Effect of social media usage on major depressive disorder among generation Z: a study in Indian context
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the specific social media behaviours (SMB) that lead to major depressive disorder (MDD). The study also looks at the moderation effect of pandemic on social media usage among users.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a descriptive approach, the required data was collected from a sample of 629 social media users chosen through random sampling technique. An adopted structured online questionnaire was used to collect the data. The data collected was analysed by using univariate and multinomial regression techniques.
Findings
The findings of the study revealed that social media intensity, social media addiction (SMA), social media participation, social interaction and SMB had a positive impact on MDD, whereas social comparison had a negative impact. The pandemic situation has also been found to moderate the effect of social media usage on MDD.
Social implications
This study will be supportive in disclosing behaviours and activities of students that impact their mental health adversely. This will also be helpful in dealing with specific stressors in the programs designed to cope with the depression. By adopting effective strategies to manage social media usage, the study would help to reduce the level of depressive symptoms among college students, significantly promoting healthy environments for students and, thus, contribute to social change.
Originality/value
Since the social media has both favourable and detrimental effects, the key for the users is to develop an awareness about the wise usage and to determine the alterations in the usage patterns that can help to reduce the behaviours associated with negative emotions and psychological distress.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors extend thanks to the editor, associate editor and anonymous reviewers, whose expertise and rigorous evaluation significantly improved the quality of this manuscript. Their thoughtful critiques, comprehensive feedback and valuable insights were instrumental in shaping the final version of this paper. While their identities remain undisclosed, their contributions are deeply appreciated.
Citation
Bhat, I.H., Gupta, S. and Bhat, G.M. (2023), "Effect of social media usage on major depressive disorder among generation Z: a study in Indian context", Information Discovery and Delivery, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/IDD-07-2022-0071
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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