Social Media Addiction and Psychological Distress among University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study across Psychology, Sociology, and Media Departments

Abstract

In Pakistan, the increasing use of social media among university students has become an important area of concern, particularly regarding its potential association with psychological well-being. However, excessive and addictive social media use may be associated with psychological distress. The present study examined the relationship between social media addiction and psychological distress and compared these variables among university students from Psychology, Sociology, and Media departments in Pakistan. A cross-sectional correlational design was used, and data were collected through purposive sampling from 230 university students aged 18 to 35 years. Participants completed the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21). The results showed a significant positive association between social media addiction and psychological distress, r = .32, p < .001. A one-way analysis of variance revealed no significant difference in social media addiction among Psychology, Sociology, and Media students, F(2, 227) = 0.54, p = .57, η² = .005. However, a significant difference was found in psychological distress across the three departments, F(2, 227) = 6.02, p = .003, η² = .05. Psychology students reported the lowest level of psychological distress (M = 38.93, SD = 12.67), followed by Sociology students (M = 42.55, SD = 12.73), whereas Media students reported the highest level (M = 45.95, SD = 11.69). These findings indicate that social media addiction is positively associated with psychological distress, while departmental differences were observed for psychological distress but not for social media addiction.