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College students and cyberbullying: how social media use affects social anxiety and social comparison.

ABSTRACT: Cyberbullying is defined as aggression intending to inflict harm on others by electronic communication technologies. Cyberbullying has become more common as social media has grown and is accompanied by negative mental health consequences. Research on cyberbullying and mental health in adolescents suggests cyberbullying victimization moderates the relationship between social comparison and social anxiety, but little is known about this phenomenon in college students. Therefore, the objective of this study was to explore the relationship between cyberbullying, social anxiety, and social comparison amongst college students. A convenience sample of 486 undergraduate students from southern Texas and northern Ohio completed a PyschData survey that assessed social anxiety, social comparison, experiences with be a cyberbullying victim, perpetrator, or both. We found that social anxiety was associated with cyberbullying victimization and perpetration; however, social comparison was not. Cyberbullying victimization was not a moderator between social comparison and anxiety, suggesting that unlike adolescence, college students' experiences with these constructs may be unique to their developmental level.

SUBMITTER: Lam TN

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9816968 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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College students and cyberbullying: how social media use affects social anxiety and social comparison.

Lam Travis N TN Jensen D Brayden DB Hovey Joseph D JD Roley-Roberts Michelle E ME

Heliyon 20221225 12

Cyberbullying is defined as aggression intending to inflict harm on others by electronic communication technologies. Cyberbullying has become more common as social media has grown and is accompanied by negative mental health consequences. Research on cyberbullying and mental health in adolescents suggests cyberbullying victimization moderates the relationship between social comparison and social anxiety, but little is known about this phenomenon in college students. Therefore, the objective of t ...[more]

PMID: 36619438

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Project description:This article examined the interaction of social media use and physical activity with mental health outcomes in a cultural and regional perspective among university students in China. Among 1,500 students from ten universities across different regions of China, stratified random sampling was used to complete the validated measures of social media use, physical activity, depression, anxiety, sleep quality, and cultural values. Significantly positive associations were revealed between the use of social media and both depressive symptoms, r = .28, p ≤ .001, and anxiety, r = .31, p ≤ .001. In female students, this association was stronger, r = .34, p ≤ .001. Regarding physical activity as associated with a lower risk for mental health problems, the association was β =-0.18, p ≤ .001, occurring more strongly when social media use was at a high level. Sleep quality accounted for 30.4% of the relationship between social media use and depression. Cultural values, particularly individualism/collectivism, moderated these associations: β = -0.14, p < .01, such that collectivistic values buffered against negative effects. There were significant regional differences: Western Chinese participants reported more frequent use of social media (M = 4.2, SD = 0.8), but less physical activity (M = 1890 MET-min/week, SD = 1100) than Western participants. More importantly, females reported a higher level of social media use (M = 4.2, SD = 0.9), while males had higher levels of physical activity (M = 2486 MET-min/week, SD = 1342). These findings indicate that gender-specific, culturally tailored interventions are necessary that embed physical activity promotion into strategies aimed at promoting digital wellness. This study contributes to the theoretical understanding of digital wellness and extends evidence-based insights into the development of targeted mental health interventions among Chinese university students.

Project description:AimsProblematic social media use is increasing in China and could be a risk factor for depression. We investigated cross-sectional associations between problematic social media use and depressive outcomes among Chinese college students with potential mediation by perceived social support, social media violence, and loneliness. Thereafter, we evaluated the effectiveness of a one-month group counseling intervention in reducing depressive symptoms related to social media addiction.MethodsDepressive symptoms, social media addiction, perceived social support, social media violence, and loneliness were self-reported among 21,000 college students in Shaanxi province, China. A randomized controlled trial was designed based on the results of the observational study and Satir Transformational Systemic Therapy (STST) among 60 college students assigned to intervention (N = 30) or control/no treatment (N = 30). Self-administered surveys were completed at baseline (T1), at the end of the 1-month intervention (T2), and at 2-month follow-up post-intervention (T3).ResultsAfter controlling for relevant covariates, more problematic social media use was associated with more depressive symptoms (β = 0.18, p < 0.001) and depression (OR = 1.08, 95% CI: 1.075, 1.092). Multiple mediation analyses found that perceived social support, social media violence, and loneliness significantly mediated associations between problematic social media use and depressive symptoms (model fit: RMSEA = 0.065, GFI = 0.984, CFI = 0.982). Bootstrapping revealed significant indirect effects of problematic social media use on depressive symptoms through the mediators named above (0.143, 95% CI: 0.133, 0.156). The subsequently informed intervention significantly reduced depressive symptoms at T2 (mean difference: -12.70, 95% CI: -16.64, -8.76, p < 0.001) and at T3 (mean difference: -8.70, 95% CI: -12.60, -4.80, p < 0.001), as well as levels of social media addiction, perceived social support, social media violence, and loneliness.ConclusionsProblematic social media use is a risk factor for depressive outcomes among Chinese college students, and perceived social support, social media violence, and loneliness mediate this association. STST-based group counseling may reduce depressive symptoms related to high social media usage in this population.

Dataset Information

College students and cyberbullying: how social media use affects social anxiety and social comparison.

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College students and cyberbullying: how social media use affects social anxiety and social comparison.

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