Structural Equation Modeling in Explaining the Relationship Between Social Media Participation and School Belonging with the Mediating Role of Family Cohesion and Social Anxiety

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between social media participation and school belonging with the mediating role of family cohesion and social anxiety among female high school students in Tehran. This descriptive-correlational study used structural equation modeling. The statistical population included 125,842 female high school students in Tehran during the 2022-2023 academic year, from which 383 students were selected using Cochran’s formula and cluster sampling. Research instruments included the School Belonging Scale (Barry & Beti, 2005), Social Anxiety Scale (Connor et al., 2000), Family Cohesion Scale (Fischer et al., 1992), and Social Media Participation Scale (Rasoul-Abadi, 2015), all with confirmed validity and reliability. Data were analyzed using SPSS22 and Smart PLS software. Results indicated that social media participation had a direct and significant effect on school belonging (0.582) and family cohesion (0.502). Family cohesion also had a significant effect on school belonging (0.498), and its mediating role in this relationship was confirmed (0.250). Additionally, social media participation significantly affected social anxiety (0.392), social anxiety significantly affected school belonging (0.691), and the mediating role of social anxiety was confirmed (0.271). Social media participation can directly and indirectly influence school belonging, with family cohesion and social anxiety playing significant mediating roles in this relationship.