{
  "abstract": "Purpose\n\nUniversity students face academic, social, economic, and digital stressors. Social-media use may be under-recognized as a correlate of depressive symptoms because online engagement is often viewed as routine communication, leisure, and academic activity. This study examined factors associated with depressive-symptom severity among Thai university students and explored the mismatch between perceived stressors and the observed association with social-media use.Methods\n\nA cross-sectional mixed-methods study was conducted among 789 undergraduates at Rangsit University, Thailand. Quantitative data were collected using a structured questionnaire and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), categorized as low symptoms (0-15), mild-to-moderate (16-26), or severe (27-60) symptoms. Associations were examined using χ ² tests and ordinal logistic regression. A purposive subsample of 12 students participated in semi-structured interviews on social-media routines, online comparison, nighttime use and sleep, coping, social support, and help-seeking. All interviews were audio-recorded and supplemented by contemporaneous field notes. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically and integrated with quantitative findings through joint comparison.Results\n\nClinically significant depressive symptoms (CES-D ≥ 16) were reported by 49.68% of students. Academic year, major, GPAX, primary source of personal support, and daily social-media use were independently associated with symptom severity. Compared with students using social media >3 h/day, those using it <1 h/day (OR = 0.125, 95% CI: 0.040-0.391) or 1-3 h/day (OR = 0.424, 95% CI: 0.278-0.647) had lower odds of greater symptom severity. Internet/social-media use ranked only fifth among eight perceived stressors (37.01% agreement). Three qualitative themes described social media as an embedded and ambivalent part of student life, psychological effects shaped by patterns and interpretations of use, and distress managed mainly through self-coping and trusted informal support.Conclusion\n\nThe key mixed-methods finding was a perception-association mismatch: social-media use was not perceived as a leading stressor yet showed the strongest adjusted association with depressive-symptom severity among the factors examined. These cross-sectional findings do not establish causality but support digital-wellbeing assessment beyond duration alone.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "College of Biomedical Engineering, Rangsit University , ,",
    "Department of Food and Nutrition, University of Helsinki , ,",
    "Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University , ,",
    "Health Welfare Office, Rangsit University , ,"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 6,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Pichit Boonkrong"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Kodchakorn Khunboonjun"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Subij Shakya"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Junwei Yang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Naphatsakon Vitoonmetha"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Manaporn Chatchumni"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/21kfmhwwfc50e.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3389/frcha.2026.1907727",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13716781/?tool=EBI",
  "id": "21kfmhwwfc50e",
  "issns": [
    "2813-4540"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13716781",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Original Research"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "3312|Impact of Technology on Adolescents"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7222007147",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13716781/pdf/?tool=EBI",
  "pmcid": "PMC13716781",
  "pmid": "42959322",
  "published": "2026-10-15",
  "publisher": "Frontiers Media SA",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/21kfmhwwfc50e.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-31T00:20:37Z",
      "native_id": "PMC:PMC13716781",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13716781"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-01T00:20:52Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42959322",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42959322"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-01T12:23:59Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13716781",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.3389/frcha.2026.1907727"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "journal-openalex:3203|Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development",
      "subfield": "psychiatry"
    }
  ],
  "title": "A mixed-methods study of depressive-symptom severity among Thai university students and the underestimated role of social media",
  "title_text": "A mixed-methods study of depressive-symptom severity among Thai university students and the underestimated role of social media",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-02T12:21:13Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/21kfmhwwfc50e",
  "venue": "Frontiers in child and adolescent psychiatry",
  "versions": []
}