Social Media and Perceived Stress: The Mediating Role of Perceived Social Support
Abstract: This study examined the relationship between social media addiction symptoms and perceived stress, with perceived social support as a possible mediator. A quantitative, cross-sectional design was used, involving 52 adult social media users aged 20 to 49 years. Data were collected using the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-14), and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Pearson correlation and mediation analysis with 10,000 bootstrap samples were conducted. Results showed a positive but statistically non-significant relationship between social media addiction symptoms and perceived stress (r = .226, p = .107). Social media addiction symptoms were negatively associated with perceived social support (r = -.333, p = .016), while perceived social support was negatively associated with perceived stress (r = -.380, p = .005). Although both individual mediation paths were statistically significant, the indirect effect was not significant, as its 95% confidence interval included zero. The findings highlight the relationship between perceived social support and psychological well-being but do not establish its mediating role between social media addiction symptoms and perceived stress. The small sample size and cross-sectional design limit the wider application of these results. Further research involving larger samples and longitudinal methods is recommended.
Keywords: Social Media Addiction, Perceived Stress, Perceived Social Support, Psychological Well-Being, Mediation Analysis
How to Cite?: Refa Fathima, Supriya Evangeline, "Social Media and Perceived Stress: The Mediating Role of Perceived Social Support", Volume 15 Issue 10, October 2026, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 2014-2015, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=MR261029020450, DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21275/MR261029020450