Work Overload and Addictive Social Media Use: A Relationship with Depression Symptoms and Life Satisfaction

Abstract

Work overload is highly related to mental health issues. Online social media are often used to escape the feelings of overload. In the current study, 291 employees from various job sectors completed an online survey related to work overload, addictive social media use (SMU), and mental health (i.e., depression symptoms, life satisfaction). Work overload was significantly positively associated with addictive SMU (r = 0.209, p < 0.001) and depression symptoms (r = 0.190, p < 0.001). The relationship between work overload and life satisfaction was significantly negative (r = −0.175, p < 0.001). Moreover, addictive SMU significantly mediated the association between work overload and depression symptoms (total effect: p = 0.002, direct effect: p = 0.052), and the association between work overload and life satisfaction (total effect: p = 0.006, direct effect: p = 0.064). The present result reveals that high work overload could foster addictive SMU that could impact employees’ mental health. Therefore, the attention of employees and employers should be attracted to the potential negative consequences of intensive SMU. The integration of measures such as a temporary “social media detox” and enhanced physical activity in the policy of various organizations could be an important step to protect employees’ mental health and to maintain their productivity.