The Mediating Role of Psychological Well-being Between Social Media Use and Academic Performance Among University Students: What is the Importance of Student Mental Health?

Abstract

Objectives: Students at higher education institutes are facing the issue of mental health and psychological well-being highlighting the importance of health behavior. Therefore, the aim of this research was to investigate the relationship among social media use, self-regulation, and career development goals of university students on their psychological well-being and academic performance along with the direct effect of mental health on academic performance. Moreover, we also examined the mediating role of psychological well-being. Methods: We collected data through questionnaires from 250 students enrolled in universities using random sampling technique. The usable response rate was 70.19%. We examined the data using PLS-SEM through PLS-3.3.9. Results: Psychological well-being was significantly affected by social media use, self-regulation, and career development goals. Also, psychological well-being had a positive significant effect on students' academic performance. Conclusions: These findings also confirm the mediating role of psychological well-being as well. We present the implications and limitations of the study.