Exposure to mental health professionals on social media sites, and its correlation to fostering self-awareness

This study aimed to explore the relationship between exposure to mental health professionals on social media sites, and fostering self-awareness, according to some demographic variables differences among sample. A convenience sampling was utilized to collect data from 482 Egyptians aged 19 and even older, via an online survey. The study was based on examining the foundation of social cognitive theory. The results showed that there is a correlation between exposure to psychologists via social media and self-awareness development, indicating that these sites could support social learning. (Development of continuous attention to the self) was the most notable dimension of self-awareness among sample, which may explain the relationship between social media sites and self-awareness, as exposure to psychologists through these sites may foster thinking about behaviors, and leads users to better self-understanding. On the other hand, role of demographic variables as a mediator in that relationship has not been demonstrated; this may be due to that self-awareness is a mental process, which may not necessarily depend on the variables studied. The results proved that there is a (medium) degree of psychologists’ credibility among sample, which means psychologists could be models providing users with psychological awareness. Besides, (Reels) was the most preferable form to users to watch mental health professionals through, while (relationship management), was the most important topic to the sample, indicating the relationships’ importance in the quality of one's psychological life.