THE EFFECT OF SOCIAL MEDIA USE AND SELF-CONFIDENCE ON SUICIDE PROBABILITY AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS
Öz
Suicide represents a major psychiatric and public health concern among university students, who are among the most active users of social media. This study aimed to examine whether self-confidence mediates the relationship between social media use and suicide probability among Turkish university students. This predictive correlational study was conducted with 406 university students (72.9% female, 27.1% male). Data were collected using an online questionnaire including the Social Media Usage Scale, the Suicide Probability Scale, and the Self-Confidence Scale. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and mediation analysis were performed using Hayes’ PROCESS macro in SPSS. Statistical significance was set at p < .05. Correlation analyses showed that social media use was positively but weakly associated with suicide probability (r = .11, p < .05). Self-confidence was moderate and negatively correlated with suicide probability (r = –.42, p < .01), while no significant relationship was found between social media use and self-confidence (r = –.03, p > .05). Mediation analysis indicated that social media use directly predicted suicide probability (β = .16, p < .05), but self-confidence did not mediate this relationship. Self-confidence independently predicted lower suicide probability (β = –.17, p < .001). The model explained 19.5% of the variance (R² = .19). Social media use increases suicide probability directly and independently of self-confidence. However, higher self-confidence serves as a protective psychological factor. These findings underscore the importance of monitoring students’ digital engagement and enhancing self-confidence within intervention programs targeting suicidal risk among young adults.
Anahtar Kelimeler
Social media, Suicide probability, University student, Self-confidence
Destekleyen Kurum
The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Etik Beyan
Ethical Approval
This study was conducted in accordance with the ethical principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Ethical approval was obtained from the Human Research Ethics Committee of Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University (Approval No: 387; Approval Date: November 30, 2023). Institutional permission was granted prior to data collection (Document No: 395475; Date: December 28, 2023). All participants provided informed consent before participation. Participant confidentiality and data protection were strictly upheld throughout the research process, in full compliance with ethical and institutional standards. The research data are securely stored on a password-protected computer and remain confidential, accessible only to the principal investigator.
Teşekkür
The authors would like to thank all the university students who participated in this study.
Kaynakça
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