Instagram Use Intensity and Academic Performance Among Medical Students: The Mediating Role of Grit

Background: The increasing use of Instagram among medical students has raised concerns about its potential impact on academic performance. However, existing evidence remains inconsistent, and researchers have not yet fully understood the psychological mechanisms underlying this relationship. Objective: To evaluate the association between Instagram use intensity and academic performance while investigating the mediating role of grit. Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among 128 third-semester medical students at the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Airlangga, Indonesia. Instagram use intensity was measured using the Instagram Intensity Scale Questionnaire (IISQ), and grit was assessed with the Short Grit Scale (Grit-S). The assessment of academic performance was conducted through pharmacology and biochemistry block examination scores, the semester grade point average (SGPA), and the cumulative grade point average (CGPA). Correlation analyses, group comparisons, and mediation analysis using PROCESS Macro Model 4 with bootstrap resampling were performed. Results: Instagram use intensity was not significantly associated with any academic performance measure (p>0.05). However, it was negatively associated with grit (r= −0.276, p=0.002), whereas grit was positively associated with all academic outcomes (all p<0.001). Mediation analysis demonstrated significant indirect effects of Instagram use intensity on pharmacology and biochemistry examination scores, SGPA, and CGPA through grit, indicating full mediation. Conclusions: Instagram use intensity was not directly associated with academic performance. Instead, its influence operated indirectly through grit, suggesting that interventions promoting perseverance and self-regulated learning may be more beneficial than strategies focused solely on reducing Instagram use.