Comparing the psychological well-being and lifestyle of social networks user and non-user female students of high school in Sanandaj, Iran

BACKGROUND: Virtual networks are one of the social issues in the age of communication. The growing development of electronic communication networks among teens has brought about many tricks for the person. The purpose of this study was to compare the psychological well-being and lifestyle of social networks user and non-user female students of high school in district 1 of Sanandaj city, Iran. METHODS: The research was of a causal type with a practical purpose. The statistical population of the study consisted of all social network user and non-user female students of a high school in district 1 of Sanandaj city in the academic year of 2017-2018. In order to do this research, 123 female students who were social networks users and 123 non-user female students were selected randomly by random sampling. The tools used were Ryff's psychological well-being scale (54-item version) and Miller-Smith lifestyle questionnaire. The data were analyzed by multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) via SPSS software. RESULTS: The results of the analysis showed that there was a significant difference between the two groups in terms of psychological well-being (personal growth and domination components) and lifestyle (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The tendency towards social networks is associated with a reduction in the mental well-being and lifestyle. Moreover, access to them for teenagers and young people is increasing, and they are more at risk than other people. Therefore, it is needed to plan the necessary psychological well-being of adolescents.