Correlation between Work Stress and Social Media Addiction in Patients with Depressive Disorder: A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Depression is a leading global health concern, contributing significantly to disability and economic burden worldwide. Work stress and Social Media Addiction (SMA) have been identified as critical factors influencing mental health, often interacting to exacerbate depressive symptoms. However, the combined impact of these variables on patients with depressive disorders remains underexplored. Aim: To study the relationship between work stress and SMA in patients with depressive disorders. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Psychiatry at Chettinad Hospital and Research Institute, Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu, India, among 96 patients aged 18-64 years diagnosed with depressive disorder according to International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-11 criteria. Participants were assessed using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) for depression, the Tool for Assessment of Work Stress (TAWS-16) for work stress and the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS) for SMA. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation, and multivariate linear regression, with significance set at p-value <0.05. Results: Among the participants, 33 individuals (34.37%) exhibited SMA, while 37 individuals (38.54%) reported mild work stress, 38 individuals (39.58%) reported moderate work stress, and 21 individuals (21.87%) reported severe work stress. Significant positive correlations were observed between HDRS and BSMAS scores (r-value=0.571, p-value <0.001), HDRS and TAWS-16 scores (r-value=0.418, p-value <0.001), and BSMAS and TAWS-16 scores (r-value=0.347, p-value <0.001). However, Chi-square analysis revealed no significant association between SMA and work stress categories (p-value=0.437). Regression analysis identified HDRS scores (p-value <0.001) as the only significant predictor of SMA severity. Conclusion: This study highlights the significant interplay between work stress, SMA and depression severity in patients with depressive disorders. The prevalence of SMA among individuals with depressive disorder was 34.4%. Addressing both occupational stressors and problematic social media use could be pivotal in managing depressive symptoms effectively