Chapter-1: Social Networking, Loneliness and Mental Health

SOCIAL NETWORKING, LONELINESS AND MENTAL HEALTH 1
Chapter-1
Introduction
During the past decade, online social networking has caused profound changes in the
way people communicate and interact. It is unclear, however, whether some of these changes
may affect certain normal aspects of human behavior and cause psychiatric disorders. Internet
is undoubtedly leading to the new industrial revolution; with the entrance of thousands of
newcomers and about 200 million users from all over the world, today, it is forming a
communicative, social and economic revolution. It is actually at the peak of the digital
industrial revolution and every kind of new revolution consequently gives rise to new
problem. The unique characteristics of the Internet such as its 24- hour availability, simple
working, low cost, anonymity of its users and etc. have welcomed many people throughout
the world. In addition, these characteristics which, on the one side, are the capabilities of the
Internet, on the other side are considered as its disadvantages.
One of the problems that the Internet has led to is that of virtual addiction, or
addiction to the said great global network which has a very harmful behavioral-psychological
impact on the Internet users. Most people think that the addiction is merely related to using
chemical compositions such as alcohol, nicotine, cocaine and heroin; but psychologists
believe that anything that stimulates human being and make them feel energetic can be
addictive; therefore, addiction is not limited to drugs. Whenever a habit becomes a
compulsion, like gambling, drugs, alcohol, or even playing computer games, chatting, surfing
the net all can be Behavioral addictions should not be ignored because of the lack of
"material”.
1.1 Social Networking Addiction
Social networking addiction is a phrase sometimes used to refer to someone spending
too much time using Facebook, Twitter and other forms of social media - so much so that it
Interferes with other aspects of daily life. There’s no official medical recognition of social
networking addiction as a disease or disorder. Still, the cluster of behaviors associated with
heavy or excessive use of social media has become the subject of much discussion and
research.Psychologists are referring to this as a social networking compulsion or addiction.
Addiction usually refers to compulsive behavior that leads to negative effects. In most
addictions, people feel compelled to do certain activities so often that they become a harmful
habit, which then interferes with other important activities such as work or school. In that
context, a social networking addict could be considered someone with a compulsion to use
social media to excess--constantly checking Facebook status updates or "stalking" people's
profiles on Facebook, for example, for hours on end.But it's hard to tell when fondness for an
activity becomes a dependency and crosses the line into a damaging habit or addiction.
Does spending three hours a day on Twitter reading random tweets from strangers
mean you're addicted to twitter? How about five hours? You could argue you were just
reading headline news or needed to stay current in your field for work, right?Researchers at
Chicago University concluded that social media addiction can be stronger than addiction to
cigarettes and booze following an experiment in which they recorded the cravings of several
hundred people for several weeks. Media cravings ranked ahead of cravings for cigarettes and
alcohol. Social networking services have become a highly popular online activity in recent
years with 75% of young adults online, aged 18 to 24, reporting that they have a profile
(Lenhart, 2009). Social network sites have become such anObsession with some that they
raise concerns about the potential harmful effects of their repeated use, known in the popular
press as “Facebook addiction” (Cohen, 2009).

For many Internet users, social networking has perhaps indeed become a media habit,
defined….. (after LaRose, 2010;Verplanken &Wood, 2006) as a form of automaticity in
media consumption that develops as People repeat media consumption behavior in stable
circumstances. How might repeated social networking evolve from a “good” habit that
merely? Indulges a personal media preference into a “Bad” habit with potentially harmful life
consequences that might rightfully be termed compulsive, problematic, pathological, or
addictive? And, is social networking any more or less problematic than other popular Internet
activities?
Signs of an addiction include
The habit or behavior causes some kind of pleasurable sensation.However, in reality
the habit is weakening the person in some way, because one begins to need more of the habit
to get the same effect.Symptoms of suffering or withdrawal occur when the habit is stopped.
As a result, stopping the habit is not so easy, and often unsuccessful. The behavior or habit
conflicts with everyday responsibilities, Such as family, work or social obligations.Often one
will begin to lie, steal or exhibit other negative behaviors, if needed, to maintain the habit or
behavior. This indicates that the habit or behavior now controls the person’s life, and not the
other way around.
Source: www.businessinsider.com
Figure 1: Percentage of the social networking usage among younger adults.

Signs of a Social Media Addiction or Compulsion
As with alcohol or caffeine, some people are able to handle the social media
revolution that is sweeping the planet earth. However, more and more people are not able to
handle it. Here are some signs to look for that indicates a problem with social
media:Spending more than one hour daily at social media sites. Some would say one should
not spend more than half an hour daily. Some people leave the program open and switch back
and forth to it while working, for example. Others use a phone App to check it while eating
lunch with friends, for example. This is extremely rude, but one observes it a lot. Over-
sharing. In an age when many people are very concerned about their privacy, some people are
sharing very private information or photos with their Facebook friends or on other sites. A
possible reason for this is to gain approval or acknowledgment from peers.
This is sometimes called the need for social affirmation. Hearing from friends and
family that you are spending too much time on the social networking sites. Interference with
work, school performance or your offline social life. Some studies report that too much time
on the social media can reduce work performance and even lead to job loss. It can also cause
lower school grades. Some people also become more comfortable with the often superficial
banter on the social networking sites than they are with real face-to-face social relationships.
One can become over-reliant on Facebook to fulfill social needs, and one may start
sacrificing real-life socializing.Withdrawal symptoms if you try to cut down on the time you
spend on social media.Obsessive thoughts about “friends” or other aspects of the social
media. For example, some people spend much time deciding what to post, how to update
their page, or how to answer “friends” on Facebook. Often, they try to think of happy, clever
And fun ideas or statements, even if this is not the way they really feel. However, they do not
want friends to know how they really feel, as they might not continue as friends if they
knew.Another example is spending more than fifteen minutes thinking about what you ought
to type for your status update. Afterwards, do you eagerly anticipate how others will respond
to it? There are “friends” who often appear on our newsfeed with some status update, check-
in, posting of their photos and such. Their posts tend to be on very mundane matters, much
like how someone reports to another what he or she is doing at any given moment. They
report to you their daily routines (e.g. taking a piss), broadcast check-ins to uninteresting
places like the street they live in, upload self-portraits and such. Looking for new Facebook
friends in an almost competitive way. Research by psychologists from Edinburgh Napier
University found that Facebook users with more friends on their network tend to be more
stressed when using Facebook.
The more friends you have, the more you feel pressured to maintain appropriate
etiquette for different types of friends while remaining entertaining. In other words, the
competition in adding friends may result in a vicious cycle of increasing Facebook-related
tensions, resulting in worse addiction outcomes. If you are using your time on the social
media to avoid conflicts or problems that are occurring in your real life. You can know this
because when you are “down”, you turn to Facebook or another social media site to feel
better. Losing sleep to go on Facebook or other sites.It is bad enough if your social
networking interferes with your daily work and studies. However, it is really out of hand if
you stay up late at night to check Facebook, for example, or must wake up early to check it in
the morning. Staying up late is one characteristic of those who overuse social networking
sites, according to some studies.

1.2 Loneliness
While loneliness is a universal human experience, it is a phenomenon that has
provedDifficult to define; its nature as a highly subjective experience is part of the difficulty
in defining it (Kileen, 1998). Although loneliness is principally a subjective experience
(Victor et al., 2002), the experience can be objectively ascertained and measured as a
research variable. There are numerous definitions of loneliness: most describe a subjective
experience and many infer that the phenomenon is relational and linked with the human
condition of perceived or actual lack of connectedness with other human beings. Loneliness
has been variously described as an emotion, an emotional response and a combination of
either emotional or social responses. Forbes (1996) similarly defines loneliness as ‘an
unwelcome feeling of lack or loss of companionship, or feeling that one is alone and not
liking it’.
As a subjective experience, loneliness is a set of ‘unwelcome feelings or perceptions
associated with an unsatisfactory level of communication and closeness with others’ (Wenger
and Burholt, 2003). The phenomenon of loneliness Comprises a complex set of feelings that
encompass reactions to the absence of intimate and/or social needs (Ernst and Cacioppo,
1999). In this way, it can be construed as ‘the emotional response to the discrepancy between
desired and available relationships’ (Walton et al., 1991). Kileen (1998) similarly defines
loneliness in terms that imply its relational nature; it is ‘a discrepancy between a person’s
social and/or emotional needs/wants, and their social reality’. Loneliness has been described
as a process of ‘temporal change’; it is not a static event, its intensity can increase or decrease
over time and it can alter seasonally and according to the day of the week (Victor et al.,
2002).
Rook (1984) defines loneliness as an enduring condition or emotional state that arises when a
person feels estranged from others, is misunderstood or rejected by others, and/or Lacks
appropriate social partners for desired activity, particularly activities that provide a sense of
social integration and opportunities for emotional intimacy. While loneliness may be a
transient experience, for some it may be a chronic state (Ernst and Cacioppo, 1999). Forbes
(1996) cautions that loneliness in older people cannot be regarded as the simple and direct
result of social circumstances; rather it is ‘an individual response to an external situation to
which old people vary in their reactions’. Concepts related to loneliness include aloneness
(the voluntary or involuntary objectivestate of being by oneself), solitude (the voluntary
process of being on one’s own), estrangement (the objective experience of being detached
from society) and the related concept of alienation (the subjective experience of
disconnectedness from society or from oneself) (Kileen, 1998).
For some people, solitude may be a way of life that temperamentally suits them
(Forbes, 1996). The feeling of loneliness may be connected with a general negative
perception about oneself and one’s relations to other people(Åkerlind and Hörnquist, 1992).
As already observed, being alone may be a positive experience. In this connection, Forbes
(1996) points to the individual nature of loneliness and solitude, observing that a situation
leading to loneliness for one person can be a source of contented aloneness for someone else.
Therefore, some people may feel isolated and lonely even when they have many people
visiting them, while others who have less need of social contact may not feel lonely even if
they have no visitors. While loneliness is often confused with social isolation (Forbes, 1996),
social isolation is conceptually related to loneliness, in that it may be seen to reside on a point
on the same alienation-connectedness bipolar continuum on which loneliness exists (Kileen,

1998). Thusloneliness is subjective, while social isolation can be objectively measured; using
criteria such as the number of social contacts the person has (Forbes, 1996). Loneliness may
be a phenomenon that all people experience at some time in their livesand, as such, is a
temporary state that dissipates as people’s circumstances change (Lauder et al., 2004). For
some individuals, however, loneliness is a persistent feature of their lives (Ernst and
Cacioppo, 1999). The experience of loneliness is found across the spectrum of ages, from
children to the oldest old. While it may be a part of the phenomenon of lifestyle
dissatisfaction prevalent in industrialized countries (Lauder et al., 2004), loneliness is a
human experience that is evident across cultures and societies, from the developed
industrialized to the agrarian.
Nevertheless, culture may moderate the extent to which people experience the feeling of
being lonely (Rokach et al., 2002).Anderson (1998) points to the fundamental distinction
between the objective state ofbeing alone and the subjective experience of feeling lonely, and
proposes a four-fold typology for considering loneliness and aloneness. Loneliness may or
may not be experienced by the person who is alone and the person who experiences
loneliness mayor may not be alone(Anderson, 1998). Notwithstanding this distinction, the
experienceof loneliness is generally more prevalent among those living alone.The feeling of
loneliness or being detached from others is not just a human emotion; it is a complex
emotional response to the lack of companionship. Although, days pass by with tremendous
speed forcing each one of us to run with it at its pace. If we take a moment to stand and think
about our relations and friendships, how many of us enjoy true companionship?
It is said that one in every five persons is lonely and a majority of people don’t have anyone
to talk to or spend time with, and this rate is increasing rapidly. Loneliness has increased with
Modernization, since people are engrossed in virtual social communities and networks and
don’t have the urge to attend social gathering or stay in touch with family and friends. But,
with time, loneliness and lack of companionship makes a person vulnerable which affects
physical and mental health to increases the chances of mental health disorders.Causes of
Loneliness:Research shows that loneliness is connected to genetics but there are several
external factors that lead to loneliness and social isolation in certain individuals in whom it
works as a major depressive disorder that can even lead to suicide.Abused or Rejected by
Others: Loneliness and depression are closely related. It is a sense of isolation that can
develop in an individual who has been repeatedly rejected or abused by family or friends.
Abuse can come from being made fun of, being abandoned by family or friends, being
tortured with abusive language.
Inability to Fit In: Certain physical disability or excessive introvert nature can promote an
individual to think that he does not fit into his group or is a misfit in the rest of the crowd.
Although, these individuals try to be like everyone else and mix with the crowd rather than
standing out, but their inability to break the ice and cross the barrier prevents them from
being part of the group.Heart Break:For people who are excessively emotional and sensitive,
a broken heart due to break up or divorce can have serious effects on mental health. The
feeling of intense loneliness after a break up and the feelings of missing a loved one might be
difficult for some people to handle.For most people these feelings are short-lived and they
cope with it effectively. But for some, the feeling can continue for years pushing them
towards loneliness which can also cause mental diseases and psychiatric disorders.
Death and Divorce:Divorce or death of a spouse pushes the other one into the darkness of
loneliness and depression. Although, online dating is extremely popular among divorcees, but
In most cases these meetings are not serious and cannot make up for the emotional trauma
and depression an individual suffers due to the lack of his/her long-time companion. Sending
a private message, scrolling through the feeds aimlessly and liking someone else’s posts and
updates make people feel miserable about them.Social Media:With the advancement of social
media, people have become more engrossed in virtual communities and online friendships
and are becoming less interested in maintaining real life social ties with family members,
friends and neighbors.
But research shows that spending too much time on social networking sites can backfire and
actually make people feel lonelier.Aging:Depression is a common part of aging and reduced
physical strength, mobility and diseases are sure to affect the mental health of elderly people.
But with change and reform in the social structure of the modern society the value and
importance of elders have become more obscure. In traditional societies, the elders held a
vital position of preserving and propagating community customs and history. But with
modernization, the scenario has changed, pushing elder people into the zone of marginalized
and rejected individuals both in families and neighborhood’s, making them lonely and
miserable.
Impact of Loneliness on Physical and Mental Health
Loneliness is hardly seen as a serious disorder, but in reality, chronic loneliness and
feelings of alienation can be extremely detrimental to health. It can induce alcoholism, make
a person suicidal and increase the risk of mental health disorders.

Loneliness can Affect the Brain like Physical Pain:Loneliness is one of the major causes of
mental diseases and the sense of isolation can have a similar effect on brain that is noted
when an individual experiences physical pain. The sense of belonging to a group or
Community is important not only for companionship, but also for survival. The brains of
lonely individuals register feelings of threat and pain signals that are similar to real physical
pain and danger. The level of the stress hormone cortisol shoots up abnormally high in the
morning and is never at normal levels all through the day.Increases the Risk of
Dementia:Chronic loneliness can mingle with normal brain functions and increase the risk of
neurodegenerative disorders like Dementia. It has been seen that those living alone or staying
in nursing homes and old age institutions have greater chances of developing dementia than
those staying with their families.
The feeling of loneliness raises the risk of Dementia by 64%. The opposite also holds true,
that initiation of Dementia or Alzheimer’s disease can also lead to social withdrawal and
loneliness – one of the mental diseases symptoms.Increased Risk of Heart Disease: The genes
of chronically lonely individuals experience overexpression that leads to long-term
inflammation and damage to the tissues and blood vessels of the heart increasing the risk of
heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases. Inflammation is an important function
of the body and short term inflammation is essential for fighting infections, but chronic
inflammation for a prolonged period increases the risk of cancer and therefore, anti-
inflammatory medicines can be beneficial for people who cannot come out of their shell of
loneliness. Reduce Life Expectancy:Although we ignore loneliness as just a temporary phase
or transitory feeling, it can be fatal enough to cause premature death. Studies show that
People who live unaccompanied are more likely to have an early death caused by stroke,
heart attacks or other complications that those who live with their family or in a communal
Institution. In the case of older individuals, those who reported feeling isolated, rejected or
lonely had an increased chance of dying even though they were not living alone practically.
The link between loneliness and health disorders persists even when we rule out signs of
depression, living situation, etc.Cause Sleeping Disorders:There is a close relation between
loneliness and sleep and even minute difference in the level of loneliness has an effect on
sleep. It has been seen that lonely individuals experience more trouble with sleep. The
chronic depression and anxiety prevents them from falling asleep and also makes it difficult
to stay asleep leading to sleeping disorders and insomnia. Loneliness hinders restful sleep and
it is seen that lonely people experience broken sleep and are awakened several times during
the night.
Getting involved in social activities and engaging in social interactions are the best answers
to the question of how to improve mental health by alleviating loneliness. Saying a friendly
“Hello” to neighbors ispowerful enough to bring about a big difference in life and might even
bring out of chronic loneliness.Understand that Loneliness is not a Fact; it is Just a Feeling:It
is important to realize what triggers the feelings of loneliness. Loneliness can be triggered by
a memory because the person is actually alone and isolated from the others. Loneliness is one
of the agonizing feelings that the brain associates with pain and danger and then it tries to
relate the feeling to a reason. Why am I lonely? Is it because nobody loves me? Is it because I
am a loser? Such theories confuse the person even further. Therefore, it is important to accept
the feeling instead of over-reacting to it.
Reach Out to others:It better to reach out to friends and family rather than withdrawing into
yourself. Cultivating a healthy friendship helps in alleviating sadness and loneliness.Form a
Plan to fight Mental and Emotional Habits of Loneliness:When dealing with emotional habits
of loneliness and sadness, healthy interactions with friends on a daily basis can make things
better. Therefore, plan a schedule in such as way so that you can spend quality time with
friends and family and initiate wholesome conversations.Focus the Concentration on the
Needs and Feeling of Others:Shifting focus to the feelings and needs of other people and
trying to help them in some way or the other can help in forgetting about lonely
thoughts.Find Like Minded People:Now days, it is not difficult to find people who share your
hobbies and interests. Get along with them to enjoy hikes, fishing trips and road trips
together.
Make it a Point to Show up at Meetings and Gatherings:Sticking to your commitment and
showing up at a gathering or meeting provides the opportunity of meeting and

Communicating with new people and who knows you might strike up a friendship of a
lifetime.
1.3 Mental Health
Mental health is a level of psychologicalwell-being, or an absence of mental illness. It
is the "psychological state of someone who is functioning at a satisfactory level of emotional
and behavioral adjustment". From the perspective of positive psychology or holism, mental
health may include an individual's ability to enjoy life, and create a balance between life
activities and efforts to achieve resilience. The World Health Organization defines mental
health as ‘a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities, can
cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a
contribution to his or her community. In this positive sense, mental health is the foundation
for individual well-being and the effective functioning of a community.
The most common mental health problems as defined by the National Service Framework for
Mental Health are depression, eating disorders, and anxiety disorders. According to the U.S.
surgeon general (1999), mental health is the successful performance of mental function,
resulting in productive activities, fulfilling relationships with other people, and providing the
ability to adapt to change and cope with adversity.Mental health can be seen as an unstable
continuum, where an individual's mental health may have many different possible values.
Mental wellness is generally viewed as a positive attribute, even if the person does not have
any diagnosed mental health condition. This definition of mental health highlights emotional
well-being, the capacity to live a full and creative life, and the flexibility to deal with life's
inevitable challenges.
Some discussions are formulated in terms of contentment or happiness. Many therapeutic
systems and self-help books offer methods and philosophies espousing strategies and
techniques vaunted as effective for further improving the mental wellness. Positive
psychology is increasingly prominent in mental health.A holistic model of mental health
generally includes concepts based upon anthropological, educational, psychological, religious
and sociological perspectives, as well as theoretical perspectives from personality, social,
clinical, health and developmentalpsychology. An example of a wellness model includes one
developed by Myers, Sweeney and Witmer. It includes five life tasks—essence or spirituality,
work and leisure, friendship, love and self-direction—and twelve sub tasks—sense of worth,
sense of control, realistic beliefs, emotional awareness and coping, problem solving and
creativity, sense of humor, nutrition, exercise, self-care, stress management, gender identity,
and cultural identity—which are identified as characteristics of healthy functioning and a
major component of wellness. The components provide a means of responding to the
circumstances of life in a manner that promotes healthy functioning.
A person living with a mental health problem may experience numerous effects as
they face a number of difficulties in day-to-day living. Depending on the mental health
problem and its debilitating nature, a person may experience difficulties with any or all of the
following:Coping with day-to-day activities:preparing meals, getting dressed, personal
hygiene, cleaning the house, looking after children and adhering to schedules.Coping
financially:People living with a mental health condition may find budgeting, planning, coping
with unforeseen financial needs and paying bill more difficult.Employment: Mental health
conditions may make it more difficult for a person to engage with workplace activities and
colleagues, meeting and managing deadlines and managing their own role at work.Self-
Image:A mental health problem can lead to an inferiority complex, a negative body image,
and intense feelings of self-hate, anger or disgust and uselessness, which could mutate into
extreme depression, psycho-social disorders or eating disorders.Education:People who are
living with mental health problems may socially isolate themselves and develop anxiety
disorders and concentration problems.Relationships:Mental health largely contributes to the
functioning of human relationships. Mental health problems can effect even basic interactions
with family, friends and colleagues. Most people suffering from mental health problems find
it difficult to nurture relationships, have problems with commitment or intimacy and
frequently encounter sexual health issues.Sleep:An inability to handle stress or anxiety can
lead to insomnia.
Even if the person manages to fall asleep, the individual may wake up a dozen times during
the night with thoughts of what went wrong the day before or how bad tomorrow is going to
be. This may lead to sleeping disorders leaving the individual feeling exhausted and less
productive.Physical health: A person’s mental state can directly affect the body. For example,
stress can lead to high blood pressure or stomach ulcers. People with more serious mental
health problems are often not registered with a GP. They may be too unwell to realize their
physical state of health or too depressed to attempt to get help. This lack of attention can
worsen physical health problems further, which can then further impact on their mental health
problems. Individuals with more serious health problems are also not likely to be registered
with a dentist and are more likely to experience problems with oral health.
It’s widely accepted that individuals can be disturbed or troubled of mind. What is
controversial is how we should understand this.

Determinants of mental health: Multiple social, psychological, and biological factors
determine the level of mental health of a person at any point of time. For example, persistent
socio-economic pressures are recognized risks to mental health for individuals and
communities. The clearest evidence is associated with indicators of poverty, including low
levels of education. Poor mental health is also associated with rapid social change, stressful
Work conditions, and gender discrimination, social exclusion, and unhealthy lifestyle, risks
of violence, physical ill-health and human rights violations. There are also specific
psychological and personality factors that make people vulnerable to mental disorders.
Lastly, there are some biological causes of mental disorders including genetic factors which
contribute to imbalances in chemicals in the brain.
Mental health promotion and protection: Mental health promotion involves actions to create
living conditions and environments that support mental health and allow people to adopt and
maintain healthy lifestyles. These include a range of actions to increase the chances of more
people experiencing better mental health. An environment that respects and protects basic
civil, political, socio-economic and cultural rights is fundamental to mental health promotion.
Without the security and freedom provided by these rights, it is very difficult to maintain a
high level of mental health. National mental health policies should not be solely concerned
with mental disorders, but should also recognize and address the broader issues which
promote mental health. These include mainstreaming mental health promotion into policies
and programmers in governmental and nongovernmental sectors.
In addition to the health sector, it is essential to involve the education, labor, justice,
transport, environment, housing, and welfare sectors as well.

Promoting mental health depends largely on intersectorial strategies. Specific ways to
promote mental health include:Early childhood interventions (e.g. home visits for pregnant
women, pre-school psycho-social activities, combined nutritional and psycho-social help for
disadvantaged populations);support to children (e.g. skills building programs, child and youth
development programs);socio-economic empowerment of women (e.g. improving access to
education and microcredit schemes);social support for elderly populations (e.g. befriending
initiatives, community and day center’s for the aged);programs targeted at vulnerable groups,
including minorities, indigenous people, migrants and people affected by conflicts and
disasters (e.g. psycho-social interventions after disasters);mental health promotional activities
in schools (e.g. programs supporting ecological changes in schools and child-friendly
schools);mental health interventions at work (e.g. stress prevention programs);housing
policies (e.g. housing improvement); violence prevention programs (e.g. reducing availability
of alcohol and access to arms); community development programs (e.g. integrated rural
development);poverty Reduction and social protection for the poor; anti-discrimination laws
and campaigns;promotion of the rights, opportunities and care of individuals with mental
disorders.
1.4 Literature Review
Social network addiction as well as Internet addiction disorder is an interdisciplinary
phenomenon and medical and computer sciences as well as sociology, law, morality and
psychology have studied different aspects of this phenomenon.
In 1998, Kraut et al. published one of the first studies to indicate that Internet use in
general significantly affects social relationships and participation in community life. In this
Research, the authors found that increased time spent online is related to a decline in
communication with family members, as well as the reduction of the Internet user's social
circle, which may further lead to increased feelings of depression and loneliness. This work
was later followed by several other publications where it was suggested that computer use
may have negative effects on social development. King Storm (1996), in a study, found that
people who have Internet addiction are alone and shy and are suffering from depression and
loneliness.
Kubey et al. (2001) stated intheir studies that use of Internet as an entertaining tool is
related to serious damages in individual function including educational problems, loneliness
and insomnia. Young and Rogers (1998) also found out that 5 to 10 percent of the world's
online population is addicts in online or social networking. Young in the other study about
Internet addiction Young concluded that, Internet addicts suffer from certain symptoms and
are faced with consequences which are exactly the same as the consequences of those
addicted to alcohol, gambling, shopping and other obsessive behaviors. According to his
opinion pathological use of the Internet is associated with mild to severe depression, he stated
that low self-esteem, low motivation, fear of rejection and approval seeking is associated with
depression and such kind of depression is associated with the level of using Internet.
Young maintains that the available researches in the field of Internet addiction confirmed that
Internet addiction or social network addiction is related with serious damages in personal,
social and career issues of people. Based on their findings, Moeedfar et al. (2007), concluded
that those who are addicted to the Internet feel less responsible toward their society and their
surroundings, are more socially alienated, have more educational job failures, have less social
Support and feel less self-esteem. In addition, obtained results revealed that those addicted to
Internet have a low self-value.Nasiri et al. (2011), investigate the prevalence of Internet
addiction among students and its influential factors. The obtained results showed that 13.8%
of the students suffer from severe Internet addiction which was higher than the rate gained
previous rate (2.2%). They also believe that such severe internet addiction is due to poor
academic performance and social interaction.They also stated that changes in social
background may result in severe internet addiction. With the development of social networks,
the time children and adolescents spend in front of the computer screens have significantly
increased. This has led to the further reduction of intensity of interpersonal communication
both in the family and in the wider Social environment.
Although social networks enable an individual to interact with a large number of people,
these interactions are shallow and cannot adequately replace everyday face-to-face
communication.Since social networks are a relatively recent phenomenon, this potential
relationship between their use and feelings of loneliness and depression has not yet been
properly investigated. Most of the research on this issue has been published during the past
few years, and so far, the scientific community has not been able to interpret and discuss the
results fully.
1.5 Rationale
Internet is an important part in our daily life. According to the previous researches
and due to the wide use of the Internet in our society especially in the cortex of students and
with respect to the fact that the issue of Internet addiction in many advanced industrial
societies has been discussed; it seems that the increasing use of the Internet in Dhaka
Can affect mental and physical health of young people and in future, we see the problem of
social network addiction. Therefore, it is required to know the patterns of using internet or
social networking site and the like electronic Tools to increase our knowledge and be aware
of its impacts on our life. Thus, this study is conducted in order to investigate the impacts of
mental health and loneliness in Social networking addiction as well as internet addiction of
the Younger adults in Dhaka city.
1.6 Objectives of the study
The objectives of the study are as follows-
(a) To see or determine the relationships between social networking addiction,
loneliness and mental health.
(b) To see the level of internet addiction as well as social networking addiction of
younger adults in Dhaka city.
(c) To investigate whether loneliness and mental health can affect or promote an
individual to addict in social networking.

Chapter-2
Methods
2.1 Participants
A total of 200 younger adults respondent were selected for this study that uses social
networking site within Dhaka city and whose age level ranges from 18-30 years following
purposive sampling technique. They are all belongs to middle class family considering their
economic status.
2.2 Measures
The following measures were used for collecting data of the study:
1. Demographic and personal information questionnaire.
2. Bengali version of Internet addiction Test (IAT) questionnaire.
3. Bengali version of revised UCLA loneliness questionnaire.
4. The Bengali version of Goldberg’s General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12).
Demographic and personal information questionnaire: Demographic and personal
information questionnaire was used to collect information about respondents age, gender, and
educational qualification.
Bengali version of Internet Addiction Test (IAT) questionnaire: Internet
Addiction Test (IAT) is the first validate and reliable measure of addictive use of the internet.
Developed by Young (1996), the IAT is a 20-item questionnaire that measure mild, moderate
and severe levels of internet addiction. It is a 5- point Likert type scale ranging from 1
(rarely) to 5 (occasionally). The original IAT was exhibited good psychometric properties in
various researchers. The internal consistency (Cronbach’s α) of the IAT was found to be 0.92
and also test retest reliability was satisfactory (Yang, Choe, Baity, Lee, & Cho). It also has
High face validity (Widyanto & McMurran, 2004). In the present study, Bangla version of
IAT was used which was adapted by Karim & Nigar in 2014. In their study, it was found that
IAT has good psychometric properties. The reliability of the Bangla version of IAT ranged
from .60 to .84 and the reliability of the full scale was .89. It also has good discriminant and
convergent validity (Karim & Nigar, 2014). Convergent validity of the Bangla version IAT
was examined by estimating inter-factor correlations and the factor-IAT total correlations.
The inter-factor correlations (Pearson’s ) were all significant, the coefficient ranging from .43
to .58. They proposed for the Bangla version 18-item IAT a cutoff scores system equivalent
to that of the English version 20-item IAT. Thus the Bangla version IAT comprises 18 items,
with a minimum obtainable score of 18 and a maximum score of 90. Score ranging from 18-
35 can be categorized as Minimal users, 36-62 can be categorized as Moderate users and 63-
90 can be categorized as Excessive users.
Bengali version of revised UCLA loneliness questionnaire: The UCLA (University
of California, Los angles) Loneliness scale was originally developed by Russell (1978) and
revised by Russell, Peplau and Cutrona (1980). Then revised UCLA translated into Bengali
and adapted within the socio economic and cultural context of Bangladesh (Haque, 2007).
The revised UCLA loneliness scale has high internal consistency, with a coefficient of .94,
significant correlation (r48 = .88, p .01) between the scores of English and Bengali version
indicated translation reliability of the scale. Concurrent validity for the revised scale was
indicated by demonstrating that lonely people report experiencing emotions theoretically
linked to loneliness and do not report experiencing emotions unrelated to loneliness (Russell
et al., 1980). Discriminant validity for the revised loneliness scale was indicated by evidence
that scores on the measures were not confounded by social desirability. The revised
Loneliness scale passed a very stringent discriminant validity test, with the demonstration
that relationships between loneliness and concurrent validity criteria were independent of the
other mood and personality variables on loneliness (Russell et al., 1980). The scale is a 20
item Likert type scale, each item having four response alternatives such as ‘never’, ‘rarely’,
‘sometimes’, and ‘often’. There are 10 positive items and 10 negative items. The positive
items are scored as never = 4, rarely = 3, sometimes = 2, often = 1 and the negative items are
scored in a reversed order. A person on the scale can yield a score between 20 to 80. A higher
score indicates high level of loneliness and lower score indicates lower level of loneliness
(Parveen, 2008)
The Bengali version of Goldberg’s General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-
12):This scale was adopted into Bengali language by Ilyas & Sultana in 2002 which was
originally developed by Goldberg (1978) was used to measure mental health of the
respondents. It is a self-administered screening test for detecting minor psychiatric disorders
in general population. This scale contains 12 items and each item is scored on the basis of
four points; ‘less than usual’, ‘No more than usual’, ‘rather more than usual’ and ‘much more
than usual’. There are 6 positive items (2,5,6,9,10 & 11) which are scored with 0,1,2,3 and 6
negative items (1,3,4,7,8 & 12) which are scored 3,2,1,0. Higher scores indicate high mental
health problems. These 12 items had a high degree of internal consistency with alpha values
ranging from 0.82 to 0.90 (Gurije, 1991).
The developmental studies (Goldberg, 1972) showed high internal consistency (0.65), test-
retest reliability (0.73) over a period of 6 months and validity of a good linear relationship
with clinical check-up records as the criteria (r=0.70). Validity of the GQH-12 had been
found to be comparable to those of GQH-20,

GQH-30 and GQH-60 items version (sensitivity: M = 74%; specificity M = 82%;
misclassification rate – 18%) (Chan and Chan, 1983; Piccnelli et al., 1993).
2.3 Procedure
All the 200 young adults’ respondent age ranging from 18-30 were provided printed
questionnaires along with the instructions as to how they should work. Besides, they were
made to understand the sequence of actions to complete the study. These instruments were
administered individually to the sample. Prior to answering the questions, the respondents
were asked to make a silent reading of the standard instructions that was provided with the
scales. Subjects were asked to choose the most appropriate one and put a tick mark on it. All
necessary clarifications were made regarding the items. There was no time limit for
answering. Therefore, they get enough time to answer the questions after having deliberate
thought. The respondents were requested to record their demographic information (age, sex,
educational qualification, marital status). The total environment of data-collection,
questionnaire-administration had been made very congenial to get maximum output. After
collecting the data, the respondents were given thanks.

Chapter-3
Results
Pearson’s product moment correlation and multiple regressions were carried out for
analyzing the data. The results of the study were shown in table 1-5. The following findings
were as follows-
Table 1
Descriptive Statistics of respondents Internet Addiction, Loneliness and Mental Health
Variables M SD N
Internet Addiction 38.23 10.875 200
Loneliness 51.50 6.933 200
Mental Health 28.01 3.501 200
Table 2
Bivariate correlations among respondents Internet Addiction, Loneliness and Mental Health
Variables 1 2 3
1.Internet Addiction - .321** .149**
2. Loneliness - - .212**
3. Mental Health - - -
**p < .01
As shown in Table 2, the relationships between internet addiction and loneliness (r =
.321, p< .01); between internet addiction and mental health (r = .149, p < .01); and between
loneliness and mental health (r =. 212, p< .01) were positively correlated and the correlation
coefficients were found to be significantly different from zero.

Table 3
Regressions of respondents Internet addiction onLoneliness and Mental Health
Predictors B SEB β t p value
Loneliness .475 .108 .363 4.403 .000
Mental Health .264 .214 .085 1.237 .218
From the Table 3, the unstandardized regression coefficient (B =.475) of internet addiction
associated with loneliness indicated that internet addiction increased .475 unit with each one
unit increase in loneliness holding mental health constant; and the unstandardized regression
coefficient (B= .264) internet addiction associated with mental health indicated that internet
addiction increased .264 unit with each one unit increase in mental health holding loneliness
constant. On the other hand, the standardized regression coefficient (β = .363) of internet
addiction associated with loneliness indicated that internet addiction increased .363 standard
deviation unit with each one standard deviation unit increase in loneliness; and the
standardized regression coefficient (β= .085)of internet addiction associated with mental
health indicated that internet addiction increased .085 standard deviation unit with each one
standard deviation unit increase in mental health.
That is, it could be said that internet addiction of the two predictors was selected as the
stronger predictor forinfluencing internet addiction.

Table 4
Selected statistics from multiple regression of respondents Internet addiction depending on
Loneliness and Mental Health
Predictors R R2 R2 change
Loneliness .331 .110 .101
Loneliness and Mental Health .227 .510 .191
Table 4 indicated that 11% of the variation in internet addiction could be explained by the
variation of loneliness. Again 51% variation in internet addiction could be accounted for the
variation of loneliness and mental health simultaneously. On the other hand, R2change
revealed that only loneliness explained 10.1% of the variation in internet addiction and only
mental health explained 19.1% of the variation in internet addiction.
Table 5
ANOVA table for regressed respondent’s Internet addiction on Loneliness and Mental Health
SV SS df MS F P value
Regression 2585.315 2 1292.657 12.157 .000
Residual 20947.560 197 106.333
Total 23532.875 199
As shown in Table 5, Internet addiction was significantly influenced by loneliness and mental
health (F2, 197 =12.157,p< .01).

Chapter-4
Discussion
The objectives of the present study were (i) To see or determine the relationships between
social networking addiction, loneliness and mental health. (ii) To see the level of internet
addiction as well as social networking addiction among the younger adults in Dhaka city.
(iii) To investigate whether loneliness and mental health can affect or promote an individual
to addict in social networking. To conduct the study, 200 young adults’ respondents were
taken among the Dhaka city whose age level ranging from 18-30 years following purposive
sampling technique. The data were collected through questionnaires. The respondents were
provided with printed questionnaire along with the instructions sheet as how they should
work. Bengali version of Internet Addiction Test (IAT) questionnaire, Bengali version of
revised UCLA loneliness questionnaire, The Bengali version of Goldberg’s General Health
Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12) were used to collect the data.
Respondents were asked to choose the most appropriate one and put a tick mark on it. After
collecting the data, the respondents were given thanks for their sincere co-operation. The
obtained data were analyzed by bivariate correlation and multiple regressions through the
statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) software. Table 1 shows the Descriptive
statistics of the variable (Mean, Standard deviation and sample size). As we found the mean
of internet addiction is 38.23, we can say that the level of internet addiction in respondents
were minimal. The findings of the bivariate correlation analysis shown in Table 2 confirmed
that internet addiction is positively correlated with loneliness (.321), and internet addiction is
positively correlated with mental health (.149). In a study of Moeedfar et al. (2007),
concluded that those who are addicted to the Internet feel less responsible toward their
society and their surroundings, are more socially alienated, have more educational job
failures, have less social support and feel less self-

Esteem. In addition, obtained results revealed that those addicted to Internet have a low self-
value.The findings of the proof that internet addiction is positively correlated with
individual’s loneliness and mental health. The findings of regression and multiple regression
analysis were presented in Table 3 and Table 4. 11% of the variation in internet addiction
could be explained by the variation of loneliness. Again 51% variation in internet addiction
could be accounted for the variation of loneliness and mental health simultaneously. On the
other hand, R2change revealed that only loneliness explained 10.1% of the variation in
internet addiction and only mental health explained 19.1% of the variation in internet
addiction. standardized regression coefficient (β = .363) of internet addiction associated
with loneliness indicated that internet addiction increased .363 standard deviation unit with
each one standard deviation unit increase in loneliness; and the standardized regression
coefficient (β= .085) of internet addiction associated with mental health indicated that
internet addiction increased .085 standard deviation unit with each one standard deviation
unit increase in mental health.
That is, it could be said thatLoneliness of the two predictors was selected as the
stronger predictor forinfluencing internet addiction.

Chapter-5
References
Armstrong, L., Phillips, J., & Saling, L., 2000. Potential determinants of heavier internet
usage. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 53, 537–550.
Caplan, S. E., 2003. Preference for online social interaction: A theory of problematic internet
use and psychosocial well-being. Communication Research, 30, 625–648.
Chou, C., & Hsiao, M. C., 2000. Internet addiction, usage, and gratifications-the Taiwan’s
college students’ case. Computers & Education, 35, 65–80.
Davis, R. A., 2001. A cognitive-behavioral model of pathological internet use. Computers in
Human Behavior, 17, 187–195.
Davis, R. A., Flett, G. L., & Besser, A., 2002. Validation of a new scale for measuring
problematic Internet use: Implications for pre-employment screening. Cyber
Psychology & Behavior, 5, 331–345.
Egger, O., & Rauterberg, M., 1996. Internet behavior and addiction. Unpublished Master’s
thesis, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich
Greenfield, D. N., 2000. Psychological characteristics of compulsive internet use: A
preliminary analysis. Cyber Psychology & Behavior, 5, 403–412.
Griffiths, M. D., 1998. Internet addiction: Does it really exist? In: Gackenbach, J. (Ed.),
Psychology and the internet: Intrapersonal, interpersonal, and transpersonal
applications (pp. 61–75). New York: Academic Press.
Kandell, J. J., 1998. Internet addiction on campus: The vulnerability of college students.
Cyber Psychology & Behavior, 1, 11–17.

King Storm, A., 1996. Internet addiction is the Internet addictive, or are addicts using the
Internet. [Web Page]. Retrieved November 20, 2003, from the World Wide Web:
http:// www.webpages.charter.net/ stormking/iad.html
Kraut, R., Lundmark, V., Patterson, M., Kiesler, S., Mukopadhyahy, T., & Sherlis, W., 1998.
Internet paradox: A social technology that reduces social involvement and
psychological well-being? American Psychologist, 53, 1017–1031.
Kraut, R., Kiesler, S., Boneva, B., Cummings, J., Helgeson, V., & Crawford, A., 2002.
Internet paradox revisited. Journal of Social Issues, 58, 49-74.
Kubey, R. W., Lavin, M. J., & Barrows, J. R., 2001. Internet use and collegiate academic
performance decrements: Early findings. Journal of Communication, 51, 366–382.
Moeedfar, S., E. Habbibpoor, K. Getabi and A. Ganjee, 2007. Study of Internet addiction
between adolescent & young 15-25 years in Tehran University. Global Media Journal,
2(4): 55.
Nalwa, K., & Anand, A., 2003. Internet addiction in students: A cause of concern.
CyberPsychology & Behavior, 66, 653-656.
Nasiri, E., M. Raei, J. Vatani, S. Keshavarz and Nasiri, E., M. Raei, J. Vatani, S. Keshavarz
and A. Hashiani, 2011. Survey the Prevalence of Internet Addiction and Its Influential
Factors in Persian College Student in 2011. Middle-East Journal of Scientific
Research, 10(1): 50-53.

Niemz, K., M. Griffiths and P. Banyard, 2005. Prevalence of pathological Internet use among
university students and correlations with self-esteem, the general health questionnaire
(GHQ) and disinhibition, Cyber Psychology and Behavior, 8(6): 562-570.
Nie, N. H., Hillygus, D. S., & Erbring, L., 2002. Internet use, interpersonal relations, and
sociability: A time diary study. In B. Wellman & C. Haythornthwaite (Eds.), The
internet in everyday life (pp. 215–243). Oxford: Blackwell.
Ozcan N., 2004. The relation between internet use and psychosocial state in university
students. Unpublished doctorate thesis, Istanbul University Health Sciences Institute,
Turkey.
Young, K. S., 1998. Internet addiction: The emergence of a new clinical disorder.
CyberPsychology & Behavior, 1, 237–244.
Young, K. S., & Rogers, R. C., 1998. The relationship between depression and internet
addiction. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 1, 25–28.

Chapter-6
Appendices
1. Instruction and Demographic information of the Respondents
2. Bangla translated version of Internet Addiction scale (Karim&Nigar, 2014)
3. Bangla translated version of Loneliness scale (Parveen, 2007).
4. Bangla translated version of General Health Questionnaire-12(Ilyas&Ayesha, 2002)

Chapter-1: Social Networking, Loneliness and Mental Health

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Chapter-1: Social Networking, Loneliness and Mental Health

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

SOCIAL NETWORKING, LONELINESS AND MENTAL HEALTH 1

Internet, on the other side are considered as its disadvantages.

addictive; therefore, addiction is not limited to drugs. Whenever a habit becomes a

1.1 Social Networking Addiction

Social networking addiction is a phrase sometimes used to refer to someone spending

research.Psychologists are referring to this as a social networking compulsion or addiction.

social media to excess--constantly checking Facebook status updates or "stalking" people's

press as “Facebook addiction” (Cohen, 2009).

defined….. (after LaRose, 2010;Verplanken &Wood, 2006) as a form of automaticity in

consequences that might rightfully be termed compulsive, problematic, pathological, or

Signs of an addiction include

The habit or behavior causes some kind of pleasurable sensation.However, in reality

other way around.

Figure 1: Percentage of the social networking usage among younger adults.

Signs of a Social Media Addiction or Compulsion

possible reason for this is to gain approval or acknowledgment from peers.

friends in an almost competitive way. Research by psychologists from Edinburgh Napier

stressed when using Facebook.

competition in adding friends may result in a vicious cycle of increasing Facebook-related

sites, according to some studies.

While loneliness is a universal human experience, it is a phenomenon that has

in defining it (Kileen, 1998). Although loneliness is principally a subjective experience

has been variously described as an emotion, an emotional response and a combination of

As a subjective experience, loneliness is a set of ‘unwelcome feelings or perceptions

result of social circumstances; rather it is ‘an individual response to an external situation to

(the voluntary or involuntary objectivestate of being by oneself), solitude (the voluntary

disconnectedness from society or from oneself) (Kileen, 1998).

on the same alienation-connectedness bipolar continuum on which loneliness exists (Kileen,

dissatisfaction prevalent in industrialized countries (Lauder et al., 2004), loneliness is a

industrialized to the agrarian.

tortured with abusive language.

friends and neighbors.

Impact of Loneliness on Physical and Mental Health

a person suicidal and increase the risk of mental health disorders.

when an individual experiences physical pain. The sense of belonging to a group or

those staying with their families.

of chronically lonely individuals experience overexpression that leads to long-term

loneliness. Reduce Life Expectancy:Although we ignore loneliness as just a temporary phase

depression, living situation, etc.Cause Sleeping Disorders:There is a close relation between

the feeling instead of over-reacting to it.

yourself. Cultivating a healthy friendship helps in alleviating sadness and loneliness.Form a

Make it a Point to Show up at Meetings and Gatherings:Sticking to your commitment and

showing up at a gathering or meeting provides the opportunity of meeting and

1.3 Mental Health

Mental health is a level of psychologicalwell-being, or an absence of mental illness. It

is the "psychological state of someone who is functioning at a satisfactory level of emotional

for individual well-being and the effective functioning of a community.

Some discussions are formulated in terms of contentment or happiness. Many therapeutic

psychology is increasingly prominent in mental health.A holistic model of mental health

generally includes concepts based upon anthropological, educational, psychological, religious

and sociological perspectives, as well as theoretical perspectives from personality, social,

clinical, health and developmentalpsychology. An example of a wellness model includes one

and cultural identity—which are identified as characteristics of healthy functioning and a

major component of wellness. The components provide a means of responding to the

circumstances of life in a manner that promotes healthy functioning.

following:Coping with day-to-day activities:preparing meals, getting dressed, personal

extreme depression, psycho-social disorders or eating disorders.Education:People who are

disorders and concentration problems.Relationships:Mental health largely contributes to the

it difficult to nurture relationships, have problems with commitment or intimacy and

controversial is how we should understand this.

Determinants of mental health: Multiple social, psychological, and biological factors

contribute to imbalances in chemicals in the brain.

and programmers in governmental and nongovernmental sectors.

1.Internet Addiction - .321 .149