ArticleJournal of family medicine and primary care2021
The association between social media use and depressive symptoms among adults in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Article in Journal of family medicine and primary care, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Prevalence of Depression and Associated Factors among Adults in Saudi Arabia: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (2000-2022).Depression and anxiety · 2023Pooled it
- Social media problematic use, memory concerns, and confidence in young female students from an underrepresented student population.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- The impact of physical activity on mental health across diverse populations in Saudi Arabia: a narrative review.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Review
- Personality traits and motivational patterns of social media use among undergraduate medical students at King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Review
- Assessment of stress level and depression among orthopaedic surgeons in Saudi Arabia.International orthopaedics · 2024Article
- The Relationship between Social Media and the Increase in Mental Health Problems.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Assessment of the Association Between Use of WhatsApp for Work-Related Purposes and Levels of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Among Healthcare Workers from Jazan, Saudi Arabia.Psychology research and behavior management · 2023Article
- Development, Validation, and Utilization of a Social Media Use and Mental Health Questionnaire among Middle Eastern and Western Adults: A Pilot Study from the UAE.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Factors Affecting the Use of Social Networks and Its Effect on Anxiety and Depression among Parents and Their Children: Predictors Using ML, SEM and Extended TAM.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
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Abstract
backgroundExcessive use of social media sites and applications was reported to be associated with depressive symptoms. We determined the association between social media use and depressive symptoms among adults in Riyadh and correlated the results with other studies.
methodsA cross-sectional study was performed using a self-administered survey questionnaire distributed to participants aged 13 years old and above. The Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) was used as a screening tool to measure depression. Positive and negative affective experiences were also assessed.
resultsA total of 467 participants with a mean age of 27.0 ± 10.9 years were surveyed; 269 (57.6%) were males, and 198 (42.4%) were females. The mean of the total PHQ-9 score was 8.7 ± 5.8. There were 17 patients (3.6%) with no depression, 103 (22.1%) with minimal depression, 160 (34.3%) with mild depression, 113 (24.2%) with moderate depression, 47 (10.1%) with moderately severe depression, and 27 (5.8%) with severe depression. Females significantly had experienced moderate to severe depression compared to males (
conclusionA high percentage of moderate to severe depression and negative affective experiences, including anger and happiness, exists among individuals who excessively use and spend a lot more time using SNSs. A greater tendency toward depression occurs among females. Although the data from this study are self-reported, there is a need for health practitioners and family physicians to identify early signs of depression that warrants early intervention to address to mitigate and prevent the potentially harmful consequences that might happen in the future.
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