JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The rapid surge in social media platforms has significant implications for users’ mental health, particularly anxiety. In the case of social media, the impact on mental wellbeing has been highlighted by multiple stakeholders as a cause for concern. However, there has been a lack of research into how the association between social media and anxiety arises, specifically among university students - the generation that has seen the introduction and evolution of social media, and currently lives through the medium. Existing systematic literature reviews within this area of research have not yet focused on university students or anxiety, rather predominantly investigating adolescents or generalised mental health symptoms and disorders. Furthermore, there is little to no qualitative data exploring the association between social media and anxiety amongst university students.

Objective:

To conduct a systematic literature review of the existing literature and to conduct a qualitative study that aims to develop foundational knowledge around the association of social media and anxiety amongst university students and to generate novel theory and enhance extant knowledge.

Methods:

A total of 29 semi-structured interviews were conducted, comprising of 19 male students (65.5%) and 10 female students (34.5%) with a mean age of 21.5 years. All students were undergraduates from 6 universities across the UK with most students studying in London (89.7%). Participants were enrolled through a homogenous purposive sampling technique via social media channels, word of mouth and university faculties. Recruitment was suspended at the point of data saturation. Participants were eligible for the study providing they were university students within the UK and users of social media.

Results:

Thematic analysis resulted in eight 2nd order themes; three mediating factors that decrease anxiety levels and five factors that increase anxiety levels. Social media decreased anxiety through positive experiences, social connectivity and escapism. Social media increased anxiety through stress, comparison, fear of missing out, negative experiences and procrastination.

Conclusions:

This qualitative study, one of the first to be carried out in the UK, sheds critical light on how university students perceive how social media affects their anxiety levels. Students revealed that social media did impact their anxiety levels and considered it an important factor in their mental health. Therefore, it is essential to educate stakeholders including students, university counsellors, and healthcare professionals about the potential impact of social media on students' anxiety levels. Since anxiety is a multifactorial condition, pinpointing the main stressors in a person's life such as social media use may help manage these patients more effectively. Our research highlights that there are many benefits to social media and uncovering these may help in producing more holistic management plans for anxiety, reflective of the students' social media usage.