Social Media Use and Psychological Distress Among Undergraduate Nursing Students: A Review

Background: Undergraduate nursing students experience high stress and use social media sites at high rates. Yet, there is a paucity of literature focused on understanding the association between social media use and psychological distress among undergraduate nursing students. Method: Guided by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA), a systematic review was conducted on the association between social media use and psychological distress among undergraduate nursing students. Results: Ten articles met the inclusion criteria. Most of the included studies used cross-sectional designs. The findings indicated that undergraduate nursing students who followed social media sites were more likely to report symptoms of psychological distress, particularly significant depressive and anxiety symptoms. Conclusion: Undergraduate nursing students who use social media are likely to experience psychological distress. Combined interventions focused on minimizing social media use and reducing academic stress may help foster the psychological health of nursing students. [ J Nurs Educ . 2024;63(8):540-545.]