Ever since the Internet became part of our everyday life, researchers have begun exploring the relationship between stress and social media. In fact, most healthcare professionals are unsure about how social media impacts mental health.
While some believe social media is a relatively harmless factor, others think spending too much time on social media can lead to depression, anxiety, undue duress, and other similar problems.
However, current evidence suggests that stress can lead to a pathological dependence on social media. And it’s not the first time researchers point toward social media as a potentially harmful factor for mental health.
Stress and Social Media: Is There a Link?
In a recent study published in Psychiatric Research, researchers discovered that stated users are more likely to develop the so-called Facebook addiction.
With the help of 309 Facebook users who completed an online survey, the research team was able to explore the link between stress and social media.
It turns out that people who are under a lot of stress often turn to Facebook for ‘online support.’ And while this may be comforting, the lack of offline support puts them at risk of developing an addiction to Facebook.
As Julia Brailovskaia, a member of the research team, concluded: “Our findings have shown that there is a positive relationship between the severity of daily stress, the intensity of Facebook engagement, and the tendency to develop a pathological addiction to the social networking site.”
Users who are addicted spend more time on Facebook and tend to feel uneasy when they can’t engage with the platform.
All in all, it seems stress and social media can be a bad mix, especially for stressed teens constantly pressured to achieve academic success.
To read other articles in regard to mental health, teenagers, and possibly getting help for them, click here.
