The Mediating Roles of Social Comparison and Sleep Quality on Mental Health Outcomes Among Social Media Users: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

Abstract

A B S T R A C T

Introduction: The rapid expansion of social media has paralleled a rise in anxiety and depression, most notably among young adults. Nevertheless, the processes through which digital engagement leads to psychological distress are still not well understood. Objective: This study examined whether social comparison and sleep quality act as sequential mediators in the link between daily social media use and anxiety symptoms.

Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study enrolled 213 active social media users (mean age, 26 years; 77.5% female). An online survey was used to measure the duration of social media use, social comparison orientation (Iowa-Netherlands Comparison Orientation Measure), sleep quality (using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), and anxiety symptoms (using the GAD-7). Serial multiple mediation analysis was carried out in R, with adjustment for age and sex.

Results: No statistically significant direct association was observed between Social Media Use (SMU) duration and anxiety. Likewise, the proposed serial mediation pathway (SMU → Social Comparison → Sleep Quality → Anxiety) did not reach significance (β = -0.018, 95% CI [-0.073, 0.014]). Nonetheless, analysis of the individual paths showed that greater social comparison significantly predicted worse sleep quality (β = 0.093, p * = 0.009) and higher anxiety (β = 1.054, p * < 0.001). Sleep quality emerged as the most powerful predictor of anxiety (β = 1.141, p * < 0.001). Qualitative responses pointed to exposure to negative news and violence as a major source of distress among users, which may overshadow comparison-based mechanisms.

Conclusion: These results imply that how much social media is used matters less for mental health than the nature of the experience and its physiological consequences. Even though no direct causal chain linking usage time to anxiety was confirmed, social comparison and sleep disruption stood out as strong independent risk factors. Rather than concentrating only on cutting screen time, interventions should give priority to cognitive restructuring to reduce social comparison and to sleep hygiene education.