The Impact of Social Media on Self-Destructive Behaviour and Poor Mental Health Outcomes
Keywords:
social media, self-destructive behaviour, mental health, depression, anxiety, cyberbullying, social comparisonAbstract
The rise of social media over the last ten years, and the exponential growth of its use during this period, has led to the urgent concern of its relationship with self-destructive behaviour and declining mental health in users, especially among adolescents and young adults. The current study examined the association between social media intensity of use and measures of poor mental health outcomes such as depressive symptoms, anxiety, self-esteem and self-destructive factors (e.g., self-destructive thoughts or self-destructive action ideation). Data was obtained from 80 respondents aged 16 to 30 years by using a structured questionnaire that included validated psychometric scales, in a quantitative, cross-sectional survey design. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis, Independent samples t-test and multiple linear regression were used to analyse the data in SPSS. Results showed that there was a statistically significant positive relationship between social media consumption and mental health problems (r = .61, p< .01) and self-destructive behavior (r = .54, p< .01). Results from the regression analysis showed that together these factors of social media intensity, social comparison and cyberbullying exposure accounted for about 47% of the variance in poor mental health. The female and male respondents showed significant differences in anxiety and social comparison. The study concludes that, while social media undoubtedly provides connectivity and support, there is a significant correlation between excessive and uncritical use of social media and psychological distress and self-destructive tendencies. These recommendations encompass digital-literacy education, redesigning platforms, and targeted mental health interventions.
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