Psychosocial Factors Related to Social Media Addiction and Adherence to Physical Activity and Sleep Time Guidelines in Spanish University Students

Abstract

Social media use is high and growing, which implies the possibility of addiction and other serious health problems, being especially important in university students. The objectives of the study were: (1) To analyse the levels of emotional intelligence and the number, type, and addiction to social media among Spanish university students, based on the risk of social media addiction and adherence to physical activity and sleep time guidelines; (2) To examine the possible direct and indirect associations between social media use and addiction, adherence to physical activity and sleep time guidelines, emotional intelligence, and burnout through a theoretical model; (3) To identify the possible relations between psychosocial variables, the risk of social media addiction, and adherence to physical activity and sleep time guidelines using regression analyses. The study was cross-sectional and descriptive-correlational, involving a representative sample of Spanish students from five universities who responded to an online questionnaire. The mean social media addiction score was 2.27 (±0.85) and was positively related to emotional exhaustion (r = 0.27, p < 0.01) and depersonalization (r = 0.34, p < 0.01) and negatively related to personal fulfilment (r = -0.13, p < 0.01). The theoretical model that includes all the study variables fits well: χ2 (51) = 175.372, p < 0.001; CFI = 0.91; NFI = 0.90; IFI = 0.91; RMSEA = 0.08. In conclusion, 25.8% of university students are at high risk of social media addiction. Social media addiction is directly linked to all categories of burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and personal fulfilment). Moreover, the regression models for social media addiction categories and physical activity and sleep time compliances are valid although most of the variance remains unexplained.