Understanding the Role of Motives and Preferences of Social Networking Sites with Mental Health and Academic Performance Among Medical Students Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia

Globally, social networking sites are substantially used for indulgence, content, and interaction. Despite this, the worst impact of prolonged use of social networking sites has been associated with physical, mental, and long-term well-being. Its impact on medical students is a significant concern for many medical schools and administrators as users differ in purpose, preferences, and perceived usefulness.

This study aimed to examine the association of social networking sites’ preferences and motives with medical students’ mental well-being and academic performance.

The cross-sectional study was conducted on 167 medical students of King Faisal University for three months, from October 2020 to December 2020. Participant’s information related to demographics, usage of social networking sites, mental well-being, and academic grades were collected through online questionnaires with valid measures.

Data analyses were performed using SPSS version 21. Almost all medical students were browsing social networking sites daily (98.2%). The most frequently visited sites were WhatsApp (97.6%), followed by YouTube (86.8%), and Instagram (77.8%). It was revealed that 3rd-year students were significantly using Facebook, mainly for fun. Besides, significantly better mental well-being was reported among females’ incentives to use social networking sites to keep in touch with family, friends, and relatives. It was also found that females were significantly more of being Instagram users and Snapchat users than males and observed significantly more having excellent academic grades than males.

Our study suggests that students were motivated to connect with social networking sites for their various preferences or needs influenced by their beliefs, attitude, and plans.