Scrolling into Distress: Unravelling the Psychological Dimensions of Social Media Usage Among Youth
Social media, Mental Health, Factor Analysis, Youth, Self-Esteem, Social Comparison, Digital Addiction, India, EFA.
The pervasive rise of social media platforms has fundamentally reshaped communication patterns, self-expression, and social interaction among youth globally. This study empirically investigates the relationship between social media usage patterns and mental health concerns among young people aged 14-30 years in Amritsar, Punjab, India. Primary data were collected from 162 respondents through a structured questionnaire incorporating five-point Likert scale items. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) with Varimax rotation was applied. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) value of 0.897 and Bartlett's Test of Sphericity (χ² = 3363.398, df = 496, p < 0.001) confirmed sampling adequacy. Six latent factors were extracted-Self-Esteem, Mental Stress, Social Comparison, Self-Image, Addiction, and Social Interaction-collectively explaining 67.361% of the total variance. Instagram (82.7%) and Snapchat (67.3%) were the most frequently used platforms, with 78.4% of respondents spending 2-5 hours daily on social media. The findings demonstrate that passive, excessive, and comparison-driven social media engagement is significantly associated with psychological distress, diminished self-worth, and addictive behavioural patterns among youth. Practical recommendations for balanced digital engagement are discussed.
"Scrolling into Distress: Unravelling the Psychological Dimensions of Social Media Usage Among Youth ", JETNR - JOURNAL OF EMERGING TRENDS AND NOVEL RESEARCH (www.JETNR.org), ISSN:2984-9276, Vol.4, Issue 6, page no.a868-a876, June-2026, Available :https://rjpn.org/JETNR/papers/JETNR2606111.pdf
Volume 4
Issue 6,
June-2026
Pages : a868-a876
Paper Reg. ID: JETNR_235082
Published Paper Id: JETNR2606111
Downloads: 00068
Research Area: Management All
Country: Amritsar, Punjab, India
ISSN: 2984-9276 | IMPACT FACTOR: 9.87 Calculated By Google Scholar | ESTD YEAR: 2023
An International Scholarly Open Access Journal, Peer-Reviewed, Refereed Journal Impact Factor 9.87 Calculate by Google Scholar and Semantic Scholar | AI-Powered Research Tool, Multidisciplinary, Monthly, Multilanguage Journal Indexing in All Major Database & Metadata, Citation Generator
Publisher: RJPN (IJPublication) Janvi Wave
