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Being Social on Social Media: How Does it Affect the Mental Health of Young Adults?

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Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, and Society 5.0

Part of the book series: Studies in Computational Intelligence ((SCI,volume 1113))

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Abstract

To contribute to knowledge about the debated relationship between social media use and mental health, this study investigates whether time spent on social media significantly influences depression, anxiety, and stress levels among young adults in Bahrain. In addition, this study gauges whether sociability and social comparison mediate the influence of social media use on depression, anxiety, and stress levels. Participants (n = 439) between the ages of 18 and 25 completed an online questionnaire with DASS 21 and social media behavior scales. Results show that more time spent interacting on social media leads to more depression and stress in young adults, but not necessarily more anxiety. Interesting mediating relationships are also found. Our findings highlight the idiosyncrasies of the social behaviors of young adults on social media. Indeed, they reflect how being ‘social’ on social media can translate to different behaviors and, hence, affect the psychological well-being of young adults in different ways.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. American University of Bahrain, Riffa, Kingdom of Bahrain

    Maryam Husain Almahdi

  2. Ahlia University, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain

    Noor Alsayed & Zakeya Sanad

  3. Bahrain Polytechnic, Isa Town, Kingdom of Bahrain

    Amani Alabbas

  4. Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt

    Dalia Kamel

Authors
  1. Maryam Husain Almahdi
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  2. Noor Alsayed
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  3. Zakeya Sanad
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  4. Amani Alabbas
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  5. Dalia Kamel
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. American University in the Emirates, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    Azzam Hannoon

  2. Integrated Development Academy for Training and Consultations, Amman, Jordan

    Abdullah Mahmood

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Almahdi, M.H., Alsayed, N., Sanad, Z., Alabbas, A., Kamel, D. (2023). Being Social on Social Media: How Does it Affect the Mental Health of Young Adults?. In: Hannoon, A., Mahmood, A. (eds) Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, and Society 5.0. Studies in Computational Intelligence, vol 1113. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-43300-9_19

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