Relationship between the habitual consumption of social network services and the mental health of university students

Abstract

Objective: To describe the relationship between the habitual use of social media services and the mental health of university students. Methodology: Descriptive, cross-sectional, and correlational research. The sample included 286 university students from the Faculty of Health Sciences at a university in Montería (Córdoba, Colombia) during 2022. A stratified random sampling method was conducted in two stages. Surveys were applied along with the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Absolute and relative frequencies, chi-square statistics (p-value at 0.05), and Relative Risk (OR) were estimated. Results: The most used social networks were Instagram and Facebook. Most participants were female (64.3%) and aged between 22 and 24 years (30.4%). About 58% lived in socioeconomic stratum 1, and generally, 56.6% had a family income level between 1 and 3 minimum wages. A relationship was established between the habitual use of social media services and mental health status. GHQ-12 results showed a prevalent measurement of poor mental health (61.5%) and fair mental health (28.7%), while a minority (9.8%) presented an adequate mental health level. Conclusion: A relationship has been demonstrated between the habitual use of social media services and the general mental health status of students. Mental health risk decreases when students use between 1 and 3 social networks (OR: 0.49); meanwhile, participating in 4 or more networks triples this risk (OR: 1.74).