Health Psychology Research / HPR / Online First / DOI: 10.14440/hpr.2597830
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RESEARCH ARTICLE

A Psychological Study of Instagram Addiction and Loneliness among Students

Aiymgul Kuandykova1 ,  Yuliya Tokatligil1 ,  Gulzhauhar Bolatova2 ,  Lyazzat Komekbayeva3*
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1 Department of Psychology, Graduate School of Education, L. N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, Astana 010000, Kazakhstan
2 Department of Printing and Publishing, Faculty of Journalism and Social Science, L. N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, Astana 010000, Kazakhstan
3 Academic School of Psychology and Journalism, Q University, Almaty 050013, Kazakhstan
HPR 2025, 13(2), e81240005 https://doi.org/10.14440/hpr.2597830
Submitted: 21 January 2025 | Accepted: 17 February 2025 | Published: 9 June 2025
© 2025 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution -Noncommercial 4.0 International License (CC-by the license) ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ )
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Abstract

Background

Social media has become very popular among students. This widespread popularity necessitates a continued analysis of its impact on specific psychological parameters to identify and mitigate risks associated with virtual environments.

Objective

This study examines the relationship between Instagram addiction and loneliness among students in Kazakhstan.

Methods

The study involved 192 respondents who were randomly divided into three groups based on their level of Instagram addiction (low, moderate, and high). The Instagram Addiction Scale was employed to measure addiction levels, while the third version of the University of California, Los Angeles Loneliness Scale was used to assess loneliness. Spearman’s correlation analysis revealed significant positive relationships among all variables.

Results

The correlation coefficient between feed addiction and stories addiction was 0.902 (p<0.001). A moderate positive correlation was identified between feed addiction and loneliness levels (ρ = 0.696, p<0.001), while a strong positive correlation was observed between stories addiction and loneliness levels (ρ = 0.728, p<0.001).

Conclusion

These findings confirm that an increase in Instagram addiction is associated with higher levels of loneliness among users. The Kruskal–Wallis test demonstrated significant differences among the groups across all three variables (p<0.001 for all indicators). The results indicate a direct relationship between the level of Instagram addiction and loneliness. The findings of this study may inform the development of programs aimed at reducing social media addiction and promoting mental health among students in Kazakhstan and other countries.

Keywords
Digital addiction
Information and communication technology
Mental health
Social isolation
Social media
Funding
None.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
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