Social media addiction and its association with psychological distress among paramedic students at ministry of health training institute, Malaysia: a cross-sectional study

Introduction: The rapid proliferation of social media has raised concerns about its potential adverse effects, mainly social media addiction, which is linked to various mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and stress. Objective: This study examines the prevalence of social media addiction and its relationship with psychological distress among paramedic students at the Ministry of Health Training Institute, Malaysia. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 398 paramedic students from Year 2 and Year 3, selected through simple random sampling. The Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS) and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS) were used for assessment. Data collection occurred over 12 months via Google Forms, with descriptive analysis and Mann-Whitney U tests performed using SPSS Version 29. Results: Most respondents were female (62.6%), with a mean age of 23.28 years (SD = 1.51). Most students spent five or more hours daily on social media (72.6%), with Instagram being the most popular platform (18.3%). Social media addiction was found in 20.6% of students. Addicted students reported significantly higher median scores for stress (15.00 vs. 3.00, p < .001), anxiety (15.00 vs. 3.00, p < .001), and depression (14.50 vs. 3.00, p < .001). Conclusion: There is a significant association between social media addiction and increased psychological distress among paramedic students. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to address social media addiction and promote mental well-being in this population.

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