Anxiety and Depression: Strategic Points for Social Media Research

This assignment presents a research proposal focusing on the relationship between social media usage and the prevalence of anxiety and depression among high school and college students. The proposal, developed for a doctoral program, outlines ten strategic points that guide the research, including the identification of the problem, literature review, theoretical foundations, research questions, methodology, and data analysis approaches. The study aims to determine the adverse effects of social media on students' mental health, including self-esteem, sleep patterns, and potential interventions by educational authorities. A mixed-method approach, combining quantitative and qualitative data collection methods, is proposed, using surveys, questionnaires, and interviews to gather data from students and school principals in the urban Boston area. The research seeks to understand the impact of social media on student behavior, and to identify potential solutions to mitigate the negative effects. The proposal emphasizes the importance of understanding the role of educational institutions in addressing these issues and proposes a framework for evaluating mental stability and authority responses.

Running Head: STRATEGIC POINTS
Anxiety and Depression connected to use of Social Media in the 21st Century High-School and
College Student Population
Strategic Points for the Prospectus, Proposal, and Dissertation
Gabriela Rosu PSY825
Grand Canyon University
November 4, 2018

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Topic
The topic of this research proposal is “Anxiety and Depression connected to use of Social
Media in the 21st Century High-School and College Student Population.”
Ten Strategic Points Comments
or
Feedback
Broad Topic
Area
Social media is considered to be a driven factor that caused
depression and anxiety among the students. In this regard, the
purpose of this proposal is to identify the intensity of the social
media on causing trouble in Students’ psychology. In addition to
this, the discussion also incorporates an understanding regarding
the role of the principals of the schools and colleges.
Furthermore, the urban Boston region is identified as the sample
location with a sample size of 10 students and 1 principal from
each school. As a matter of fact, mix methodology is used in for
collecting data from the samples. Therefore, it can be concluded
that the proposal is accurate and follows the ten strategic points
correctly. In other words the proposal aims to determine the
association between the use of social media and the onset of
depression and anxiety amid high school and college students.
Lit Review
a. Background of the problem
i. Statistical reports suggest that the number of

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users who have access to the social network were
2.46 billion in 2017, and their proportion is
expected to increase to 2.77 billion by the year
2019.
ii. One of the major issues of the present times that
is playing a vital role in reshaping the world is the
accessibility of the common public to the internet.
iii. Social media is one of the most utilized facets of
the World Wide Web and exists in different
forms such as, forums, blogs, business networks,
social gaming, chat applications, and social
networks.
iv. Due to the rapid use of social media it is become
a common psychological disorder among the
young and adults and hampering their natural
sleep that leads to mental disorder and blockage
(Woods & Scott, 2016).
v. According to Andreassen et al., (2016) poor sleep
quality can cause anxiety and depression among
the young and adults. Moreover, the vulnerability
of continuous surfing on social media creates low

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self-esteem and self-centredness.
vi. In the studies, Guntuku et al., (2017) showed that
depression became a common phenomenon
among the students because continuous surfing
on the social media leads them to develop a poor
self-esteem or over confidence. As a result of
that when they failed to accomplish something
then it affected them emphatically.
b. Theoretical foundation
i. It can be argued that the perceived
burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness are
the primary theory behind depression that leads to
suicide tendency among the victims (Blease,
2015).
ii. Research evidences have also suggested that
social media use is responsible for a range of
problems such as, low self-esteem, poor patterns
and quality of sleep, depression, and anxiety
(Woods & Scott, 2016).
iii. On the other hand, Ma et al., (2016) advocated
that after the advent of the social media it became

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a chronic disease among the youths to get
suffered with the social media. In this context,
Kleiman, Liu and Riskind (2014) propounded the
theory of ‘Facebook depression’.
iv. Besides this, Joormann and Vanderlind (2014)
puts more focus on the cognitive and socio-
cultural foundations that are responsible for the
indiscriminate erection of depression and anxiety.
c. Review literature
i. Limited use of the social media is necessary for
the young generation in order to reduce
depression and anxiety.
ii. The schools and college authorities must put
more emphasis on the reason behind depression
and anxiety among the students.
iii. It requires government initiatives in order to deal
with the growing negative impact of the
depression and anxiety among the students. Some
regulations and enactment will be beneficial to
prevent indiscriminate use of social media.
iv. Implementation of effective psychological

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evaluation process should be installed in the
educational institutions because of setting up
awareness regarding the adverse impact of social
media.
d. Summary
i. Gap: It is important to procure a framework
regarding the evaluation of the mental stability
and the reaction of the authority.
ii. Prior Studies: The previous researches and
literatures are addressed the reason behind the
anxiety and depression among the youths and the
adults but failed to address any remedies to
prevent the indiscriminate use of social media.
iii. Quantitative study: The research puts emphasis
on the quantitative study by collecting data and
information from the students and college and
school authorities.
iv. Significance: The purpose of this proposal is not
only identifying the intensity of the social media
on students’ psychology but also figure out the
possible remedies in order to prevent

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psychological disorder among the students due to
use of social media.
Problem
Statement
The relationship between social media and psychology of the
students is unknown and are subjected to further research and
based on it the report will discuss whether there is any adverse
impact of social media on the students.
Research
Questions
a. R1: Is there any detrimental impact of What are the
impacts of social media on the psychology of the
students?
b. R2: How far the educational authoritiesWhat are the
impacts of social media on the self-esteem of high school
and college students? evaluate the adverse impact of the
social media on students?
c. R3: How far the educational authorities take initiatives to
reduce the negative impact on social media on students?
d. R34: Is there any possibility that the students can resolve
the issue of their own? How does the use of social media
affect sleep outcomes among the high school and college
students?
Sample a. Location: Boston

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b. General Population: Students using social media
c. Target population: All students local from high schools
and colleges in urban Boston
d. Sample: 20 renowned schools and colleges in the urban
Boston districts with approximately 20 principals from
each institution. 10 students, each selected across ten
high schools and colleges from urban Boston
e. Number of observation for each principal in the
sampleschool: There will be maximum 10 students
under one principal in each school who are considered to
be the sample for this research. From each school and
college, 10 students will be selected and categorized into
different groups.
Describe
Phenomena
(qualitative) or
Define
Variables/
Hypotheses
(quantitative)
a. H1A: There is a significant relationship between the
growing anxiety and depression of the students and the
role of social media in it.
b. H1A0: The role of social media in enhancing depression
and anxiety is not significant enough in compare to the
other factors behind the psychological disorder of the
students. Social media does not play any role in the onset

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of anxiety and depression among students.
c. H2A: The educational authorities have a big role to
prevent the adverse impact of the threat of anxiety and
depression among the students. Social media lowers the
self-esteem of the students
d. H2A0: Anxiety and depression have no relationship with
the educational institute therefore the educational
authorities also have no role to play in this context. Self-
esteem among students is not influenced by their usage
of social media
e. H3A: The principals of schools and colleges must take
initiatives in order to prevent psychological disorder
among the students caused by the social media. Night-
time use of social media results in poor sleep quality
among the students.
f. H3A0: As there is no relationship between the student’s
anxiety due to social media and the educational institutes
henceforth the principals also do not partake in the
process. There is no relationship between the use of
social media and sleep outcomes
g. H4A: The adverse impact of social media on the

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students’ psychology is a spontaneous matter and the
students are able to resolve the issue of their own.
h. H4A0: Depression and anxiety by social media caused
deep impression on the students as a result of that the
need an outside intervention to resolve the issue.
Methodology &
Design
The research will be based on a mixed methodology where the
researcher relies on both the primary and secondary sources
(Mayoh & Onwuegbuzie, 2015). The research will be a
quantitative study where the statistical analysis of the responses
provided by the student will help in establishing the correlation
between social media use and the primary outcomes. In this
context, the primary sources can be identified as the close ended
questionnaire for the students and an open ended interview
session for the principals. Moreover, both qualitative and
quantitative analysis are followed into the research. On the other
hand, the secondary research will be focused on the government
regulations and the previous researches on this matter. The
students will be provided online version of three different
diagnosis scales and/or questionnaires, each for one research
objective that will contain closed ended questions, and help in

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coding their responses in numerical and statistical forms.
Purpose
Statement
The purpose of this research is to understand the impact of social
media on the student psychology behaviour and the way schools
and colleges are responsible to mitigate the issue. such as, self-
esteem, anxiety, depression, and sleep patterns.
Data Collection
Approach
a) Independent variable: Social media
b) Dependent variable: Anxiety of the students
The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Hospital
Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and
Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale will be used for dataDependent
variable: Depression of the students
Data Analysis
Approach
a. An interview will be conducted on the students based on
the close ended questionnaire.
b. The principals of each colleges and schools will face an
interview session with the researchers and the interview
round will be based on open ended questions.
c. Following administration of the questionnaires to the
students, their responses shall be collected. A
psychometric test will also be used in order to understand

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the psychological stability and condition of the students.
d. Mean and standard deviation will be calculation for each
variable namely, sleep quality, anxiety, depression and
self-esteem.
e. Correlation coefficient will determine the association
between the variables

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References
Andreassen, C. S., Billieux, J., Griffiths, M. D., Kuss, D. J., Demetrovics, Z., Mazzoni, E., &
Pallesen, S. (2016). The relationship between addictive use of social media and video
games and symptoms of psychiatric disorders: A large-scale cross-sectional
study. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 30(2), 252.
Blease, C. R. (2015). Too many ‘friends,’too few ‘likes’? Evolutionary psychology and
‘Facebook depression’. Review of General Psychology, 19(1), 1.
Guntuku, S. C., Yaden, D. B., Kern, M. L., Ungar, L. H., & Eichstaedt, J. C. (2017). Detecting
depression and mental illness on social media: an integrative review. Current Opinion in
Behavioral Sciences, 18, 43-49.
Joormann, J., & Vanderlind, W. M. (2014). Emotion regulation in depression: The role of biased
cognition and reduced cognitive control. Clinical Psychological Science, 2(4), 402-421.
Kleiman, E. M., Liu, R. T., & Riskind, J. H. (2014). Integrating the interpersonal psychological
theory of suicide into the depression/suicidal ideation relationship: A short-term
prospective study. Behavior therapy, 45(2), 212-221.
Ma, J., Batterham, P. J., Calear, A. L., & Han, J. (2016). A systematic review of the predictions
of the Interpersonal–Psychological Theory of Suicidal Behavior. Clinical psychology
review, 46, 34-45.

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Mayoh, J., & Onwuegbuzie, A. J. (2015). Toward a conceptualization of mixed methods
phenomenological research. Journal of mixed methods research, 9(1), 91-107.
Schommer-Aikins, M. (2012). An evolving theoretical framework for an epistemological belief
system. In Hofer, B.K. & Pintrich, P.R. (2012). Personal Epistemology: The Psychology
of Beliefs About Knowledge and Knowing. Taylor and Francis. Kindle Edition
Sinatra, G. M., Kienhues, D., & Hofer, B. K. (2014). Addressing challenges to public
understanding of science: epistemic cognition, motivated reasoning, and conceptual
change. Educational Psychologist, 49(2), 123–138. doi:10.1080/00461520.2014.916216
Statista. (2018). Number of social network users worldwide from 2010 to 2021 (in
billions). Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/statistics/278414/number-of-
worldwide-social-network-users/.
Statista. (2018). Social Media Statistics & Facts. Retrieved from
https://www.statista.com/topics/1164/social-networks/.
Wood, A. K., Galloway, R. K., Hardy, J., & Sinclair, C. M. (2014). Analyzing learning during
Peer Instruction dialogues: A resource activation framework. Physical Review Special
Topics - Physics Education Research, 10(2). doi:10.1103/physrevstper.10.020107
Woods, H. C., & Scott, H. (2016). # Sleepyteens: social media use in adolescence is associated
with poor sleep quality, anxiety, depression and low self-esteem. Journal of
Adolescence, 51, 41-49.

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Woods, H. C., & Scott, H. (2016). # Sleepyteens: social media use in adolescence is associated
with poor sleep quality, anxiety, depression and low self-esteem. Journal of
Adolescence, 51, 41-49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2016.05.008
Andreassen, C. S., Billieux, J., Griffiths, M. D., Kuss, D. J., Demetrovics, Z., Mazzoni, E., &
Pallesen, S. (2016). The relationship between addictive use of social media and video
games and symptoms of psychiatric disorders: A large-scale cross-sectional
study. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 30(2), 252.
Blease, C. R. (2015). Too many ‘friends,’too few ‘likes’? Evolutionary psychology and
‘Facebook depression’. Review of General Psychology, 19(1), 1.
Guntuku, S. C., Yaden, D. B., Kern, M. L., Ungar, L. H., & Eichstaedt, J. C. (2017). Detecting
depression and mental illness on social media: an integrative review. Current Opinion in
Behavioral Sciences, 18, 43-49.
Joormann, J., & Vanderlind, W. M. (2014). Emotion regulation in depression: The role of biased
cognition and reduced cognitive control. Clinical Psychological Science, 2(4), 402-421.
Kleiman, E. M., Liu, R. T., & Riskind, J. H. (2014). Integrating the interpersonal psychological
theory of suicide into the depression/suicidal ideation relationship: A short-term
prospective study. Behavior therapy, 45(2), 212-221.
Ma, J., Batterham, P. J., Calear, A. L., & Han, J. (2016). A systematic review of the predictions
of the Interpersonal–Psychological Theory of Suicidal Behavior. Clinical psychology
review, 46, 34-45.

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Mayoh, J., & Onwuegbuzie, A. J. (2015). Toward a conceptualization of mixed methods
phenomenological research. Journal of mixed methods research, 9(1), 91-107.
Woods, H. C., & Scott, H. (2016). # Sleepyteens: social media use in adolescence is associated
with poor sleep quality, anxiety, depression and low self-esteem. Journal of
Adolescence, 51, 41-49.
Schommer-Aikins, M. (2012). An evolving theoretical framework for an epistemological belief
system. In Hofer, B.K. & Pintrich, P.R. (2012). Personal Epistemology: The Psychology
of Beliefs About Knowledge and Knowing. Taylor and Francis. Kindle Edition
Sinatra, G. M., Kienhues, D., & Hofer, B. K. (2014). Addressing challenges to public
understanding of science: epistemic cognition, motivated reasoning, and conceptual
change. Educational Psychologist, 49(2), 123–138.
doi:10.1080/00461520.2014.916216https://www.statista.com/statistics/278414/number-
of-worldwide-social-network-users/.
Statista. (2018). Social Media Statistics & Facts. Retrieved from
Wood, A. K., Galloway, R. K., Hardy, J., & Sinclair, C. M. (2014). Analyzing learning during
Peer Instruction dialogues: A resource activation framework. Physical Review Special
Topics - Physics Education Research, 10(2). doi:10.1103/physrevstper.10.020107Journal
of Adolescence, 51, 41-49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2016.05.008

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