THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA HARASSMENT ON MENTAL HEALTH AMONG YOUNG ADULTS

Abstract

Objective: To determine the prevalence of social media harassment and to understand the effect of social media harassment on mental health among young adults at Bakhtawar Amin College of Pharmaceutical Sciences (BACPS). Methodology: The cross sectional study was conducted at Bakhtawar Amin College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Multan, from March 2025 to September 2025, undertaken with 97 students using a structured online questionnaire via social media. Information on demographic, social media harassment experiences, mental health, reporting and awareness of online harassment were gathered. Frequencies and percentages were calculated for categorical variables. The associations between frequency of harassment and mental health outcomes were evaluated using Pearson's Chi-square test, and binary logistic regression was run to determine the factors predicting adverse mental health outcomes. Data was analyzed statistically using SPSS – 25 version.

Results: There was a strong relationship between the frequency of harassment and mental health outcomes (χ² = 10.61, p = 0.005). Logistic regression analysis revealed that the group of participants who said that they experienced daily harassment was significantly more likely to report a poor mental health outcome than the group who said that they experienced this type of harassment rarely (OR = 4.82, 95% CI: 1.95–11.91, p = 0.001). Those who did not report any harassment incident were also more likely to be psychologically distressed (OR = 2.37, 95% CI: 1.09–5.18, p = 0.030).

Conclusion: There is a strong link between social media harassment and poor mental health among young adults. The frequency of harassment and lack of reporting behavior are major factors that lead to psychological distress.