Gender and Academic Level Differences in Social Media Use and Psychosocial Outcomes among DHH Students at Takoradi Technical University

Deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) university students often study in hearing-dominant environments where communication barriers limit informal peer interaction, making social media an important channel for communication and social connection. Despite growing interest in the psychosocial effects of social media, little is known about whether these outcomes differ by gender or academic level among DHH students in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study examined levels of active and passive social media use, fear of missing out (FoMO), social isolation, and self-esteem, and assessed differences across gender and academic level. A census survey of the accessible DHH student population at Takoradi Technical University, Ghana, yielded 34 respondents (20 males and 14 females) across all four undergraduate levels, representing an 85.0% response rate. Participants completed established instruments adapted to the local context, with acceptable to good internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.74-0.85). Independent-samples t-tests and one-way analysis of variance were used to examine group differences, with Cohen's d and eta-squared reported as effect size measures. Participants reported moderate levels of active and passive social media use, FoMO, social isolation, and self-esteem. No statistically significant differences were observed by gender or academic level. Gender differences were negligible to small for most variables, although FoMO showed a medium effect size (female M = 28.29, male M = 24.20; d = -0.49), a difference the study lacked sufficient statistical power to detect. Academic-level differences were consistently small (η² = 0.057-0.074). These findings suggest that social media use and psychosocial outcomes are broadly similar across gender and academic level among DHH university students. While the observed FoMO difference among female students requires confirmation in larger samples, support initiatives should primarily target the DHH student population while remaining attentive to students who may be at greater risk of FoMO.

Deaf and hard-of-hearing; active and passive social media use; fear of missing out; social isolation; self-esteem

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