Social Media Use and the Relationship between Mental, Social, and Physical Health in College Students
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2020-08
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Abstract
In today’s technological age, social media has become increasingly popular throughout the world. Factors that have contributed to the rise of social media include its ease of accessibility, portable electronic devices with internet capabilities, and the internet. As social media becomes more popular, some adolescents and young adults have begun using it excessively throughout their day. The excessive use of social media has been found to have negative impacts on users’ physical, mental, and social well-being. Much evidence suggested that some social media users have little to poor control over their social media use, which can interrupt their normal functioning in school, family, and work areas. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of self-reported social media screen time and one’s physical and mental well-being in college students (n = 97) using a survey. This study also investigated differences between groups. The dimensions of health addressed in this study were measured by body mass index (BMI) calculation and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Survey. There were no significant relationships between social media screen-time and health; anxiety, depression, and BMI. There was a positive, weak non-significant association between college students social networking time and total anxiety score (r(91) = .12, p = .22). A positive, weak non-significant association between college students social networking time and total depression score (r(91) =.14, p = .78) was found. A positive weak non-significant relationship between college students self-reported social networking screen time and BMI (r(91) = .12, p = .24) was found. There were also no significant differences between males and females in respect to social media screen-time and health, anxiety, depression, and BMI.
Description
A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Public Health
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Public Health