Problematic social media use and mental health (depression, anxiety, and insomnia) among Lebanese adults: Any mediating effect of stress?

PURPOSE To examine the association between problematic social media use with depression, anxiety, insomnia, and stress in a sample of young Lebanese adults. METHODS This cross-sectional study was achieved between January and May 2019; 466 out of 600 adults completed the questionnaire. RESULTS Higher problematic social media use was significantly associated with higher depression, anxiety, and insomnia, but not stress. Stress mediated the relation between depression, anxiety, insomnia, and problematic social media use. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS This study showed that problematic social media use was associated with psychological disorders. Additional research is needed to identify and describe the potential causality between the use of social media and various mental health issues and the interplay between the social media network and other mental health factors.