Weekly Mind Reader: Mindfulness, Problematic Social Media Use, and Anxiety

Research suggests trait mindfulness-based interventions might help reduce anxiety levels in students with severe problematic social media use.

Mindfulness, Problematic Social Media Use, and Anxiety

The Primary Care Companion of CNS Disorders just published a study that investigates the relationship between problematic social media use (PSMU) and anxiety among Lebanese university students. The study also explored the potential moderating role of trait mindfulness.

The researchers surveyed 363 participants and assessed PSMU, trait mindfulness, and anxiety levels.

The survey results showed a strong positive association between PSMU and anxiety, including a negative link between trait mindfulness and anxiety.

Additionally, the researchers found that trait mindfulness eased the tension between PSMU and anxiety. The study showed that, at low mindfulness levels, an apparent link between higher PSMU and elevated anxiety levels. However, those levels fell with the implementation of moderate and high levels of mindfulness, despite similar levels of PSMU. These results suggest that trait mindfulness might buffer the negative effects of PSMU on anxiety symptoms among university students.

The study’s strengths include its focus on a specific outcome – anxiety – related to social media use, as well as its examination of a population that garnered limited attention in earlier research.

The results suggest the importance of addressing PSMU and its threat to the mental health of university students. School-based interventions that focus on mindfulness training might help mitigate anxiety symptoms associated with PSMU.

Overall, the paper highlights the need for a deeper dive into underlying the relationship between PSMU and anxiety. The researchers suggest that future research could employ longitudinal designs and multidimensional measures of mindfulness to further elucidate these relationships.

IN OTHER PSYCHIATRY AND NEUROLOGY NEWS

• Recent technological advances have allowed researchers to quantify antipsychotic-induced cervical dystonia severity using machine learning, potentially establishing a global standard for future AI devices in cervical dystonia assessment.
• Theta burst stimulation interventions could hold the key to addressing specific multiple sclerosis symptoms, notably fatigue and spasticity.
• The Primary Care Companion for CNS Disorders has published several case studies that explore various aspects of OCD.
• European and American regulators have found no evidence linking GLP-1 receptor agonists like Ozempic and Wegovy to thoughts of suicide.
• Research shows exercise reduces cardiovascular disease risk by reducing stress-related signals in the brain.