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. 2022 Feb 23;19(5):2576.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph19052576.

The Effect of Problematic Social Media Use on Happiness among Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Lifestyle Habits

Jiewen Zhang  1 , Claudia Marino  1 , Natale Canale  1 , Lorena Charrier  2 , Giacomo Lazzeri  3 , Paola Nardone  4 , Alessio Vieno  1
Affiliations

The Effect of Problematic Social Media Use on Happiness among Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Lifestyle Habits

Jiewen Zhang et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Although the relationship between problematic social media use (PSMU) and happiness has been already explored, less is known about the mechanisms that translate PSMU into lower happiness through lifestyle habits. Therefore, the current study focuses on the association between PSMU and happiness, exploring a mediating effect of lifestyle habits (e.g., difficulties in getting to sleep and frequency of physical activity) among Italian adolescents. Methods: A total of 58,976 Italian adolescents (mean age = 13.6, SD = 1.63; age range = 10.5−16.5; 49.4% females) were included. The pattern of relationships specified by the theoretical model was examined through path analysis. Results: Difficulties in getting to sleep (β = −0.037, p < 0.001) and frequency of physical activity (β = −0.012, p < 0.001) were mediators in the relationship between PSMU and happiness. Multi-group analyses across gender and age groups (11, 13, and 15 years old) showed that the chain mediating effect of the frequency of physical activity on the difficulties in getting to sleep was not significant for females but significant for males and for all of the three age groups. Overall, females and older ages were sensitive to the whole model. Conclusion: Along with difficulties in getting to sleep and the frequency of physical activity, lifestyle habits may contribute to the association between PSMU and happiness. We also recommend that future studies focus on PSMU in females and older adolescents, as they show more general sleep problems and reduced physical activity.

Keywords: happiness; path analysis; physical activity; problematic social media use; sleep.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Hypothesized model. The symbols for the expected relationships (“+” in the positive and “−” in the negative); POSI = preference for online social interaction, PSMU = problematic social media use.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Path diagram of the structural equation model 0 with significant pathways. All coefficients are standardized. POSI = preference for online social interaction, PSMU = problematic social media use. The above mediating effect refers to difficulties in getting to sleep while the bottom refers to physical activity. *** p < 0.001.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Path diagram of the structural equation model 1 with significant pathways. All coefficients are standardized. Females of model 2 is in brackets. POSI = preference for online social interaction, PSMU = problematic social media use. *** p < 0.001. The above mediating effect refers to difficulties in getting to sleep, while the bottom refers to physical activity.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Path diagram of structural equation model 2 with significant pathways. All coefficients are standardized. The estimates from left to right are 11-year-olds of model 3, 13-year-olds of model 4 and 15-year-olds of model 5. POSI = preference for online social interaction, PSMU = problematic social media use. The above mediating effect refers to difficulties in getting to sleep, while the bottom refers to physical activity. *** p < 0.001.
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