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No link between Facebook use and depression, researcher says

Health24 says that a University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health study of university students refutes the assumption that a link exists between depression and the amount of time spent on Facebook and other social-media sites.

190 University of Wisconsin-Madison students between the ages of 18 and 23 were surveyed through 43 text-message questionnaires at random intervals over a seven-day period between February and December of 2011. They were asked if they were currently online, how many minutes they had been online and what they were doing on the Internet, reports Health24.

"Our study is the first to present scientific evidence on the suggested link between social-media use and risk of depression," said Lauren Jelenchick, who conducted the research with colleague Dr. Megan Moreno.

According to Health24, the study found that participants were on Facebook for over half of the total time online, yet, the depression-screening results showed no significant associations between social-media use and the probability of depression.

Read the full article on www.health24.com

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