Digital Hoarding as Predictor of Mental Health Problems among Undergraduate Students

Abstract

Aim of the Study: Pathological hoarding practices result in a great deal of clutter in the individuals’ life areas, which interferes with daily activities and causes extreme anxiety or disruption of regular activities (Gulotta et al., 2013). The current study looked into how undergraduate students' mental health problems were affected by their digital hoarding habits.

Methodology: The study was conducted using a correlational research design. A Sample of (N= 248) was collected with the age range of 18 to 25 (M=21.60, SD= 1.68) years. Data was collected from undergraduate students from the different government and private colleges and universities of Faisalabad city. A purposive sampling strategy was implemented for the data collection. The Study measures include the demographic information sheet, Digital Hoarding Questionnaire (Neave et al., 2019), and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995) were used for data collection. The data were assessed by using SPSS 23 Version.

Findings: The study’s results indicated that there is a significant positive association between digital hoarding and mental health problems, specifically, depression, anxiety, and stress. Regression results indicated that the R-square values for depression anxiety and stress were 19, .38, and .15 respectively depicting that digital hoarding causes a 19% change in depression level, 38% change in anxiety level, and 15% in stress level in the participants.

Conclusion: Having a strong positive link with mental health issues like stress, anxiety, and depression, digital hoarding is a strong predictor of these issues among undergraduate students.