Moderating Effect of Trait Mindfulness in the Association Between Problematic Social Media Use and Anxiety Among Lebanese University Students

Abstract

Objective: Some evidence has shown that problematic social media use (PSMU) is linked to anxiety. However, the nature of this relationship remains unclear, controversial, and poorly addressed due, among others, to a lack of examination of potential moderating and mediating variables. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that trait mindfulness may act as a moderator in the association between PSMU and symptoms of anxiety in a sample of university students from Lebanon.

Methods: We carried out a cross-sectional study among 363 students (mean age 22.65 years, 61.7% females) using an online survey. All participants were administered the Lebanese Anxiety Scale, the Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory, and the Social Media Disorder Scale. Students were recruited through convenience sampling from several universities in Lebanon between July and September 2021.

Results: The multivariate analysis results showed that higher PSMU (B=0.88) was significantly related to more anxiety, whereas greater trait mindfulness (B= -0.42) was significantly related to less anxiety. The interaction of PSMU by mindfulness was significantly associated with anxiety (B=0.04; t₃₅₇ = 2.34; P= .020). At low levels of mindfulness, higher PSMU was significantly associated with high levels of anxiety; anxiety levels decrease with moderate and high levels of mindfulness, respectively, despite the same level of high PSMU.

Conclusion: Findings open up possibilities for new therapeutic approaches when dealing with PSMU among university students. Although further longitudinal studies are required, we preliminarily suggest that the use of trait mindfulness-based interventions may help reduce anxiety levels in students who present with severe PSMU.

Prim Care Companion CNS Disord 2024;26(2):23m03664.

Author affiliations are listed at the end of this article.