Date of Award

11-22-2025

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Discipline

Social Sciences

Department

Sociology and Social Policy

First Advisor

Prof. LIN Li Jocelyn

Second Advisor

Prof. AMOAH Padmore Adusei

Abstract

Mental health concerns among university students have intensified globally, reflected in rising levels of psychological distress, declining life satisfaction, and reduced flourishing. These challenges present urgent implications for public health and higher education policy. Simultaneously, social media use (SMU) has become deeply embedded in students’ daily lives; however, its impact on mental health remains inconclusive. While some studies associate SMU with increased mental health issues, others emphasize its potential to foster social connection. These conflicting perspectives are further complicated by uncertainty regarding the directionality of these relationships—whether SMU influences mental health, or mental health status shapes SMU patterns. Furthermore, existing research often neglects the role of offline university social capital (USC), especially in non-Western settings, and seldom investigates how USC may mediate the relationship between SMU and psychological outcomes over time.

To address these gaps, the present study investigates the reciprocal associations among SMU and USC—operationalized as cognitive social capital (CSC) and structural social capital (SSC)—and mental health outcomes among Bangladeshi undergraduate students. Specifically, a two-wave longitudinal design was employed, with data collected six months apart from a sample of 667 students aged 20–25 years (M = 22.59; 50.9% female). Measures included SMU, CSC, SSC, and three mental health outcomes: psychological distress, life satisfaction, and flourishing. Cross-lagged panel models (CLPMs) were used to assess bidirectional association while controlling for baseline levels.

Findings revealed that higher baseline SMU was associated with increased psychological distress at Time 2 (β = 0.28, p < 0.001), but showed no significant associations with life satisfaction or flourishing. Moreover, a consistent negative reciprocal pattern was observed between SMU and CSC: greater SMU at Time 1 was related to lower CSC at Time 2 (β ranged from –0.20 to –0.36), while higher initial CSC was associated with reduced SMU at followup (β = –0.24, p < 0.001). No significant temporal relationships were found between SMU and SSC.

In addition, students with higher baseline cognitive social capital (CSC) were associated with lower psychological distress (β = –0.28, p < 0.001) and greater life satisfaction (β = 0.09, p = 0.011) at Time 2. Baseline life satisfaction was also associated with increased CSC over time (β = 0.14, p < 0.001). While CSC showed no significant association with flourishing, baseline flourishing was modestly associated with higher follow-up CSC (β = 0.08, p = 0.019). Structural social capital (SSC) was not associated with any mental health outcomes.

To enhance understanding of the observed associations, mediation analysis indicated that CSC was statistically positioned between SMU and the outcomes of psychological distress and life satisfaction. These findings align with the social displacement hypothesis and highlight the statistical relevance of CSC within the model. Strengthening campus-based CSC and structural social capital (SSC) may contribute to broader efforts to foster student wellbeing in digitally saturated academic contexts.

Language

English

Recommended Citation

Howlader, M. H. (2025). Interrelationships among social media use, university social capital, and mental health outcomes in undergraduate (Doctoral thesis, Lingnan University, Hong Kong). Retrieved from https://commons.ln.edu.hk/otd/276/

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