Personality Factors Affecting on Mental Health with the use of Social Media as a Moderator Effects of High School Students in the Pattani Province

Abstract

The research on personality affecting mental health of the secondary school students in Pattani province where the social media use behavior was the moderator aimed to study the personality of the secondary school students in Pattani province, examine the relationship between the personality and mental health of the secondary school students in Pattani province, and investigate the personal affecting mental health where the social media use behavior was the moderator.  The sample group was 310 secondary school students from the schools under the Pattani Secondary Educational Service Area Office 15. Research tools were the questionnaire on five personality traits for the secondary school students, the general health questionnaire GHQ-28 (Thai version), and the questionnaire on the social media use behavior. Statistics used to analyze data included correlation coefficient (Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation), stepwise multiple regression analysis, and hierarchical multiple regression analysis. The results finding indicated that the five personality traits neuroticism had significant low level of positive relationship with mental health disorders ( the r = .191) the five personality traits extraversion had significant low level of negative relationship with addiction behaviors of using social media ( r = -.123) the five personality traits agreeableness had significant low level of positive relationship with online game addiction behaviors in social media ( r = .135), the five personality traits neuroticism and openness to experience had significant low level of negative relationship with cyber bullying behavior. ( r = -.132, r = -.126) and the five personality traits openness to experience had significant low level of negative relationship with the use of pornographic behavior in social media ( r = -.143) . Normal mental health had significant low level of positive correlation with social media communication behavior ( r = .299) . In addition, the social media use behavior was not the moderator of the relation between the five personality traits and mental health. Lastly, the five personality traits and the social media use behavior could be used to predict mental health at 8.3%.