Association between social media use, physical activity level, and depression and anxiety among college students: a cross-cultural comparative study.

ABSTRACT: This article examined the interaction of social media use and physical activity with mental health outcomes in a cultural and regional perspective among university students in China. Among 1,500 students from ten universities across different regions of China, stratified random sampling was used to complete the validated measures of social media use, physical activity, depression, anxiety, sleep quality, and cultural values. Significantly positive associations were revealed between the use of social media and both depressive symptoms, r = .28, p ≤ .001, and anxiety, r = .31, p ≤ .001. In female students, this association was stronger, r = .34, p ≤ .001. Regarding physical activity as associated with a lower risk for mental health problems, the association was β =-0.18, p ≤ .001, occurring

SUBMITTER: Wang Q 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11850859 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature