THERAPOETICS IN DIGITAL SPACES: SOCIAL MEDIA STORYTELLING AND MENTAL HEALTH CONVERSATIONS AMONG UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN RIVERS STATE UNIVERSITIES

This study was an examination of therapoetics in digital space, specifically social media
storytelling and mental health discussions among undergraduate students in Rivers
State universities. Specifically, the study examined the relationships between personal
storytelling and mental health awareness, sharing of lived experiences and emotional
support, and narrative expression and help-seeking communication. A correlational
research design was used. The study was carried out in Rivers State University (RSU),
and Ignatius Ajuru University of Education Rivers State (IAUE) Nigeria. There were 346
undergraduate students, 217 students from the Department of Mass Communication,
IAUE and 129 students from the Department of Mass Communication, RSU. Sampling
was employed in the census. A total of 346 questionnaires were given out and 321 were
retrieved, corresponding to a retrieval rate of 92.8%. Structured questionnaires were
used to collect data, which were the Social Media Storytelling Questionnaire (SMSQ)
and Mental Health Conversations Questionnaire (MHCQ) developed on a four-point
Likert scale. The instruments were face and content validated by experts and reliability
was achieved by Cronbach's alpha. Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) was
used to analyse the data obtained and the null hypotheses were tested at α = 0.05
significance level. The results indicated high positive correlations between personal
storytelling and mental health awareness (r = 0.684, p < .001), sharing of lived
experiences and emotional support (r = 0.721, p < .001), and personal expression
through narratives and communication of help-seeking (r = 0.756, p < .001). The
findings indicated that social media storytelling is a significant communicative aspect
of mental health discourses among the undergraduate students, and an opportunity
for awareness, emotional support and help-seeking communication. But social media
stories are not a replacement for health care.