Examination of the Relationship Between Social Media Usage, Anxiety, and Depression: a Cluster Analysis

In recent years, social media usage has become a significant part of the daily life of people. Though several studies were conducted in different countries to analyse the link between social media usage and mental health issues such as depression and anxiety, their results were contradictory and inconclusive. People use social media for varying purposes, time duration, number of platforms and emotional and behavioural connections that may be associated with their mental health. Hence, this study aims to identify the different patterns of social media use and explore their associations with depression and anxiety. This cross-sectional study consists of 624 participants from different age groups starting from 15 years who completed the structured questionnaire online. Patient Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) scales were used to measure depression and anxiety symptoms. Cluster analysis was performed to identify the social media usage patterns. Cluster analysis generated 5 cluster solutions. Among these, Cluster 3 consists of the highest membership of problematic social media users; females, self-employed individuals, homemakers and retired people showed a significant association with depression and anxiety symptoms. The findings may help develop effective interventions that address the social media use pattern rather than single characteristics of SMU.