ARCHIVES
VOL. 8, ISSUE 3 (2026)
Social media addiction, generalized anxiety and depressive symptoms among college students: A cross-sectional correlational study
Authors
P Praveen Reddy, Preethi A
Abstract
The objectives of the present study were to assess the level of social
media addiction, generalized anxiety, and depressive symptoms among college
students aged 18–25 years, and to investigate the relationships among these
psychological variables. The study was conceptually positioned within an active
educational hub located in Maisammaguda, Hyderabad, which presents a highly
concentrated demographic of young adults from diverse social and academic
backgrounds. Using a quantitative, cross-sectional, correlational research
survey methodology, data from a structured sample of 120 respondents were
tabulated and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical
techniques. Social media addiction was operationalized using the Bergen Social
Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), while generalized anxiety and depressive symptom
severities were measured through the GAD-7 and PHQ-9 instruments, respectively.
The descriptive findings revealed an illustrative sample mean score of 18.93
(SD = 4.24) for social media addiction, with an average reported platform
exposure of 4.81 hours per day. Statistical analysis using Pearson’s
product-moment correlation demonstrated robust, highly significant positive
associations between social media addiction and generalized anxiety (r = 0.610,
p < 0.001) as well as depressive symptoms (r = 0.572, p < 0.001). Simple
linear regression models indicated that social media addiction served as a
significant statistical predictor, accounting for 37.2% of the variance in
anxiety scores and 32.7% of the variance in depressive scores. Furthermore,
one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) established that psychological distress
significantly intensified across sample-based addiction tertile groups (low,
moderate, and high), while independent-samples t-tests revealed no
statistically significant variations across gender. The study underscores the
necessity of establishing campus-level digital well-being frameworks, early
mental health screenings, and structured counseling intervention pathways to
foster balanced technology utilization among the student community.
Download
Pages:158-164
How to cite this article:
P Praveen Reddy, Preethi A "Social media addiction, generalized anxiety and depressive symptoms among college students: A cross-sectional correlational study". International Journal of Social Science and Humanities, Vol 8, Issue 3, 2026, Pages 158-164
Pdf, Certificate, Cover Page, Index Page, Editorial Page, Accept Letter
Please enter the email address corresponding to this article submission.