대학생의 SNS에서 상향비교경험과 우울 간의 관계에서 인지적유연성의 매개효과

This study aimed to examine the mediating effect of cognitive flexibility in the relationship between upward social comparison experiences on SNS and depression among university students. The research design was a descriptive survey using a structured questionnaire. The participants were university students enrolled in universities nationwide, and data collection was conducted from September to October 2023 by distributing a URL link. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 25.0, including t-tests, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson correlation analysis. To examine the mediating effect of cognitive flexibility in the relationship between upward comparison experiences and depression on SNS, SPSS PROCESS Macro model 4 was used. The results showed that the correlation between upward comparison experiences on SNS and cognitive flexibility was - .26 (p< .01), indicating a significant negative relationship. The correlation between upward comparison experiences on SNS and depression was .35 (p< .01), showing a significant positive relationship. The correlation between cognitive flexibility and depression was - .53 (p< .01), indicating a significant negative relationship. Cognitive flexibility was found to mediate the relationship between upward comparison experiences and depression on SNS. Based on these findings, it is important to enhance cognitive flexibility for university students to use SNS in a healthy way and reduce the impact of upward comparison experiences, which can help prevent depression. Therefore, educational approaches to enhance cognitive flexibility and psychological support programs are needed.