Facebook use and adolescents’ emotional states of depression, anxiety, and stress

Background: Facebook (FB) is becoming an increasingly salient feature in peoples’ lives and has grown into a bastion in our current society with over 1 billion users worldwide –the majority of which are college students. However, recent studies conducted suggest that the use of Facebook may impacts individuals’ well being. Thus, this paper aimed to explore the effects of Facebook usage on adolescents’ emotional states of depression, anxiety, and stress. Method and Material: A cross - sectional design was utilized in this investigation. The study population included 76 students enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program from a government university in Samar, Philippines. Facebook Intensity Scale (FIS) and the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS) were the primary instruments used in this study. Results: Findings indicated correlation coefficients of 0.11 (p=0.336), 0.07 (p=0.536), and 0.10 (p=0.377) between Facebook Intensity Scale (FIS) and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress scales in the DASS. Time spent on FBcorrelated significantly with depression (r=0.233, p=0.041) and anxiety (r=0.259, p=0.023). Similarly, the three emotional states (depression, anxiety, and stress) correlated significantly. Conclusions: Intensity of Facebook use is not directly related to negative emotional states. However, time spent on Facebooking increases depression and anxiety scores. Implications of the findings to the fields of counseling and psychology are discussed.

Author(s): Labrague Leodoro

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