Social Networking Usage, Nomophobia and Depression Symptoms among Young Adults

Abstract

Social networking usage and its impact on various mental health conditions has been studied extensively among various age groups. However, the magnitude of its influence on nomophobia and depression symptoms especially in the age group of young adults is still elusive. In this research, the researcher has conducted a correlational study to investigate the relationship between social networking usage, nomophobia and depression symptoms among young adults. The study was conducted using Social Networking Usage Questionnaire, Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q) and Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDI). A total 200 participants including 100 males and 100 females within the age group of 18 to 25 years were selected from the city of Bangalore, India based on convenience and snow ball sampling technique. The results from the study indicated a strong positive correlation between social networking usage and nomophobia. There existed a significant correlation between nomophobia and depression symptoms. There was no significant correlation between social networking usage and depression symptoms. Independent sample t-test was administered to investigate the difference among males and females on the variables of the study. There was no difference among males and females with respect to social networking usage, nomophobia and depression symptoms. Further implications of the study are discussed in detail.