Longitudinal Associations Between Mental Health and Problematic Social Media Use: The Mediating Role of the Motives for Social Media Use

Abstract

Evidence about the associations between mental health and problematic social media use (PSMU) over time is mixed. While some studies have found mental health predicted PSMU over time, others found nonsignificant relationships. Therefore, the present study was aimed at investigating the impact of mental health (depression, anxiety, and wellbeing) on PSMU among young adults over time and investigating the potential mediating role of motives for social media use. The eMediate study participants (n = 431, 49.7% female, age = 22.6 ± 1.8 years) who completed four waves of online questionnaires assessing social media use and mental health at 3-month intervals were included. Multilevel mediation analysis was used to examine the association between mental health and PSMU, and the possible mediating effect of motives for social media use. Depressive and anxiety symptoms and wellbeing significantly predicted PSMU over time, and social media use was motivated to cope with bad feelings, conform with others, be entertained, social interaction, escape from daily problems and stress, support seeking, and increase positive and decrease negative emotions. The escapism motive mediated the associations between symptoms of depression and anxiety and PSMU over time. The enhancing motive mediated the associations between depressive symptoms and wellbeing and PSMU over time. These findings provide insights into the motivational processes that may be driving the associations between mental health and PSMU, which could be targeted for intervention.