Excessive social media use and its impact on psychological well-being and academic performance of Vietnamese university students

This research focuses on social media overuse consequences on psychological well-being and academic performance of university students in Vietnam through the Stressor–Strain–Outcome (SSO) model. The author applies the Facebook Addiction Scale, DASS-21 and self-reported GPAs for data collection comprising 300 respondents from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Measurement and structural model validation were performed using PLS-SEM. The findings show that higher social media overuse contributes to increased levels of psychological distress/anxiety (β = 0.52, p < .001) and a deterioration in academic performance (β = –0.31, p < .001). There is a partial mediating effect of stress and anxiety on the performance outcomes which indicates a psychological strain in the social media overuse and academic performance relationship (indirect β = –0.27, p < .001). Self-regulation also significantly influenced the stress–academic performance relationship (β = 0.18, p = .002) as a moderator. This research contributes to the application of the SSO model and calls for the need for more digital literacy, self-regulated learning, effective time management, and mental health support in the Vietnamese higher education system.