Effects of a group activity-based motivational enhancement therapy program on social media addictive behaviors among junior high school students in Thailand: a cluster randomized trial

Mereerat Manwong,1,2 Vitool Lohsoonthorn,1 Thanvaruj Booranasuksakul,3 Anun Chaikoolvatana2 1Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand; 2College of Medicine and Public Health, Ubon Ratchathani University, Ubon Ratchathani Province, Thailand; 3Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand Purpose: This study aimed to assess the effects of a group activity-based motivational enhancement therapy (GA-MET) program on social media addictive behaviors among junior high school students. Materials and methods: This cluster randomized trial was performed in 245 junior high school students who used social media in the lower part of northeast Thailand. The GA-MET program group and the control group sessions lasted 8 weeks and were followed up 4 weeks later. The addictive social media behaviors, average duration of social media usage during weekdays and weekends (hours/day), child behaviors, self-esteem, and depression were investigated using a self-reported questionnaire. Multivariable linear regression was used to compare the mean and 95% CIs between two groups. Results: The GA-MET program significantly decreased the average duration of social media usage during weekdays and weekends (hours/day) (–1.27, 95% CI: −2.18,–0.37 and –1.25, 95% CI: −2.22, –0.29, respectively), emotional behavior (–0.69, 95% CI: −1.18, –0.19), and depression (–4.03, 95% CI: −6.07, –1.99) in the treated group compared to the control group. Conclusion: The GA-MET program could reduce the risk of social media addictive behaviors in junior high school students in Thailand by decreasing time spent on social media, emotional behaviors, and depression. Keywords: group activities, motivational enhancement therapy (MET), social media addictive behavior, students, Thailand, social media addictio

Self-Compassion, Psychological Resilience and Social Media Use in Thai Students

Social media is widely used in Thai students, but relatively few studies have explored the effects of social media use on psychological wellbeing. In this study we explored the effects of social media use on self-compassion and psychological resilience. A total of 484 Thai undergraduate students completed a questionnaire and 21 Thai students were interviewed addressing these three constructs. The findings revealed that those Thai students who sacrificed the friends and family time to spend more time on social media use were less self-compassionate and less resilient