October 11, 2021

World Mental Health Day is held annually on October 11 to raise public awareness about mental health issues, advocacy against social stigma, and the importance of mental health prevention and treatment. In Singapore, social networking sites (SNS) are a source of mental health issues for many Singaporean young adults who have one of the highest rates of internet use in the world.

The study “Online social networking addiction among college students in Singapore: Comorbidity with behavioural addiction and affective disorder” (2017, Asian Journal of Psychiatry) looks at on this issue, examining the prevalence of addiction to SNS and its co-occurrence with other behavioural addiction and affective disorders among college students in Singapore. Co-written by Professor Catherine So-kum Tang (NUS Department of Psychology) and Research Fellow Yvaine Yee Woen Koh (NUS Centre for Family and Population Research), the study samples Singaporean college students for data on social networking, food, and shopping addiction, alongside affective disorders of depression, anxiety, and mania.

The study reveals a high rate (29.5%) of SNS addiction among college students in Singapore. Where behavioral addictions like unhealthy food intake and shopping are concerned, the study shows a likelihood of comorbidity with SNS addiction, likely due to the proliferation of advertisements, and the accessibility of information on food and online shopping. Critically, there are high comorbidity rates between SNS addiction and affective disorders, especially among women. Online social networking could be used as a means of escaping from negative mood states, or conversely, be the cause of depression and anxiety through the facilitation of constant social comparison and the frequent violation of privacy, among other reasons.

The study acknowledges several limitations of its methodology, such as its use of self-reporting instruments (via questionnaires), instead of diagnostic tools to define behaviour. More accurate data could have been collected with external checks on the frequency of behavioural addiction, and having mental health professionals evaluate symptoms of affective disorders. The findings ultimately aim to facilitate the creation of more effective prevention and treatment programs that can better address the issue.

Read the article here.