The Role of Online Social Networking on Emotional Functioning in a Sample of Iranian Adolescents and Young Adults

ABSTRACT

The role of online social messaging applications on perceived stress, anxiety, and depression in relation to the moderating influence of age and gender in an Iranian sample was investigated in this study. A demographic questionnaire, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) were utilized in the present research. The resulting data indicated that social networking nonusers had significantly lower levels of anxiety and depression than users of Viber, WhatsApp, Line, Telegram, Tango, Instagram, Facebook, and other social networking applications. Users of WhatsApp, Viber, and other social networking applications had significantly lower levels of anxiety in comparison to users of the Line, Telegram, Tango, Instagram, and Facebook social networking applications. Young adults and females had a significantly higher anxiety level than adolescents and males in this sample.

KEYWORDS:

• Age
• anxiety
• depression
• gender
• online social networking
• stress

Acknowledgment

The author is grateful to Mrs. Cheryl Johnston, Independent Researcher, MSc Psychology, South Africa, for her editing on this manuscript.