BHUBANESWAR : Contrary to the popular belief that using social media has negative consequences on mental health, a recent study conducted on students in Bhubaneswar found high social media users had better psychological well-being than low users.
The study conducted by two psychologists and an associate professor of community medicine also found that though gender has no significant effect on perceived social support, the psychological well-being scores of boys were higher than girls.
As psychological well-being encapsulates positive dimensions, encompassing an individual’s sense of personal growth and connection with purpose and meaning in life, the research indicates that social media yields consequential outcomes, contributing to elevated levels of well-being and life satisfaction.
The engagement of teenagers and adolescents with social networking sites serves as a facilitator in fortifying existing friendships and cultivating new connections through online platforms, which in turn alleviates their social isolation and loneliness, thereby fostering a visible improvement in their mental health, the study claimed.
The researchers studied adolescents, mainly students, who are using online platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Tinder, Snapchat and many other forums of networking by making their profiles attractive. Associate professor of community medicine at IMS and Sum Hospital Dr Sai Chandan Das said be it peer pressure or family expectations, teenagers nowadays face various emotional as well as psychological turmoil that lead to depression, anxiety and stress and sometimes, suicide.
“Excess use of social media may have consequential effects, but in the study, we found the psychological well-being is better in students who are more active on online platforms. They believe that numerous people are there to help them, and also, they can share their feelings with many. This thinking may prevent them from feeling lonely leading to less stress,” Das observed.
The study also revealed that boys have better psychological well-being than girls. This was because boys may not have any restrictions on using or on duration of usage of social media. But due to the prevailing socialisation practices, girls have many restrictions to access the digital media and feel insecure to express their feelings which impact their psychological well-being, said assistant professor of psychology at Ravenshaw University Prabhudarsan Sahoo.
The adolescents, who participated in the study, were in the age group of 17-19 years and they were randomly selected from different undergraduate colleges in the city.