Reported Depression and Anxiety Symptoms among Social Media Users in the General Population of Saudi Arabia: A Cross-sectional Survey

Objectives: In this study, we assessed the impact of social media use on the mental health of a sample of adults in Saudi Arabia. Methods: Using multi-stage cluster random sampling of staff from 12 schools and their families, we administered a cross-sectional survey to adults in Buraidah, Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire included demographics, social media use patterns, and anxiety and depression scales. We used a 2-step cluster analysis used to classify participants according to their social media use, resulting in 2 categories - high use and low use. Our statistical analysis included independent sample t-tests and multiple linear regression. Results: A total of 574 participants were enrolled with a mean (SD) age of 34.33 (10.61) years; 324 (56.4%) were women. Those with high social media use had significantly increased depression (adjusted mean difference = 3.88, 95% CI 2.99-4.78, p < .001) and anxiety (3.605, 95% CI 2.8-4.4, p < .001) scores compared to the low use group. Patterns of social media use showed a weak to moderate correlation with depression and anxiety (p < .001). Conclusion: Adults with problematic and high use of social media have higher reported symptoms of depression and anxiety. Certain patterns of social media use have a negative impact on mental health and increase risk of depression and anxiety.