The Impact of social media on psychological well-being and social comparison on nursing students in UBT

Social networking sites are now essential in daily life. In the ever-evolving landscape of communication, social media has emerged as a dominant force that shapes how nursing students connect, share, and perceive ourselves and others. While these platforms offer unprecedented opportunities for virtual interaction, they also raise important questions about their influence on nursing students' psychological well-being and the phenomenon of social comparison. The aim of this study is to gain a contemporary understanding of the impact of social media on students' psychological well-being, focusing on aspects such as stress, anxiety and depression, and the phenomenon of social comparison.Methodology: Cross-sectional survey was carried out on a sample of 128 nursing students at University for Business and Technology (UBT). Participants were recruited using a convenience sampling technique in which questionnaires were sent through a link to the targeted population. The questionnaire included information on demographics, social media use, social comparison, and a section on standard tools for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress (DASS-21), and the Iowa-Netherlands Comparison Orientation Measure (INCOM) to measure social comparison orientation. The data were analyzed by using SPSS.Results: On this research participated 128 respondents of the online survey, 49 (38.3%) were male and 79 (61.7%) were female. The mean age was 19.8 years. Most of students were in the second year of studies 74 (57.8%). The respondents several times a day 113 (88.3%) check social media and, most of the respondents spent more than 180 minutes per day at social media. WhatsApp and Instagram were the two platforms that all participants reported to have access on them, 126 (98.4%) of respondents reported that are using Snapchat, and 125 (97.6%) of them reported to have TikTok. Level of anxiety is 15.78 which indicates “extremely severe”, depression is 12.77 which indicates “severe”, and the mean value of stress is 14.25 which indicates “severe”, too. Psychological well-being had a negative relationship between social comparison, and social media platforms.Conclusion: Uses of social media is widespread among nursing students and negatively affects their mental health and social comparison.