| Abstract: |
This study examined the impact of social media use on mental health awareness
among youths in Agbor, Delta State, Nigeria, using ordinal logistic regression
analysis. The study was guided by three objectives which focused on determining
the extent of social media use, assessing the level of mental health awareness, and
analysing the effect of social media use on mental health awareness. A descriptive
survey research design was adopted. The population of the study was 27,650 and
data were collected from 394 youths selected through simple random sampling. A
structured questionnaire measured social media use and mental health awareness
using a four-point Likert scale. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and
ordinal logistic regression. Findings revealed a high level of social media use among
youths in Agbor, with most respondents reporting daily engagement and frequent
reliance on social media for information. The study also found a relatively high level
of mental health awareness among respondents. The ordinal logistic regression
result showed that social media use has a statistically significant positive effect on
mental health awareness (? = 0.874, p < 0.05), with an odds ratio of 2.397, indicating
that higher social media use increases the likelihood of higher mental health
awareness levels. The model explained 28.4% of the variation in mental health
awareness (Nagelkerke R² = 0.284). The study concludes that social media use
significantly influences mental health awareness among youths, but the relationship
is structured in ordered categories rather than linear increments. It recommended the
design of tiered mental health awareness campaigns, strengthening of offline mental
health education, and targeted interventions to support movement from low to
higher awareness levels. |
