key: cord-0691400-pqnt9p1w
authors: Teague, Samantha J; Shatte, Adrian B R; Weller, Emmelyn; Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, Matthew; Hutchinson, Delyse M
title: Methods and Applications of Social Media Monitoring of Mental Health During Disasters: Scoping Review
date: 2022-02-28
journal: JMIR Ment Health
DOI: 10.2196/33058
sha: 9207a0123d1a41bba6f5682bcd6f53b42d6f8a31
doc_id: 691400
cord_uid: pqnt9p1w

BACKGROUND: With the increasing frequency and magnitude of disasters internationally, there is growing research and clinical interest in the application of social media sites for disaster mental health surveillance. However, important questions remain regarding the extent to which unstructured social media data can be harnessed for clinically meaningful decision-making. OBJECTIVE: This comprehensive scoping review synthesizes interdisciplinary literature with a particular focus on research methods and applications. METHODS: A total of 6 health and computer science databases were searched for studies published before April 20, 2021, resulting in the identification of 47 studies. Included studies were published in peer-reviewed outlets and examined mental health during disasters or crises by using social media data. RESULTS: Applications across 31 mental health issues were identified, which were grouped into the following three broader themes: estimating mental health burden, planning or evaluating interventions and policies, and knowledge discovery. Mental health assessments were completed by primarily using lexical dictionaries and human annotations. The analyses included a range of supervised and unsupervised machine learning, statistical modeling, and qualitative techniques. The overall reporting quality was poor, with key details such as the total number of users and data features often not being reported. Further, biases in sample selection and related limitations in generalizability were often overlooked. CONCLUSIONS: The application of social media monitoring has considerable potential for measuring mental health impacts on populations during disasters. Studies have primarily conceptualized mental health in broad terms, such as distress or negative affect, but greater focus is required on validating mental health assessments. There was little evidence for the clinical integration of social media–based disaster mental health monitoring, such as combining surveillance with social media–based interventions or developing and testing real-world disaster management tools. To address issues with study quality, a structured set of reporting guidelines is recommended to improve the methodological quality, replicability, and clinical relevance of future research on the social media monitoring of mental health during disasters.

3 Describe the rationale for the review in the context of what is already known. Explain why the review questions/objectives lend themselves to a scoping review approach.

2 Objectives 4

Provide an explicit statement of the questions and objectives being addressed with reference to their key elements (e.g., population or participants, concepts, and context) or other relevant key elements used to conceptualize the review questions and/or objectives.

Indicate whether a review protocol exists; state if and where it can be accessed (e.g., a Web address); and if available, provide registration information, including the registration number.

3 Eligibility criteria 6 Specify characteristics of the sources of evidence used as eligibility criteria (e.g., years considered, language, and publication status), and provide a rationale.

Information sources 7 Describe all information sources in the search (e.g., databases with dates of coverage and contact with authors to identify additional sources), as well as the date the most recent search was executed.

3 Search 8 Present the full electronic search strategy for at least 1 database, including any limits used, such that it could be repeated.

Selection of sources of evidence 9

State the process for selecting sources of evidence (i.e., screening and eligibility) included in the scoping review.

Data charting process 10 Describe the methods of charting data from the included sources of evidence (e.g., calibrated forms or forms that have been tested by the team before their use, and whether data charting was done independently or in duplicate) and any processes for obtaining and confirming data from investigators.

3

List and define all variables for which data were sought and any assumptions and simplifications made.

If done, provide a rationale for conducting a critical appraisal of included sources of evidence; describe the methods used and how this information was used in any data synthesis (if appropriate).

Describe the methods of handling and summarizing the data that were charted.

Give numbers of sources of evidence screened, assessed for eligibility, and included in the review, with reasons for exclusions at each stage, ideally using a flow diagram.

Characteristics of sources of evidence 15

For each source of evidence, present characteristics for which data were charted and provide the citations.

Critical appraisal within sources of evidence 16

If done, present data on critical appraisal of included sources of evidence (see item 12).

For each included source of evidence, present the relevant data that were charted that relate to the review questions and objectives.

Synthesis of results 18 Summarize and/or present the charting results as they relate to the review questions and objectives.

Summarize the main results (including an overview of concepts, themes, and types of evidence available), link to the review questions and objectives, and consider the relevance to key groups.

Limitations 20 Discuss the limitations of the scoping review process. 17

Provide a general interpretation of the results with respect to the review questions and objectives, as well as potential implications and/or next steps.

Describe sources of funding for the included sources of evidence, as well as sources of funding for the scoping review. Describe the role of the funders of the scoping review.

PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMAScR): Checklist and Explanation