Assessment of social media addiction and its link to psychological distress: A comparative study on undergraduate students

Abstract

Background and objective: Addiction to social networking sites (SNSs) is their unhealthy use that interferes with daily functionality and results in unwanted outcomes. This study investigates the prevalence and intensity as well as the impact of SNSs addiction on the daily routine among young undergraduate students. In addition, it evaluates the relationship between psychological suffering and SNSs addiction. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among undergraduate students of Karachi, Pakistan from January to June 2022. Data was collected using non-probability convenience sampling technique. A self-administered questionnaire was used, compiled from two validated questionnaires, Young’s internet addiction (YIA) test and Depression-Anxiety-Stress scale (DASS 21). The SPSS software version 25.0 was used to analyze the collected data. In the 95% confidence interval, statistical analysis was set at a p-value of 0.05 as the threshold for statistical significance. Results: Total 40.7% undergraduate students were found to have no internet addiction, followed by 34.3% mildly, 21.0% moderately and only 4% students severely addicted. Around 28% young undergraduate students were suffering from extremely severe depression (DASS score 28+) followed by 24.0% with moderate (DASS score 14-20), 14.0 % with severe (DASS score 21-27) and 13.7 % with mild depression (DASS score 10-13), while 20.3 % were found not depressed (DASS score 0-9). Mean age of 21 years was found to be consistent for having internet addiction and depression both. Cross study of internet addiction shows highly suggestive behavior with depression (p < 0.01). Conclusion: Social networking sites addiction is found to be a major contributing factor for depression in young undergraduate students. Out of all the aspects of life, education is found to be the most severely affected domain of life among students with SNS addiction.