The relationship between social media use and mental health among A'Sharqiyah University students

Abstract

Social media have rapidly become a dominant communication platform worldwide. However, it is thought that people are losing some of their mental health when overusing cyber communication. This descriptive cross-sectional study aimed to reveal the relationship between the use of social media and mental health among A’Sharqiyah University students in the Sultanate of Oman. The sample was 528 students: 76 male and 452 females. The researcher sent the tools via emails to all university students; however, only 528 participated. The results indicated social media use was 48%, while the mental health level was 71%. The results also indicated there were differences in social media use due to gender in favor of males. The study found the degree of social media use was correlated, not necessarily causational, to the level of mental health. The simple linear regression analysis has indicated that social media use contributed to explaining 32% of the variance in mental health. The correlation coefficient was found at -57% which indicated an inverse correlation between social media and mental health. Keywords: Social media, mental health, psychological disorders, university students.