Honors Theses and Capstones
Date of Award
Spring 2020
Project Type
Senior Honors Thesis
College or School
COLSA
Department
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems
Program or Major
Nutrition and Wellness
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science
First Advisor
Kevin Pietro
Abstract
Social media use has increased substantially in recent years, and for the college-aged population, social media is often the leading method of communication. Research indicates this reliance on digital connection could have a negative impact on the health of young adults (Bagroy et al., 2017). The college years are a time of personal growth and defining actions, yet can also be burdened by mental health issues related to stress, anxiety, and depression (Hunt & Eisenberg, 2010). Acknowledging these trends, the current study explores how college students’ specific frequency and intentionality while interacting on social media relates to their psychological well-being. A brief online survey was developed, comprised of questions aiming to quantify student’s behavior while engaging on social media, as well as use of the validated Brief Inventory of Thriving Scale (BIT) to measure psychological well-being. A total of 177 students were surveyed, with an average age of 20.7, 78.5% female, and 69.5% upperclassmen from a variety of academic majors. Findings from this study indicate that students spent the most amount of time using Snapchat (2.77 avg. hr./day), Instagram (2.26 avg. hr./day), and YouTube (1.28 avg. hr./day). Participants (42.9%) expressed editing some to all of their content before posting, and 73.5% indicated checking social media right before going to bed. A Spearman's rank-order correlation did not identify any significant relationships between the number of hours spent using Instagram or Snapchat and any items of the BIT. Additionally, there was a weak, negative correlation between checking social media both when waking up (r=-0.263, p<0.001) and before going to bed (r=-0.247, p=0.001), and the BIT item “my life has a clear sense of purpose”. Therefore, social media intentionality, compared to frequency, may have a greater impact on psychological well-being than frequency.
Recommended Citation
D'Antonio, Emily G., "The Relationship Between Social Media Engagement and Psychological Well-Being in College Students at The University of New Hampshire" (2020). Honors Theses and Capstones. 515.
https://scholars.unh.edu/honors/515
Included in
Community Psychology Commons, Health Communication Commons, Health Psychology Commons, Mass Communication Commons, Other Mental and Social Health Commons, Other Nutrition Commons, Other Psychiatry and Psychology Commons, Personality and Social Contexts Commons, Psychiatric and Mental Health Commons, Public Health Education and Promotion Commons, Social Media Commons, Social Psychology Commons