The Effect of Social Media Addiction on Psychological Stress: The Indirect Role of Doomscrolling

Year 2025, Volume: 18 Issue: 3, 491 - 508, 24.07.2025

Özge Canoğulları

https://doi.org/10.30831/akukeg.1586146

Abstract

The literature indicates that there is a relationship between social media addiction and psychological stress. However, there is still limited understanding of the specific ways in which social media addiction leads to psychological distress. This study examines the mediating role of doomscrolling in the relationship between social media addiction and psychological stress. In the 2022-2023 academic year, a sample of 460 university students (358 women, 78%, and 102 men, 22%) aged between 18 and 30 was analyzed using snowball sampling. The study utilized the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale, the Doomscrolling Scale, and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) with a structural equation model. Findings indicated a positive association between social media addiction, psychological distress, and doomscrolling. Moreover, doomscrolling was also associated with increased psychological distress. Importantly, the connection between SMA and psychological distress was mediated by doomscrolling, underscoring its role as an intermediary factor. These findings suggest that social media addiction contributes to psychological distress, with doomscrolling further intensifying this effect. The study highlights the need for interventions to reduce both social media addiction and doomscrolling behaviors. Raising awareness and encouraging healthier social media habits through educational programs and media campaigns are crucial to safeguarding mental health.

Keywords

social media addiction, psychological distress, doomscrolling

Ethical Statement

Çalışma Artvin Çoruh Üniversitesi Bilimsel Araştırmalar ve Etik Kurulu tarından onaylanmıştır (E-18457941-050.99-87334/11.12.2023).

Sosyal Medya Bağımlılığının Psikolojik Strese Etkisi: Felaket Kaydırmasının Dolaylı Rolü

Abstract

Sosyal medya bağımlılığı ile psikolojik stres arasında ilişki olduğu alan yazında belirtilmektedir. Bununla birlikte, sosyal medya bağımlılığının psikolojik strese tam olarak nasıl katkıda bulunduğunu anlama konusunda bir boşluk bulunmaktadır. Bu çalışma, sosyal medya bağımlılığı ile psikolojik stres arasındaki ilişkide felaket kaydırmasının aracılık rolünün incelemektedir. 2022-2023 eğitim- öğretim yılında kartopu örnekleme yoluyla yaşları 18 ila 30 arasında değişen 460 üniversite öğrencisinden (358 kadın-%78, 102 erkek- %22) oluşan bir örneklem analiz edilmiştir. Bu çalışmada, veri toplamak amacıyla Bergen Sosyal Medya Bağımlılığı Ölçeği, Doomscrolling Ölçeği ile Depresyon, Kaygı ve Stres Ölçeği (DASS-21) kullanılmıştır. Verilerin analizinde ise korelasyon analizi ve yapısal eşitlik modellemesi uygulanmıştır. Sonuçlar, sosyal medya bağımlılığının hem psikolojik stres hem de felaket kaydırması ile pozitif bağlantılı olduğunu göstermiştir. Ayrıca, felaket kaydırması da artan psikolojik stres ile ilişkilendirilmiştir. Daha da önemlisi, sosyal medya bağımlılığı ile psikolojik stres arasındaki bağlantıya felaket kaydırması aracılık etmiş ve sosyal medya bağımlılığının aracı bir faktör olarak rolünün altını çizmiştir. Bu bulgular, sosyal medya bağımlılığının psikolojik strese katkıda bulunduğunu ve felaket kaydırmasının bu etkiyi daha da yoğunlaştırdığını göstermektedir. Bu çalışma hem sosyal medya bağımlılığı hem de felaket kaydırması davranışlarını azaltmaya yönelik müdahalelere duyulan ihtiyacı vurgulamaktadır. Eğitim programları ve medya kampanyaları yoluyla farkındalığın artırılması ve daha sağlıklı sosyal medya alışkanlıklarının teşvik edilmesi, ruh sağlığının korunması için çok önemlidir.

Keywords

sosyal medya bağımlılığı, psikolojik stres, felaket kaydırması

Ethical Statement

Çalışma Artvin Çoruh Üniversitesi Bilimsel Araştırmalar ve Etik Kurulu tarından onaylanmıştır (E-18457941-050.99-87334/11.12.2023).

References

• Anand, N., Sharma, M. K., Thakur, P. C., Mondal, I., Sahu, M., Singh, P., … & Singh, R. (2022). Doomsurfing and doomscrolling mediate psychological distress in COVID-19 lockdown: Implications for awareness of cognitive biases. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, 58(1), 170-172. https://doi.org/10.1111/ppc.12803
• Andreassen, C., Pallesen, S., & Griffiths, M. (2017). The relationship between addictive use of social media, narcissism, and self-esteem: Findings from a large national survey. Addictive Behaviors, 64, 287-293. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2016.03.006
• Anlı, G. (2023). Validity and reliability study of Doomscrolling Scale Turkish form. Dokuz Eylül University Journal of Institute of Social Sciences, 25(1), 301-316. http://dx.doi.org/10.16953/deusosbil.1178025
• Akat, M., & Hamarta, E. (2025). Doomscrolling and social media addiction in adolescents: a two-wave longitudinal study. Journal of Addictive Diseases, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1080/10550887.2025.2504231
• Appel, H., Gerlach, A. L., & Crusius, J. (2016). The interplay between Facebook use, social comparison, envy, and depression. Current Opinion in Psychology, 9, 44–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2015.10.006
• Asibong, U., Okafor, C. J., Asibong, I., Ayi, E., Omoronyia, O., & Owoidoho, U. (2020). Psychological distress and social media usage: A survey among undergraduates of a university in Calabar, Nigeria. Nigerian Postgraduate Medical Journal, 27(2), 115-121. http://dx.doi.org/10.4103/npmj.npmj_169_19
• Ayaz, A., & Barış, A. B. (2024). Sosyal medya bağımlılığı: Üniversite öğrencileri üzerine bir inceleme. Uluslararası Anadolu Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 8(4), 1006-1025. https://doi.org/10.47525/ulasbid.1572348
• Baker, Z. G., & Algorta, G. P. (2016). The relationship between online social networking and depression: A systematic review of quantitative studies. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 19(11), 638-647.
• Balcı, Ş., & Baloğlu, E. (2018). The relationship between SMA and depression:" A field study on university youth". Galatasaray University Journal of Communication, 29, 209-233. http://dx.doi.org/10.16878/gsuilet.500860
• Bilge, Y., Baydili, K., & Göktaş, S. (2020). Anxiety, stress and daily social media use in predicting SMA: The case of a vocational college. Journal of Dependence, 21(3), 223-235.
• Boyd, D. N., & Ellison, N. B. (2007). Social network sites: Definition, history, and scholarship. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13, 210-230. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00393.x
• Buchanan, K., Aknin, L. B., Lotun, S., & Sandstrom, G. M. (2021). Brief exposure to social media during the COVID-19 pandemic: Doom-scrolling has negative emotional consequences, but kindness-scrolling does not. Plos One, 16(10), e0257728. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0257728
• Chang, C. W., Huang, R. Y., Strong, C., Lin, Y. C., Tsai, M. C., Chen, I. H., Ling, C. Y., Pakpour, A. H., & Griffiths, M. D. (2022). Reciprocal relationships between SMA, problematic gaming, and psychological distress among university students: a 9-month longitudinal study. Frontiers in Public Health, 10, 858482. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.858482
• Demirci, İ. (2019). Bergen Sosyal Medya Bağımlılığı Ölçeği’nin Türkçeye uyarlanması, depresyon ve anksiyete belirtileriyle ilişkisinin değerlendirilmesi. Anadolu Psikiyatri Dergisi, 20, 15-22. http://dx.doi.org/10.5455/apd.41585
• Faul, F., Erdfelder, E., Lang, A. G., & Buchner, A. (2007). G*Power 3: A flexible statistical power analysis program for the social, behavioral, and biomedical sciences. Behavior Research Methods, 39(2), 175–191. https://doi.org/10.3758/bf03193146
• Field, A. (2016). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS Statistics. London: Sage.
• Fergen, J. T., Jacquet, J. B., & Shukla, R. (2021). ‘Doomscrolling’in my backyard: Corrosive online communities and contested wind development in rural Ohio. Energy Research & Social Science, 80, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2021.102224
• Galea, S., Merchant, R. M., & Lurie, N. (2020). The mental health consequences of COVID-19 and physical distancing: The need for prevention and early intervention. JAMA Internal Medicine, 180(6), 817–818. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.1562
• Griffiths, M. (2005). A ‘components’ model of addiction within a biopsychosocial framework. Journal of Substance Use, 10(4), 191-197.
• Griffiths, M. D. (2013). Social networking addiction: Emerging themes and issues. Journal of Addiction Research & Therapy, 4(5). https://doi.org/10.4172/2155-6105.1000e118
• Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., Anderson, R. E., & Tatham, R. L. (2014). Pearson new international edition: Multivariate data analysis, seventh edition. Pearson Education Limited Harlow, Essex.
• Henry, J. D., & Crawford, J. R. (2005). The short- form version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS‐ 21): Construct validity and normative data in a large non‐ clinical sample. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 44(2), 227–239. https://doi.org/10.1348/014466505X29657
• Heo, J., Chun, S., Lee, S., Lee, K. H., & Kim, J. (2015). Internet use and well-being in older adults. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 18(5), 268-272. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2014.0549
• Huang, C. (2022). A meta-analysis of the SMA and mental health. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 68(1), 12-33. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020764020978434
• Jennings, R. (2020). Doomscrolling, explained. Vox. Retrieved from https://www.vox. com/the- goods/ 21547961/doomscrolling- meaning- definition-what-is-meme. Accessed 7 July 2023.
• Karadağ, A., & Akçinar, B. (2019). The relationship between SMA and psychological symptoms in university students. Journal of Dependence, 20(3), 154-166.
• Keles, B., McCrae, N., & Grealish, A. (2020). A systematic review: the influence of social media on depression, anxiety and psychological distress in adolescents. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 25(1), 79-93. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2019.1590851
• Kırcaburun, K., & Griffiths, M. D. (2018). Instagram addiction and the Big Five of personality: The mediating role of self-liking. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 7(1), 158-170.
• Koç, M., & Polat, Ü. (2006). Mental health of university students. International Journal of Human Sciences, 3(2), 1-22.
• Kolhar, M., Kazi, R. N. A., & Alameen, A. (2021). Effect of social media use on learning, social interactions, and sleep duration among university students. Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences, 28(4), 2216-2222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sjbs.2021.01.010
• Kuss, D. J., & Griffiths, M. D. (2017). Social networking sites and addiction: Ten lessons learned. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(3), 311.
• Lee, S. A., Jobe, M. C., Mathis, A. A., & Gibbons, J. A. (2020). Incremental validity of coronaphobia: Coronavirus anxiety explains depression, generalized anxiety, and death anxiety. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 74, 102268. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2020.102268
• Leys, C., Klein, O., Dominicy, Y., & Ley, C. (2018). Detecting multivariate outliers: Use a robust variant of the Mahalanobis distance. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 74, 150-156. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2017.09.011
• Lin, C. Y., Broström, A., Griffiths, M. D., & Pakpour, A. H. (2020). Investigating mediated effects of fear of COVID-19 and COVID-19 misunderstanding in the association between SMA, psychological distress, and insomnia. Internet Interventions, 21, 100345. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.invent.2020.100345
• Mirowsky, J., & Ross., C.E. (2002). Selecting outcomes for the sociology of mental health:Issues of measurement and dimensionality. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 43, 152-170.
• Podsakoff, P., Mackenzie, S., Lee, J. Y., & Podsakoff, N. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879–903.
• Park, T., Ju, I., Ohs, J. E., & Hinsley, A. (2021). Optimistic bias and preventive behavioral engagement in the context of COVID-19. Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, 17(1), 1859-1866. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sapharm.2020.06.004
• Pennycook, G., McPhetres, J., Zhang, Y., Lu, J. G., & Rand, D. G. (2019). Fighting misinformation on social media using crowdsourced judgments of news source quality. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116 (7), 2521-2526. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1806781116
• Perrin, A. (2015). Social Media Usage: 2005-2015: 65% of Adults Now Use Social Networking Sites--a Nearly Tenfold Jump in the Past Decade. Pew Research Trust. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/10/08/2015/Social-Networking-Usage-2005-2015/. Accessed 8 July 2023.
• Preacher, K. J., & Hayes, A. F. (2008). Contemporary approaches to assessing mediation in communication research. In A. F. Hayes, M. D. Slater, & L. B. Snyder (Eds.), The Sage sourcebook of advanced data analysis methods for communication research (pp. 13–54). Sage Publications, Inc. https://doi.org/ 10.4135/9781452272054.n2.
• Price, M., Legrand, A. C., Brier, Z. M., van Stolk-Cooke, K., Peck, K., Dodds, P. S., Danforth, C. M., & Adams, Z. W. (2022). Doomscrolling during COVID-19: The negative association between daily social and traditional media consumption and mental health symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 14(8), 1338–1346. https://doi.org/ 10.1037/tra0001202
• Polat Olca, S. (2023). Evaluation of university students' mental health literacy and psychological resilience levels. Gümüşhane University Journal of Health Sciences, 12(1), 118-126.
• Ridner, S. H. (2004). Psychological distress: Concept analysis. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 45(5), 536-545.
• Satici, S. A., Gocet Tekin, E., Deniz, M. E., & Satici, B. (2023). Doomscrolling scale: Its association with personality traits, psychological distress, social media use, and wellbeing. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-022-10110-7
• Schivinski, B., Brzozowska-Woś, M., Stansbury, E., Satel, J., Montag, C., & Pontes, H. M. (2020). Exploring the role of social media use motives, psychological well-being, self-esteem, and affect in SMA. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.617140.
• Shabahang, R., Hwang, H., Thomas, E. F., Aruguete, M. S., McCutcheon, L. E., Orosz, G., ... & Zsila, Á. (2024). Doomscrolling evokes existential anxiety and fosters pessimism about human nature? Evidence from Iran and the United States. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 15, 100438. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbr.2024.100438
• Shabahang, R., Kim, S., Hosseinkhanzadeh, A. A., Aruguete, M. S., & Kakabaraee, K. (2023). “Give your thumb a break” from surfing tragic posts: Potential corrosive consequences of social media users’ doomscrolling. Media Psychology, 26(4), 460-479. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2022.2157287
• Sharma, B., Lee, S. S., & Johnson, B. K. (2022). The dark at the end of the tunnel: Doomscrolling on social media newsfeeds. Technology, Mind, and Behavior, 3(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1037/tmb00 00059
• Shensa, A., Escobar-Viera, C. G., Sidani, J. E., Bowman, N. D., Marshal, M. P., & Primack, B. A. (2017). SMA and depressive symptoms among US young adults: A nationally-representative study. Social Science & Medicine, 182, 150-157. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.03.061
• Spence, P. R., Lachlan, K. A., & Griffin, D. R. (2007). Crisis communication, race, and natural disasters. Journal of Black Studies, 37(4), 539-562.
• Stronge, S., Mok, T., Ejova, A., Lee, C., Zubielevitch, E., Yogeeswaran, K., Hawi, D., Osborne, D. , Bulbulia, J., & Sibley, C. G. (2019). Social media use is (weakly) related to psychological distress. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 22(9), 604-609. http://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2019.0176
• Soraci, P., Griffiths, M. D., Bevan, N., Pisanti, R., Trovato, M., Servidio, R., ... & Satici, S. A. (2025). Psychometric analysis of the Italian Doomscrolling Scale: Associations with problematic social media use, psychological distress, and mental well-being. Current Psychology, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-025-07976-9
• Şahin, E., Türk., F. & Hamamcı, Z. (2022). Covid-19 pandemi sürecinde depresyon, anksiyete ve stres ile başa çıkma tutumlarının sosyal medya bağımlılığıyla ilişkisi. Erciyes İletişim Dergisi, 9(1), 165-186. https://doi.org/10.17680/erciyesiletisim.1001102
• Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2001). Using multivariate statistics (4th ed.). Allyn&Bacon, Inc.
• Taskin, S., Yildirim Kurtulus, H., Satici, S. A., & Deniz, M. E. (2024). Doomscrolling and mental well‐being in social media users: A serial mediation through mindfulness and secondary traumatic stress. Journal of Community Psychology, 52(3), 512-524. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.23111
• Tifferet, S. (2020). Gender differences in social support on social network sites: A meta-analysis. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 23(4), 199-209. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2019.0516
• Thorisdottir, I. E., Sigurvinsdottir, R., Kristjansson, A. L., Allegrante, J. P., Lilly, C. L., & Sigfusdottir, I. D. (2020). Longitudinal association between social media use and psychological distress among adolescents. Preventive Medicine, 141, 106270. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2020.106270
• Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TUİK, 2024). Hanehalkı Bilişim Teknolojileri (BT) Kullanım Araştırması. Retrieved from https://data.tuik.gov.tr/Bulten/Index?p=Hanehalki-Bilisim-Teknolojileri-(BT)-Kullanim-Arastirmasi-2022-45587 Accessed 17 June 2025.
• Twenge, J. M., Joiner, T. E., Rogers, M. L., & Martin, G. N. (2018). Increases in depressive symptoms, suicide-related outcomes, and suicide rates among U.S. adolescents after 2010 and links to increased new media screen time. Clinical Psychological Science, 6(1), 3–17. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167702617723376
• Ytre-Arne, B., & Moe, H. (2021). Doomscrolling, monitoring and avoiding: News use in COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Journalism Studies, 22(13), 1739-1755. https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2021.1952475
• Xiao, H., Zhang, Y., Kong, D., Li, S., & Yang, N. (2020). The effects of social support on sleep quality of medical staff treating patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in January and February 2020 in China. Medical Science Monitor: International Medical Journal of Experimental and Clinical Research, 26, e923549-1. https://doi.org/10.12659/MSM.923549
• Wang, J. L., Gaskin, J., Wang, H. Z., & Liu, D. (2016). Life satisfaction moderates the associations between motives and excessive social networking site usage. Addiction Research & Theory, 24(6), 450-457. https://doi.org/10.3109/16066359.2016
• Watercutter, A. (2020). Doomscrolling is slowly eroding your mental health. Retrieved from https://www.wired.com/story/stop-doomscrolling/ Accessed 9 July 2023.
• Wathelet, M., Duhem, S., Vaiva, G., Baubet, T., Habran, E., Veerapa, E., & D’Hondt, F. (2020). Factors associated with mental health disorders among university students in France confined during the COVID-19 pandemic. JAMA Network Open, 3(10), e2025591. https://doi.org/10.1001/jaman etworkopen.2020.25591
• Yilmaz, O., Boz, H., & Arslan, A. (2017). The validity and reliability of depression stress and anxiety scale (DASS 21) Turkish short form. Research of Financial Economic and Social Studies, 2(2), 78–91.