Abstract

VALERIO URENA, Gabriel  and  SERNA VALDIVI, River. Social Networks and Psychological Well-Being of College Students. REDIE [online]. 2018, vol.20, n.3, pp.19-28. ISSN 1607-4041.  https://doi.org/10.24320/redie.2018.20.3.1796.

Social networks have become an important part of college students’ lives. Some authors consider them important tools to keep in touch with family and friends, but others have argued that online social networks have contributed to a social disconnect. This study explores the possible relationship between psychological well-being in young college students and the extent to which they use social networks (Facebook). An exploratory qualitative analysis was performed, and 200 students from a private university in Mexico were interviewed. The results revealed a negative association between the number of hours students spent per day on Facebook and subjective psychological well-being (-.241) and material well-being (r = -0.192). Furthermore, a positive association (p<.05, .153) was found between the number of photos students shared on Facebook and subjective psychological well-being.

Keywords : Psychological well-being; Social networks; Facebook; college students.