Exploring the Relationship between Social Media influence and Prevalence of Depressive Symptoms among Undergraduate University Students in Lahore
Keywords:
Depression, social media, comparable, undergraduateAbstract
The present study was intended to investigate the impact of social media on the incidence of depression among undergraduate students. The study was cross-sectional quantitative. The population of the research comprised of undergraduate students at district Lahore universities. The population of this research included all boys and girls of undergraduate study. The study's sample consisted of 110 undergraduate students enrolled in Lahore universities, with an equal number of male and female students. Descriptive statistics including frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations were applied to examine the information. The study's findings revealed that most participants display attitudes and behaviors that point to a high level of social media dependency. Interpersonal disputes have resulted from this dependency, as the majority of participants reported disagreements stemming from their use of social media. Furthermore, a lot of people stop what they're doing to check social media, which emphasizes how invasive it is. Overall, the participants' positive perspective was evident as they disagreed with emotions of futility and failure in life, thought that their quality of life was comparable to others', and voiced hope for the future. But a lot of participants also mentioned feeling depressed and having less social connection, which brings up some serious issues that need to be addressed. These results imply that although participants have significant mental health issues, they also have a lot of coping strategies and optimism. It is recommended to develop and implement educational programs within teacher training institutions to raise awareness about the potential consequences of smart phone addiction on life satisfaction. It may also be recommended to encourage deliberate and thoughtful use of social media and to raise public awareness of the detrimental effects of excessive use. Reducing reliance can be facilitated by creating self-regulation techniques and offering resources for tracking and restricting consumption. The intrusive nature of social media can be lessened by promoting frequent digital detoxification sessions. To further improve mental well-being, resilience-building programs should be strengthened and good coping techniques should be encouraged. It's crucial to teach parents and offer counsel on good social media practices for young users.
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