The Mediating Role of Anxiety Severity in the Relationship Between Family Cohesion and Social Media Addiction

Purpose In recent years, the increasing challenges faced by families have led to the emergence of psychological issues that have particularly negative effects on young family members. These negative effects influence young individuals’ life satisfaction and social media usage habits. The aim of the study is to examine the relationships between family cohesion, social media addiction, depression, anxiety levels, and life satisfaction among university students.Materials and Methods A quantitative research method was employed. A sample of 812 students studying in Turkey was selected.Results The analyses revealed a significant positive relationship between depression and social media addiction (p < .05), while a significant negative relationship was found between depression and anxiety severity, life satisfaction, and family cohesion (p < .05). Additionally, a positive relationship was identified between anxiety severity and social media addiction, whereas negative relationships were observed between anxiety severity and the other variables (p < .05). A negative relationship was found between life satisfaction and social media addiction, while life satisfaction exhibited a positive relationship with the other variables (p < .05). Furthermore, a strong correlation was identified between age and income with all variables. The structural equation modeling results indicated that the CMIN/DF, CFI, SRMR, RMSEA, NFI, and GFI values met the criteria for goodness of fit, and significant effects were observed for all values.Conclusion Based on the study’s findings, recommendations were provided for experts, researchers, and social policymakers. In this context, proposed solutions include increasing individual therapy sessions by specialists to reduce social media addiction and alleviate anxiety severity, as well as encouraging policymakers to expand projects in this field.