Relationship between social network usage and mental health of first-year students in a South African university

Abstract

The mental health of students remains a major public health concern. The increasing rate of social network site (SNS) usage in recent time has been identified as a major contributor to mental health challenges. There is, however, a paucity of empirical studies addressing this trend in South Africa. This study, therefore, investigated the relationship between social network usage, demographic factors and mental health of first-year students in a South African university. A quantitative research approach with correlational design was utilized in the study. One hundred and thirty-two first-year students of the North-West University selected through a convenience sampling method participated in the study. The participants comprised 31.1% males and 68.9% females whose ages ranged between 18 and 32 years, with mean age being 20.98 years. The Beck Depression Index (α = 0.91) was used to assess depressive symptoms while the Beck Anxiety Index (α = 0.94) was used for the assessment of anxiety. SNS usage was assessed using the Social Network Time Usage Scale (α = 0.98). Statistical analysis was conducted with SPSS v24 using the Pearson Product-Moment Correlation analysis. The results indicated that there is no significant relationship between the use of SNS and depression (r = .09, p>.05) and anxiety (r = .06, p>.05). Further results showed that the participants mostly used SNS for relaxation and free periods. These findings suggest the use of SNS in positive or healthy ways can maintain good mental health. The study suggests that positive use of SNS facilitates good mental health. It is, therefore, recommended that SNS usage should be encouraged in a non-problematic manner to maintain good mental health.