Is social media usage linked to anxiety and depression in adults?

Abstract

The aim of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of the linkage between social media usage and anxiety and depression using an understudied Irish adult population. A quantitative, correlational survey was used to gather necessary data. A convenience sample of sixty-nine participants completed the online survey which consisted of Social Media Scale and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale. There was a small positive correlation with no significance, between the two variables. This indicates that while higher social media usage correlates with higher depression, anxiety and stress scores, it is not significant enough for a relationship to be determined. The results suggest building an ongoing body of research to investigate the links between anxiety and depression and social media use, as users feature across the lifespan and users are increasingly younger despite age limitations.