Depression, Anxiety, Stress, and Dissatisfaction With Life and Appearance During Social Media Use: A Study With Brazilian Graduate Students

Introduction Graduate students exhibit distinct characteristics that impact their mental health. Analyzing the symptoms and dissatisfactions that shape their experiences can provide insights into both challenges and opportunities for more targeted care. Objective The objective of this study is to analyze, among Brazilian graduate students, the factors associated with symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress, as well as dissatisfaction with life and physical appearance during the use of social media. Methods A cross‐sectional, observational, and analytical study was conducted with virtual data collection between May and July 2022, involving 5334 graduate students in the stricto sensu modality (master′s and doctoral programs). The Characterization Questionnaire, the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale, and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test were administered. Data were analyzed using descriptive and multivariate statistics, including multinomial logistic regression, with a significance level of α = 0.05, using R software. Results The factors associated with symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress included sociodemographic characteristics, academic issues, psychosocial aspects (particularly the diagnosis of mental disorders, probable alcohol dependence, and history of suicide attempts), and social media use, with an emphasis on dissatisfaction when accessing these platforms. Dissatisfaction with life and physical appearance during social media use was associated with female gender, academic impairment or withdrawal, a diagnosis of mental disorder, and other sociodemographic and psychosocial factors. Conclusion The results contribute to a multifactorial understanding of the aspects that negatively impact the mental health of Brazilian graduate students. The experience of symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress, as well as dissatisfaction with life and physical appearance during social media use, was strongly associated with factors that may contribute to mental suffering processes.