Pattern of social media use and social anxiety among the undergraduate health professionals with social media addiction

• Main Authors: Bhavin Naranbhai Kadavala, Deepak Sachidanand Tiwari, Vishal Kanaiyalal Patel, Nirav Bhupendrabhai Chanpa, Niranjan L Patel, Viral Shah
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2021-01-01
• Series: Annals of Indian Psychiatry
• Subjects: fear of missing out; medical undergraduate; social anxiety; social media addiction
• Online Access: http://www.anip.co.in/article.asp?issn=2588-8358;year=2021;volume=5;issue=1;spage=18;epage=23;aulast=Kadavala
• ISSN: 2588-8358; 2588-8366

Background: There has been a significant surge in the usage of smartphones, Internet, social media platforms, and also the growing concern about the impact of Internet, gaming, and social media addiction (SMA) on mental health in the community since the last decade. Aim: This study is aimed to know the pattern of social media use and social anxiety (SA) among medical undergraduates with SMA. Materials and Methods: This was a 12-month cross-sectional, observational study of 640 medical undergraduates. Social media disorder scale was used to detect SMA and Liebowitz social anxiety scale was used to detect SA. Descriptive statistics, independent t-test, and Chi-square test were used for the analysis of data. Results: According to our findings, 11.04% of the participants had SMA. More than 60% of the participants with SMA spent 2 h or more time on social media in a day. About 29.41% of students with SMA spent more money compared to 11.86% of nonaddicted ones. About 47.05% of students with SMA reported fear of missing out (FoMO) as compared to 34.12% of nonaddicted students. Participants with SMA reported a significantly higher level (P < 0.05) of SA (SA score 67.63) compared to social media nonaddicts (SA score 49.43). Conclusion: Medical undergraduates with SMA spent more time and money on Internet, reported FoMO, frequently checked notifications, and reported regular substance use. They also had high SA; vice versa is also true.