Investigation of the relationship between social media use and loneliness level, depression and anxiety symptoms in individuals over the age of 65 who admit to the psychiatry outpatient clinic

Social media, by altering the ways in which people communicate and interact with each other, has taken human communication and interactions to a different dimension. It has incredibly accelerated access to information, events in our surroundings, and the world at large. The increase in social media usage among the elderly population has led to a growing need for studies in this area. Our study aims to investigate the relationship between social media usage and levels of loneliness, depression, and anxiety symptoms in individuals aged 65 and above. In this context, 140 individuals over the age of 65 who use social media were included in our study. Sociodemographic data form, geriatric depression scale, geriatric anxiety scale, loneliness scale for elderly individuals, social media addiction scale and purpose of using social networks scale were applied to the participants. Statistical analyzes were performed using SPSS Statistics 22.0. In our study, it was determined that elderly female individuals frequently use social media for content sharing and entertainment purposes, while elderly male individuals use it to initiate communication. The study revealed that employment status, income level, and educational background are associated with the duration and purposes of social media usage. Additionally, social media usage hours and levels of addiction were found to be related to symptoms of depression and levels of loneliness. In elderly individuals, a linear, positive relationship was found between the level of social media addiction and symptoms of depression. Similarly, a linear, positive relationship was identified between the level of social media addiction and symptoms of anxiety. On the other hand, there was a linear, negative relationship between the level of social media addiction and the level of loneliness. In the literature, there are numerous studies examining the relationship between social media use and levels of loneliness and depression. However, the number of studies specifically conducted with elderly individuals is quite limited. For this reason, prospective follow-up studies in elderly individuals will contribute to clarifying the relationship between depression, anxiety and loneliness levels and social media. Key words: Mental Diseases, Old Age, Social Media