The prevalence of TikTok addiction and its association with Depression, Anxiety and Stress in public health and nutrition students in Pham Ngoc Thach Medical University in Vietnam: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

   Background: Social media platforms, particularly the short-video application TikTok, have become integrated to youngsters’ lives. While offering benefits, excessive use can lead to problematic behaviors characteristic of a behavioral addiction, which has been linked to adverse mental health outcomes. This issue is of particular concern among university students in high-pressure academic fields. However, there is a significant gap in the literature regarding the prevalence of TikTok addiction and its mental health relationship in public health and nutrition students in Pham Ngoc Thach medical university, Vietnam.
   Objectives: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of TikTok addiction and to investigate its association with symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress among undergraduate students at the Faculty of Public Health, Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine.
   Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between March and May 2025, involving 269 undergraduate students from the Faculty of Public Health. Participants completed a self-administered online questionnaire that collected sociodemographic data and information on TikTok usage. TikTok addiction was assessed using the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), while mental health symptoms were measured with the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests, and Prevalence Ratios (PR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) to quantify associations.
   Results: The prevalence of TikTok addiction among the surveyed students was 6.7% (n =18; 95% CI: 4.1%–10.2%). In the association analysis (n=251), TikTok addiction was significantly associated with a higher prevalence of both depression (PR = 1.48, 95% CI: 1.05–2.08, p = .035) and stress (PR = 2.44, 95% CI: 1.76–3.37, p < .001). No significant association was observed between TikTok addiction and anxiety (PR = 1.18, 95% CI: 0.90–1.54, p = .247).
   Conclusion: A notable minority of public health students exhibit symptoms of TikTok addiction, a condition statistically associated with a higher prevalence of depression and stress. These findings highlight the need for targeted mental health support and digital wellness interventions within this specific student population to mitigate the negative psychological impacts of problematic social media use.

DOI: 10.59715/pntjmp.5.2.10