1. Student's full name:Nguyen Huong My Hoa
2. Gender:Female
3. Date of birth:12/12/1999
4. Place of birth:Hanoi
5. Decision to recognize student numberDecision No. 4058/2022/QD-XHNV dated December 28, 2022, of the Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi
6. Changes in the training process:Do not have
7. Thesis title:Problematic social media use among young adults
8. Major:Psychology (Research orientation); Code: 8310401.
9. Scientific supervisorDr. Dao Thi Dieu Linh, Faculty of Foreign Languages, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.
10. Summary of the thesis results:
Social media use is becoming increasingly popular and an indispensable part of the lives of young people. However, this trend can lead to many potential risks, such as problematic social media use. This study introduces general findings on problematic social media use and its link to mental health in Vietnam. The study sample consisted of 366 young adults aged 18 to 30 (Mean age = 23.34 years; Standard deviation = 3.36; 66.1% female) who completed an online survey assessing socio-demographic characteristics, problematic social media use (MSE), feelings of loneliness, fear of being left out, social support, depression, anxiety, and life satisfaction. The Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS) was used to measure MSE use. The study results showed that 69.1% of young adults were at moderate risk of problematic social media use, and 13.7% were found to be at high risk of problematic social media use, meaning they were likely to develop social media addiction. Furthermore, young adults in rural areas were at higher risk of problematic social media use compared to those in urban areas, and those with lower levels of education were less affected by this risk. Further analysis revealed that fear of missing out and depression were two predictors of problematic social media use. Additionally, increased risk of problematic social media use was associated with increased symptoms of depression, anxiety, loneliness, and even decreased life satisfaction. These findings provide a basis for research aimed at developing appropriate preventive and intervention measures to minimize the risk of using social media and improve mental health among young Vietnamese adults.
11. Practical applications:
Based on a positive psychology approach and positive behavior support methods, the study suggests developing ongoing intervention and prevention programs tailored to different risk levels of social media use and co-occurring mental health issues. Furthermore, beyond the primary beneficiaries—the community of social media users and those at risk of social media use—the proposed recommendations could be useful for various professional groups in implementing prevention and intervention programs, including educational institutions, community organizations, mental health care centers, psychologists, therapists, psychiatrists, as well as administrators and policymakers.
12. Future research directions:
Explore the current state of social media use among sample groups such as children or adolescents; adapt other tools for measuring social media use; and examine the relationship between social media use and diverse psychosocial factors.
13. Published works related to the thesis:Do not have
INFORMATION ON MASTER'S THESIS
1. Full name:Nguyen Huong My Hoa
2. Sex:Female
3. Date of birth:12/12/1999
4. Place of birthHanoi
5. Admission decision number4058/2022/QD-XHNV, dated December 28, 2022 from the Principal of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi
6. Changes in academic processNone
7. Official thesis title:Problematic social media use among young adults
8. Major:Psychology; Code: 8310401
9. Supervisors:Dr. Dao Thi Dieu Linh, University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.
10. Summary of the findings of the thesis:
The use of social media has become increasingly popular and an indispensable part of the lives of young adults. However, this trend may lead to various potential risks, such as problematic social media use. This study provides an initial exploration of problematic social media use and its association with mental health in Vietnam. The study sample consists of 366 young adults aged 18 to 30 years (mean age = 23.34 years; standard deviation = 3.36; 66.1% female), who completed an online survey assessing demographic characteristics, problematic social media use (PSMU), loneliness, fear of missing out (FoMO), social support, depression, anxiety, and life satisfaction. The Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS) was used to measure PSMU. The results indicate that 69.1% of young adults were at moderate risk for problematic social media use, and 13.7% were identified as at high risk, suggesting a potential progression towards social media addiction. Additionally, young adults in rural areas were at higher risk of PSMU than those in urban areas, and individuals with lower educational levels were less affected by the risk of PSMU. Further analysis revealed that FoMO and depression were significant predictors of PSMU. Furthermore, as the risk of PSMU increased, there was a corresponding rise in symptoms of depression, anxiety, loneliness, and life dissatisfaction. These findings provide a foundation for developing appropriate prevention and intervention measures to reduce the risk of PSMU and improve mental health among young adults in Vietnam.
11. Practical applicability:
Based on Positive Psychology and the approach of positive behavior support, the study suggests the development of continuous intervention and prevention programs tailored to different levels of risk for problematic social media use (PSMU) and concurrent mental health issues. In addition, beyond the primary beneficiaries, who are those in the community using social media and at risk of PSMU, the proposed recommendations may also be useful for various professional groups involved in implementing prevention and intervention programs. These groups include educational institutions, community organizations, mental health care centers, psychologists, therapists, psychiatrists, as well as motivated and administrators.
12. Further research directions:
Exploring the prevalence of problematic social media use (PSMU) in sample groups such as children or adolescents; Adapting other measurement tools for PSMU; Investigating the relationship between PSMU and a variety of psychosocial factors.
13. Thesis-related publications:None
