage in individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities was developed through organizing a designated area for individuals or groups to access the survey and to return it anonymously.
Competency 7: Assess individuals, families, groups, organizations, communities; was utilized through reviewing the responses from the survey. Out of 30 desired participants, only 11 completed the survey. I was able to effectively assess each survey completed and place each answer into each category as followed.
Competency 8: Intervene with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities Interventions were designed to provide and age limit use for social media. Encouraging only those at the age of 18 or older having access to social media sites. A long term intervention could be the potential development of iPhone and Samsung phone that prohibits the use of social media as an “adolescent cell phone”. The two most popular phones will provide the necessity of phone calls and text but provide a block to social media sites for parent’s to monitor more closely. This correlates with the brain development and not fully developed until after the age of 18.
Competency 9: I was able to evaluate practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities through the outcome of the survey showing the development of social meeting and the increase in use of social media can increase the feelings of depression.