The Mediating Roles of Anxiety, Depression, Sleepiness, Insomnia, and Sleep Quality in the Association between Problematic Social Media Use and Quality of Life among Patients with Cancer

Abstract

The present study examined the mediating role of anxiety, depression, sleepiness, insomnia, and sleep quality in the association between problematic social media use and quality of life (QoL) among patients with cancer. This cross-sectional survey study recruited 288 patients with cancer to respond to measures on anxiety, depression, sleepiness, insomnia, sleep quality, problematic social media use, and QoL. Structural Equation Modeling was used for the mediation analysis. There were significant relationships between all of the variables used in the study. It was revealed that problematic social media use did not directly influence the QoL of patients with cancer except via anxiety, depression, sleepiness, and insomnia. Sleep quality did not mediate the association between problematic social media use and QoL. Healthcare workers managing cancer should pay attention to the mental health needs of their patients even as they treat their cancer so as to improve their quality of life. Future studies may examine other variables that affect the QoL of patients with cancer as well as other mediating and moderating variables.

The Mediating Role of Selfitis in the Associations between Self-Esteem, Problematic Social Media Use, Problematic Smartphone Use, Body-Self Appearance, and Psychological Distress among Young Ghanaian Adults

“…This indicates that as one of the variables increases, the other variable may also increase and vice versa. This is consistent with the findings of previous studies [ 7 , 10 , 33 , 34 ]. In addition, there was an indirect association between problematic social media use and psychological distress via selfitis.…”

“…The other relationships were significantly positive, indicating that as one of those variables increases, the other also increases and vice versa. The current relationships are consistent with the findings of previous studies [ 7 , 8 , 10 , 31 , 32 , 39 ]. It is noteworthy that the present study is the first to objectively establish a known relationship between problematic smartphone use and selfitis although there have been inferred relationships between them [ 24 ].…”

“…Technological advancement has transformed our way of life in areas such as health [ 1 , 2 , 3 ], entertainment [ 1 , 4 ], and commerce [ 1 , 5 , 6 ]. Although the use of technology has several advantages, its misuse can be detrimental to the health, security, and finances of the user [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ]. One of the trendiest uses of technology as a communication, entertainment, and economic gadget is selfie-taking [ 15 , 16 ].…”

“…For instance, some studies have reported an association between problematic social media use and selfitis [ 32 ]. Other studies have also reported an association between problematic social media use and other mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and self-esteem [ 7 , 10 , 33 , 34 ]. In terms of the direction of influence, problematic social media use can directly influence psychological distress (e.g., depression, anxiety, stress, and/or other mental disorders) [ 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 ].…”

The Relationship between Personality Traits and Facebook Addiction among Adolescents in an Urban, Rural and Semi-Rural Secondary School

“…This is so because there are risks associated with social media use; unfortunately, some studies opt to report social media benefits, ignoring the risks [ 11 ]. Such risks are demonstrated by Imani et al [ 12 ], who indicated that there was an association between social media use and quality of life among people with depression and anxiety.…”