The patterns of problematic social media use (SMU) and their relationship with online flow, life satisfaction, depression, anxiety and stress symptoms in Lithuania and in Germany

Abstract

The present study investigated problematic social media use (SMU) in Lithuania and in Germany. In two student samples (Lithuania: N = 1640; Germany: N = 727), problematic SMU, flow experienced during SMU, life satisfaction, depression, anxiety and stress symptoms were assessed by online surveys. Latent Class Analysis resulted in a four-group classification of participants due to their levels of problematic SMU characteristics: low-symptom, low-withdrawal, high-withdrawal, and high-symptom. The proportion of participants in the low-symptom group was significantly higher in Germany than in Lithuania. In contrast, significantly more Lithuanian participants belonged to both withdrawal groups. No significant country differences were found for the composition of the high-symptom group. In both countries, a series of Structural Equation Models showed that the level of flow, depression, anxiety and stress symptoms was the highest in the high-symptom group, and the lowest in the low-symptom group. Life satisfaction revealed the reversed result pattern. The current findings show that students from Lithuania and Germany can be grouped considering their problematic SMU level. Individuals in the four groups differ due to their level of mental health. Especially members of the high-symptom group might benefit from external controlling strategies of their time spent on SM, while members of the withdrawal groups are suggested to train their SMU self-control.

Evidence on Resilient Initial Response to COVID-19 Pandemic Among Youth: Findings From the Prospective Study of Mental Health in Two European Countries

“…Similar levels of mental health problems were observed in both countries during the school years (Kovess et al, 2015). Similar behavioral and mental health patterns were reported by university students across two countries (Brailovskaia et al, 2021). Similar measures of the lockdown and moving study process online were taken in the initial months of pandemic.…”

Effects of Stressors of COVID-19 on Chinese College Students' Problematic Social Media Use: A Mediated Moderation Model

“…Accordingly, the benefits of regulatory emotional self-efficacy are negated in the presence of high stressors of COVID-19 based on our findings. Stressors of COVID-19 can induce negative emotions ( 1 ), and the anonymity, convenience, and escapist nature of smartphone social media can provide individuals with relief and escape from these negative emotions ( 13 , 97 ), prompting individuals to use mobile social media to cope with stress. People who have high regulatory emotional self-efficacy are more confident in their abilities, so they may appear to overrate themselves and tend to fall into blind optimism, and overestimate their abilities ( 55 , 98 , 99 ) that is typical of overconfidence ( 100 , 101 ).…”

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“…Additionally, any unpublished data were obtained by contacting the corresponding author. One study included reported statistics distinct to two separate samples; therefore, the two samples were coded independently [31]. The results from Kim et al [32] were excluded from the metaregression, as mean age was not reported or received when contacted.…”