Assessment of the effect of social media use on medical students' academic performance: cross-sectional study from Jordan.

Navigating Social Media in #Ophthalmology

BackgroundGiven that social media use (SMU) is an increasingly widespread activity among university students, more information is needed to evaluate its relationship with students’ mental health, particularly medical students.ObjectiveThe present study assessed the relationships between SMU and coping style with psychological distress and academic performance of medical students.MethodsAn offline cross-sectional survey conducted with 398 undergraduate medical students. The survey collected data on demographics, psychological distress (DASS-21), coping strategies (Brief COPE Scale), academic performance (grade point average) and estimated average time spent on social media per day. Structural equation modeling was used to clarify relationships between the main study variables. The study also examined the mediating effect of maladaptive coping between SMU and psychological distress.ResultsStudents with higher levels of psychological distress were more likely to be engaged in frequent social media use. Spending more than two hours a day on social media use had a positive association with maladaptive coping (p < 0.001), particularly with substance use and behavioral disengagement both of which could negatively affect academic performance. Maladaptive coping mediated the relationship between students’ SMU and psychological distress.ConclusionThe findings suggest that medical students commonly use social media as a maladaptive coping tool to deal with psychological distress. Empowering students to adopt and foster appropriate coping strategies could help them to enhance resilience against life stresses and ameliorate potential long-term mental health consequences associated with maladaptive behaviors.

The increasing prevalence of social media has given rise to the Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) phenomenon, characterized by an acute awareness of the rewarding experiences others might be enjoying. FoMO is hypothesized to affect various aspects of individuals' lives, including their psychological well-being and academic performance. This study explores these relationships among university students, a demographic particularly vulnerable to social media influences. To examine the relationships between FoMO, social media use, psychological well-being (as measured by life satisfaction), and academic performance (as measured by GPA) among university students and determine the mediating roles of FoMO and social media use. A quantitative, correlational design was employed, collecting data from 521 university students through a cross-sectional survey. Participants completed the Fear of Missing Out Scale (FoMO), the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), and self-reported GPA. Social media use was assessed via a customized questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS, employing correlation analysis, multiple regression, and mediation analysis. Findings indicated a strong positive association between FoMO and social media use (R 2 = 0.633, p < 0.001), suggesting that higher levels of FoMO lead to increased social media engagement (B = 0.834, p < 0.001). Contrary to expectations, FoMO was positively rather than negatively correlated with life satisfaction (R 2 = 0.064, p < 0.001, B = 0.158). Additionally, a strong positive correlation was observed between social media use and academic performance (Spearman's rho = 0.765, p < 0.001). Mediation analyses revealed that FoMO does not significantly mediate the relationship between social media use and life satisfaction, as the indirect effect was not statistically significant (B = 0.0785, 95% CI: -0.0164 to 0.1467). Similarly, the non-significant indirect effect indicated that social media use did not mediate the relationship between FoMO and academic performance (B = 0.005, 95% CI: -0.0045 to 0.0146). Moderation analyses showed that FoMO moderates the relationship between social media use and life satisfaction, where social media use hurt life satisfaction at low levels of FoMO (B = -0.1713, p = 0.0001) but had a positive effect at high levels of FoMO (B = 0.2848, p < 0.0001). This suggests that individuals with high FoMO may derive psychological benefits from social media use. Additionally, results indicated that social media use moderates the relationship between FoMO and academic performance, where FoMO had a significant adverse effect on GPA at low social media use (B = -0.030, p < 0.0001). Still, this effect became non-significant at high levels of social media use (B = 0.0097, p = 0.1028). Finally, life satisfaction moderates the relationship between FoMO and social media use, with higher life satisfaction strengthening the positive association between FoMO and social media use (B = 0.9277, p < 0.0001). These findings highlight the complex interplay between FoMO, social media use, life satisfaction, and academic performance. While FoMO increases social media engagement, its positive association with life satisfaction contradicts theoretical expectations. These results underscore the importance of considering psychological and social factors when evaluating the impact of social media use among university students.

PurposeIn the recent times social media is considered as the most popular tool of communication among the students in India. Based on the assumption that the usage of social media is going to reinforce the academic performance among the medical students, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the mediating effect of student engagement on the use of SM and AP of medical students of India.Design/methodology/approachThe students were selected from the top three public-funded medical colleges of India. Almost 250 medical students took part in the survey. A self-administered structured questionnaire was used for the collection of the data. Structural equation modelling was used for the analysis of the final data.FindingsThe results of the study show that student engagement is a multi-dimensional construct. It was found that the behavioural and emotional engagement did not mediate the relationship between usage of social media and academic performance, whereas, the cognitive engagement did mediate the relationship. The outcome of the study depicts that the usage of the social media has a potential impact on the learning environment and enhances the cognitive engagement among the medical students and eventually their academic performance.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper contributes to the existing body of knowledge on the effectiveness of social media in higher education learning among medical students. Furthermore, the study also looks at the mediating effect of Student engagement between usage of social media and academic performance. This will be helpful for the educator to know how social media can be useful for conducive learning.Originality/valueThe usage of the social media is claimed to enhance learning among the students but there is hardly any empirical evidence of the same. Therefore, the present paper looks at the combined effect of two distinct sets of literature, i.e., the influence of usage of social media on student engagement, and student engagement and academic performance. Linking the two studies the present paper looks at the usage of the social media, student engagement and academic performance among the medical students of India.

Problem Statement: Social media use may be detrimental to sleep quality, self-esteem, and mental health and may affect academic performance in medical students. However, the effects of problematic social media use on sleep quality and academic performance in medical students are unknown. Approach: A total of 170 medical students in a Saudi Arabian medical school were studied. The relationships between social media use volume (duration of use per day) and addiction (measured using the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale) of seven platforms and (i) quality of sleep measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and (ii) academic performance according to the grade point average were examined. Caffeine intake was considered as a potential confounder, and data were analyzed using uni- and multi-variable logistic regression. Results: Poor quality sleep (72.9% and 63.5% during the week or at the weekend, respectively) and social media addiction (27.1% addicted to three or more platforms) were common. Individuals with high-volume WhatsApp (odds ratio [OR] 1.59 [1.20–2.10], P = 0.001) and Snapchat (OR 1.41 [1.10–1.81], P = 0.007) use were more likely to have very poor sleep quality at the weekend, the latter persisting in multivariable analysis. Students who were addicted to Snapchat (OR 2.53 [1.03–6.22], P = 0.044) or who were addicted to three or more social media platforms (OR 2.93 [1.19–7.23], P = 0.019) had an even greater risk of very poor weekend sleep quality. Social media addiction was not associated with academic performance. Conclusions/Recommendations: Educational programs on sleep and social media hygiene and changes to class start times to prevent weekend sleep debt should be considered.

Gender variations in social media usage and academic performance among the students of University of Sharjah

This study aimed to examine the mediating role of fear of missing out (FoMO) and the moderating role of resilience in the association between social media use and negative emotions among medical college students in China during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional study design was conducted, medical college students from Qiqihar Medical University, China participated in the study. A total of 470 medical college students were recruited voluntarily to complete questionnaires on social media use, FoMO, resilience, and negative emotions. Social media use was positively associated with FoMO and negative emotions among medical students (p < 0.01). The total effect of social media use on negative emotions was significant (β = 1.101, SE = 0.079, p < 0.001). Social media use had no significant direct effect on negative emotions (β = 0.168, SE = 0.096, p > 0.05), but it had an indirect effect on negative emotions via mediation of FoMO (β = 0.933, SE = 0.106, 95% CI: 0.731 to 1.149). Moreover, resilience had a significant moderating effect on the relationship between FoMO and negative emotions (β = -0.021, SE = 0.005, 95% CI: -0.032 to -0.012). FoMO had a significant positive predictive effect on negative emotions at both levels of resilience (low resilience individuals: β = 1.079, SE = 0.076, p < 0.001; high resilience individuals: β = 0.212, SE = 0.094, p < 0.05). Social media use and FoMO may be risk factors for increased negative emotions, and resilience should be considered in prevention and intervention strategies designed to mitigate negative emotions among medical college students.

Spatial Patterns of Purposeful Social Networking and Socioeconomic Influences: Towards a Mature, Inclusive Networked Society in the U.S.

Based on data from the 2022 Chinese Minors' Digital Life and Online Protection Survey, this study investigated the status quo of social media use and its influencing mechanism on academic performance among Chinese children and adolescents. The statistical results indicate that the average level of Chinese students' social media use was generally low, with their academic performance varying across socio-demographic and schooling characteristics. After controlling for other variables, it was found that the frequency of social media use could exert a significant positive impact on students' academic performance. Moreover, the mechanism analysis revealed that online learning behavior and prosocial behavior served as chain mediators linking social media use to academic performance. Specifically, students could transfer their social media behavioral patterns to the internet-based learning context, and then effectively utilize remote learning resources. Meanwhile, engagement with social media would cultivate individuals' prosocial personality, thereby stimulating intrinsic motivation for learning and ultimately enhancing academic performance. The heterogeneity analysis further confirmed that the impact of social media use on students' academic performance was stronger in lower-class families, underscoring the moderating role of family socioeconomic status in the relationship between social media use and academic performance. The findings suggest that if academic performance is regarded as an integral part of individual capacity development, then the rational utilization of social media resources might be a pivotal approach to alleviate the predicament of developmental inequality faced by students from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

#trial: clinical research in the age of social media

Social media are websites and applications enabling users to create or share content and communicate. The widespread use of social media among university students and easy access during class and study time raises concern about its impact on academic performance. This study aims to determine the impact of social media usage, addiction, and exposure on students' academic performance. An online cross-sectional study was conducted using convenience sampling among undergraduate medical students in Medina, KSA during the academic year 2021/2022. We used the chi-square and fisher's exact tests to determine the impact of social media usage on academic performance. 842 medical students participated in our study. 57.1% were females, 24.8% were in the 5th academic year, and 56.5% had a Grade Point Average (GPA) in the range of 4.5 to 5. Moreover, 26.1% of the students use social networking sites for 3-4 hours, and males are more addicted to social media than females. Our results showed that students with excellent GPAs (GPA ≥ 4.5) are less likely to be addicted to social media networks (54.8%), and they perceive that using social media is not helping to improve their grades compared to other students. Also, showed that those who are addicted to social media benefit from the use of social media to improve their grades. There is no significant difference between genders in social media usage as if it helps them improve their grades. Moreover, no difference between the academic years in addiction and usage of social media. This study has revealed that students with higher levels were less addicted to social media, and those who are addicted benefit from using social media to improve their grades. We call for using social media as a supporting tool for academic performance and achievement among university students.

Aim of the Study: This study aimed to examine the effects of social media use on academic performance and psycho-behavioural responses in university students during COVID-19. According to the study, there is a strong link between academic social media use, psycho-behavioral responses, and academic performance. It was also proposed that academic social media use and psycho-behavioural response could forecast academic success. The study also forecasted gender disparities in academic performance, psycho-behavioural responses, and social media use. Methodology: In the two government universities in Lahore, 200 students (113 females and 87 males) were polled, using purposive sampling and a quantitative correlation study design. A demographic information sheet, consent form, student learning behaviour scale (Abbas et al., 2019), social networking usage scale (Gupta &amp; Bashir, 2018), and a depression, anxiety, and stress scale (Lovibond &amp; Lovibond, 1995) were all included in the questionnaire. The data were examined using Pearson correlation, independent t-tests, and moderation regression analysis. Findings: The study found a negative correlation between academic social media usage and performance among university students. It was found that university students' academic performance during COVID-19 was negatively impacted by their use of academic social media. Significant gender-based disparities in psychological reactions like stress, anxiety, and academic performance were also discovered by the study. Conclusion: These findings can benefit students in making better academic use of social media and aid instructors in better understanding the factors affecting student success.

BackgroundSocial media has become an integral part in the life of every individual in the 21st century. Social media addiction in the younger age group is a major problem. The objective of this study was to find a correlation between academic performance and social media use. MethodsThis was a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study conducted in a medical school over a period of 3 months (Nov 2018–Jan 2019), where 400 medical undergraduates who use social media participated in the study. Data collected from the questionnaire included the academic performance in terms of university examination marks, the duration of social media use per day and the social media addiction score. Data correlation was done using the Pearson’s correlation factor. Results41.5% of students used social media for upto 3 h per day. Whatsapp (98.25%) and Youtube (91.75%) were the most commonly used social media applications. 73.5% used social media to read health-related news, 71.5% used it to complete assignments and more than 50% used it for seminar preparation, test preparation and research-related purposes. Academic performance of female students was better than male students. There was a significantly higher use of social media among academically low-performing medical students compared with high-performing medical students. There was a weak negative correlation between academic performance and social media usage and a strong positive correlation between social media usage and the social media addiction score. ConclusionsSocial media has a negative impact on the academic performance of 21st-century undergraduate medical students.

Background: Social media has been used for the past 10 years, by changing our way of communication, exchanging, and gathering information easily. The present survey was carried out to identify the prevalence of social media use among students at Qassim University, Qassim, Saudi Arabia. Additionally, this survey aimed to assess the impact of social media use on the academic performance of students and to compare social media use among medical and non-medical students. Methodology: All university students belonging to six medical and non-medical colleges were recruited. They answered a self-administered questionnaire, including socio-demographic information, and questions related to social media use. The majority of students either agree (41.3%) or highly agree (35.8%) that excessive use of social media is an issue affecting their academic life and 462 (43.6%) agree that social media distracts them from college. Results: The study included 1,060 participants. The prevalence of social media use among the study participants was 99.5%. There was a significant association between social media use and the grade point average of students (p = 0.001). It was found that participating in academic discussions on social media improved academic performance (53.3%). Also, 62.2% reported using social media to spread knowledge among their classmates. A high percent agree (41.6%) or highly agree (31.6%) that using social media for research purposes helped to improve their grades. Conclusion: Social media usage for academic purposes is high among Qassim University students. Most students were aware of its positive as well as negative influences on their academic performance.

Youth Social Media Use and Health Outcomes: #diggingdeeper