Longitudinal Problematic Social Media Use in Students and Its Association with Negative Mental Health Outcomes
Shannon H, Bush K, Shvetz C, Paquin V, Morency J, Hellemans KGC, Guimond S
Psychology research and behavior management · 11 citations
Review labels
Neutral facts our review recorded about how this study was done. They describe method, never whether we like the result.
How it was studied
- Design
- Cohort study (classified by our AI screen)
- Studied in
- People
- Main outcome
- Health markers and function
Who paid for it
- Funding
- Independent funding
- Authors
- At least one author declares a financial tie to industry
Based on full-text disclosure statement.
Publication
- Published
- 2024-04-01 · Psychol Res Behav Manag · vol. Volume 17 · pp. 1551–1560
- Publisher
- Dove Medical Press
- Cited
- 36 citations · more than 100% of similar papers · 27.2× the field average
- Impact
- Top 10% most cited in its field
- References
- 47 works
- Access
- Open access (journal) · CC-BY-NC
- Research areas
- Impact of Technology on Adolescents · Mental Health via Writing · Digital Mental Health Interventions
- Keywords
- social media addiction, student mental health, resilience, loneliness, depression, anxiety, perceived stress, moderation, longitudinal change, social media use frequency
7 authors
From CA
- Holly ShannonUniversity of Ottawa; Institute of Mental Health Research; Carleton University
- Katie BushUniversity of Ottawa; Institute of Mental Health Research; Carleton University
- Cecelia ShvetzUniversity of Ottawa; Institute of Mental Health Research
- Vincent PaquinDouglas Mental Health University Institute; McGill University
- Juliette MorencyUniversity of Ottawa; Université du Québec en Outaouais; Institute of Mental Health Research
- Kim G. C. HellemansCarleton University
Abstract
Purpose
Social media has become increasingly part of our everyday lives and is influential in shaping the habits, sociability, and mental health of individuals, particularly among students. This study aimed to examine the relationship between changes over time in problematic social media use and mental health outcomes in students. We also investigated whether resilience and loneliness moderated the relationship between social media use and mental health.
Patients and methods
A total of 103 participants completed a baseline virtual study visit, and 78 participants completed a follow-up visit, 4-weeks later. Participants completed a comprehensive set of questionnaires measuring symptoms of depression and anxiety, perceived stress, loneliness, and resilience.
Results
Our results showed that problematic social media use at baseline was significantly negatively correlated with resilience and positively correlated with all other mental health outcomes. Furthermore, increases in problematic social media use were significantly associated with increased depressive symptoms and loneliness between visits. Resilience significantly moderated the relationship between increased problematic social media use and heightened perceived stress. Poor mental health at baseline did not predict increased problematic social media use over time. Contrarily to problematic use, frequency of social media use was not significantly correlated with any mental health measures at baseline.
Conclusion
This study offers a longitudinal perspective, providing valuable insights into the potential protective role of resilience against the detrimental mental health effects seen with increases in problematic social media use.
Abstract via Europe PMC. Copyright remains with the authors or publisher (CC BY-NC).
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