The Relationship Between Social Media Addiction and Psychological Distress: A Meta-Analytic Study

Year 2025, Volume: 7 Issue: 3, 226 - 235, 27.09.2025

Haydar Kerem Hoşgör , Hacer Güngördü

https://doi.org/10.35365/ctjpp.25.3.01

Abstract

This study aims to examine the relationship between social media addiction and psychological distress using a meta-analytical approach. To achieve this objective, a literature review was conducted in the Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases, covering the period from January 2020 to 2025. Based on the inclusion criteria, 28 studies with a total sample size of 26,671 were deemed suitable for the meta-analysis process. Data analysis was performed using Jamovi 2.6.23, an open-source and free software. When examining the descriptive characteristics of the studies, it was revealed that 35.7% of the publications were published in 2024, 21.4% were conducted in China, and 60.7% were indexed in SSCI. According to the random-effects model, a moderate effect (r = 0.382) was found between social media addiction and psychological distress within a 95% confidence interval. In other words, as the level of social media addiction increases, the levels of psychological distress, including depression, anxiety, and stress, also tend to rise. Therefore, the findings of this study highlight the importance of preventive interventions and awareness programs at both individual and societal levels to protect the mental health of social media users.

Ethical Statement

The reported research was conducted in accordance with general ethical guidelines in psychology. No data were collected from human participants, no original data were produced or analyzed as part of the study. Therefore, ethical committee approval was not required for this study.

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Sosyal Medya Bağımlılığı ve Psikolojik Sıkıntı Arasındaki İlişki: Meta-Analitik Bir Çalışma

Abstract

Bu çalışmada sosyal medya bağımlılığı ve psikolojik sıkıntı arasındaki ilişkinin meta-analitik bir yaklaşımla incelenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Bu amaç doğrultusunda Web of Science, Scopus ve Google Scholar veri tabanlarında Ocak 2020-2025 tarihlerini kapsayan bir literatür taraması gerçekleştirilmiştir. Buradan hareketle, dâhil edilme kriterlerine uyan ve toplam örneklem büyüklüğünün 26.671 olan 28 çalışma meta-analiz sürecinde değerlendirilmeye uygun bulunmuştur. Verilerin analizinde açık kaynak kodlu ve ücretsiz bir yazılım olan Jamovi 2.6.23 programı kullanılmıştır. Çalışmanın tanımlayıcı özellikleri incelendiğinde, yayınların %35,7’sinin 2024 yılına ait olduğu, %21,4’ünün Çin’de gerçekleştirildiği, %60,7’sinin SSCI indeksli olduğu belirlenmiştir. Rastsal etkiler modeline göre %95 güven aralığında, sosyal medya bağımlılığı ile psikolojik sıkıntı arasında orta düzeyde (r: 0,382) bir etkinin mevcut olduğu saptanmıştır. Bir diğer ifadeyle, sosyal medya kullanıcılarının bağımlılık düzeyleri arttıkça depresyon, anksiyete ve stres temelli psikolojik sıkıntı düzeylerinin de arttığı anlaşılmıştır. Dolayısıyla bu çalışmanın bulguları, sosyal medya kullanıcılarının ruh sağlığını korumaya yönelik bireysel ve toplumsal düzeyde önleyici müdahalelerin ve bilinçlendirme çalışmalarının önemini vurgulamaktadır.

Keywords

Sosyal ağ siteleri , Bağımlılık davranışı , Depresyon , Stres , Anksiyete

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