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Introduction: This study aimed to explore the relationships between problematic social networking site use (PSNSU), Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD), internet use motives, and self-control among university students in China and Japan. Specifically, it investigated the indirect effects of self-control on IGD and PSNSU through various internet use motives, considering gender differences. Methods: A sample of 697 university students (465 females; 397 Chinese) was surveyed. Path analysis was conducted separately for male and female users to examine the relationships between self-control, internet use motives, IGD, and PSNSU. Results: The results indicated that self-control had significant indirect effects on IGD through enhancement (β = 0.096**, p = 0.005), social (β = -0.090**, p = 0.007), and conformity (β = -0.117**, p = 0.001) motives, but these effects were observed only in the male group. Self-control also exhibited indirect effects on PSNSU through enhancement, social, coping, and conformity motives, with a greater impact observed on PSNSU than on IGD. Gender differences in mediating effects were identified, with males and females showing distinct patterns. Discussion: The findings highlight the importance of understanding gender differences and motivational factors in problematic internet use. These insights contribute to a better understanding of how internet use motives influence IGD and PSNSU in different contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study aimed to explore the relationships between problematic social networking site use (PSNSU), Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD), internet use motives, and self-control among university students in China and Japan. Specifically, it investigated the indirect effects of self-control on IGD and PSNSU through various internet use motives, considering gender differences. Methods: A sample of 697 university students (465 females; 397 Chinese) was surveyed. Path analysis was conducted separately for male and female users to examine the relationships between self-control, internet use motives, IGD, and PSNSU. Results: The results indicated that self-control had significant indirect effects on IGD through enhancement (b = 0.096**, p = 0.005), social (b = -0.090**, p = 0.007), and conformity (b = -0.117**, p = 0.001)motives, but these effects were observed only in the male group. Self-control also exhibited indirect effects on PSNSU through enhancement, social, coping, and conformity motives, with a greater impact observed on PSNSU than on IGD. Gender differences in mediating effects were identified, with males and females showing distinct patterns. Discussion: The findings highlight the importance of understanding gender differences and motivational factors in problematic internet use. These insights contribute to a better understanding of how internet use motives influence IGD and PSNSU in different contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous research has reported mental health variables and maladaptive cognitive emotion processes to be associated with severity of problematic social networking site use (PSNSU) and problematic smartphone use (PSU). The present study examined trait and state fear of missing out (FOMO) dimensions and their potential mediating roles in explaining relations between PSNSU and PSU severity. Method: A sample of 461 participants (mean age = 24.15, SD = 7.78) completed an online survey protocol measuring trait and state FOMO, PSU, and PSNSU. Results: Structural equation modelling revealed that trait and state FOMO were significantly associated with PSNSU severity, and PSNSU severity was associated with PSU severity. State (but not trait) FOMO mediated relations between PSNSU and PSU severity. Conclusions: The study demonstrates the role of FOMO, especially state FOMO, in association with PSNSU and PSU severity.

Background and Aims: Problematic Social Networking Site Use (PSNSU) is not a formally recognised addiction, but it is increasingly discussed as such in academic research and online. Taking a quantitative, exploratory approach, this study aims to (1) determine whether PSNSU is presented like clinically defined addictions by the affected community and (2) address how well measurements of PSNSU fit with the thematic content found within the associated discourse. Methods: Four corpora were created for this study: a corpus concerning PSNSU and three control corpora concerning established addictions, including Alcohol Use Disorder, Tobacco Use Disorder and Gaming Disorder. Keywords were identified, collocates and concordances were explored, and shared themes were compared. Results: Findings show broad thematic similarities between PSNSU and the three control addictions as well as prominent interdiscursive references, which indicate possible confirmation bias among speakers. Conclusions: Scales based upon the components model of addiction are suggested as the most appropriate measure of this emerging disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This systematic review aimed to synthesize current evidence of an association between problematic social networking site use (PSNSU) and social well-being and predictors of PSNSU among young adults (18–35 years). Methods: The systematic review considered cross-sectional and cohort studies that assessed the association between PSNSU and social well-being among young adults. The JBI systematic review methodology of etiology and risk was followed. Data were collected from eight electronic databases and manually from reference lists of selected studies. Two independent reviewers selected studies by screening titles, abstracts and full texts and assessed the quality of the included studies. Data were extracted and synthesized with narrative methods. Results: Twenty one (n = 21) studies were included in the final review. The results showed that there were associations between PSNSU and different social well-being factors, e.g., associations were found between PSNSU and social and parasocial relationships on social networking sites and social media anxiety. Also some predictive factors were found. Limitations: Although, the search strategies were developed in conjunction with an information specialist, some keywords might have been missed, which could have affected the search results. Social well-being and PSNS use can be defined in many ways, which may have affected which studies were excluded. Language limitations might affect to the study inclusion. Conclusions: In most cases, PSNSU was associated with lower social well-being, although some mixed results were obtained. Definitions of PSNSU and social well-being varied widely. Therefore, in the future, it would be beneficial to have clear concepts for PSNSU and social well-being. It is also important to consider social aspects in PSNSU.

n recent years, increasing interest in social networking site (SNS) use has resulted in a large body of research examining addiction to SNSs. The aim of this study was to cross-culturally validate a Spanish adaptation of the Problematic Social Networking Site Use Scale (PSNUS) based on the General Problematic Internet Use Scale (GPIUS-2) and to stablish profiles by using latent profile analysis (LPA) to compare the proportion of problematic use between Spanish and Mexican adolescents. The sample was composed of 1,534 Spanish and Mexican students (55.0% girls) 15-17 years of age. Confirmatory factor analysis and the invariance of the PSNUS were examined; the scale displayed good structural validity and achieved full metric invariance. The PSNUS demonstrated good reliability indexes, convergent, discriminant, and criterion validity with respect to the number of days the participants used an SNS, the duration of use, and GPIUS-2 dimension scores. LPA based on the five PSNUS dimensions revealed the existence of five profiles: among them, a clear non-problematic user group that comprised 44.6%; an at-risk group that comprised 13.2% of the sample; and a clear problematic user profile making up 2.9% of the sample. This study provides validation of the PSNUS for two Spanish-speaking countries; it may be used as an alternative to the prevailing component model of addiction to SNS use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: With increasing use of social networking sites (SNSs), concerns have been raised regarding problematic social networking site use (PSNSU), including associations with mental health and well-being. Aims: The present study examined the impact of smartphone interventions on PSNSU and explored the differences in overtime variations in PSNSU, psychiatric disorder symptoms, loneliness, and general health. Methods: A six-week longitudinal randomised controlled trial (RCT) was carried out. A total of 110 participants were randomly assigned to a mindfulness group (MG, n ​= ​34) in which participants were presented with a brief mindfulness-based instruction set that tackles addictive urges, SNS intervention group (SIG, n ​= ​39); participants were given brief tips and advice about managing SNS use, or control group (CG, n ​= ​37); general health and lifestyle advice was provided. Results: The results revealed significant main effects of time for the variables of general health, anxiety, PSNSU, and loneliness across all interventions. Anxiety and PSNSU levels decreased over time. Participants psychiatric wellbeing scores also decreased across time. Conclusions: The study demonstrates the feasibility of smartphone interventions to reduce negative health consequences and PSNSU. Smartphone interventions may prove to be effective in clinical settings.

In recent years, increasing interest in social networking site (SNS) use has resulted in a large body of research examining addiction to SNSs. The aim of this study was to cross-culturally validate a Spanish adaptation of the Problematic Social Networking Site Use Scale (PSNUS) based on the General Problematic Internet Use Scale (GPIUS-2) and to stablish profiles by using latent profile analysis (LPA) to compare the proportion of problematic use between Spanish and Mexican adolescents. The sample was composed of 1,534 Spanish and Mexican students (55.0% girls) 15–17 years of age. Confirmatory factor analysis and the invariance of the PSNUS were examined; the scale displayed good structural validity and achieved full metric invariance. The PSNUS demonstrated good reliability indexes, convergent, discriminant, and criterion validity with respect to the number of days the participants used an SNS, the duration of use, and GPIUS-2 dimension scores. LPA based on the five PSNUS dimensions revealed the existence of five profiles: among them, a clear non-problematic user group that comprised 44.6%; an at-risk group that comprised 13.2% of the sample; and a clear problematic user profile making up 2.9% of the sample. This study provides validation of the PSNUS for two Spanish-speaking countries; it may be used as an alternative to the prevailing component model of addiction to SNS use.

Abstract Background Social networking sites (SNSs) allow people to socially connect with each other, collaborate, and share information. However, problematic SNS use (PSNSU) may be associated with negative personality traits. The present study investigated the associations between PSNSU, dark triad personality traits, and emotion dysregulation. Method In the present study, 555 SNS users (M age = 33.32 years, SD = 10.88) completed an online survey comprising measures of PSNSU, dark triad personality traits, and emotion dysregulation. Results Bivariate correlations showed that PSNSU was significantly associated with dark triad traits as well as emotion dysregulation. Structural equation modelling (where the effect of the dark triad traits on PSNSU was mediated by emotion dysregulation) showed that 33.5% of the variance of PSNSU was explained by Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism. Conclusion The findings provide suggestive evidence of why PSNSU may occur as a function of the presence of dark triad traits and emotion dysregulation. The study also highlighted the important role that emotion regulation plays in the association between dark triad traits and PSNSU.

Background: Social networking sites (SNSs) such as Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram are now used frequently by millions of people worldwide. However, there are concerns of problematic social networking site use (PSNSU) and psychopathological symptoms that may be co-morbid with this behaviour. The present study investigated the interactions between PSNSU severity, time spent on SNSs, anxiety severity, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) severity, and resilience levels. Method: A total of 458 SNS users (mean age = 32.35 years, SD = 10.44) completed an online survey consisting of measures assessing PSNSU severity, anxiety severity, ADHD severity, and resilience levels. Results: Bivariate correlations identified moderate positive correlations between PSNSU severity, time spent on SNSs, anxiety severity, and ADHD severity, and a negative correlation between PSNSU severity and resilience levels. The moderated regression analyses revealed that anxiety severity as well as the interaction of anxiety severity and resilience levels significantly explained 28.6% of the variance in PSNSU severity. The simple slopes analysis was calculated indicating the main effect of anxiety severity. Furthermore, ADHD severity was also a significant predictor of PSNSU severity, but there was no significant interaction effect with resilience levels. Additional analysis illustrated that both variables investigating psychopathological symptoms significantly interact in predicting PSNSU severity. There was no significant effect of the three-way interaction between anxiety severity, ADHD severity, and resilience levels. Conclusion: The study showed that anxiety severity and ADHD severity are risk factors in the development of PSNSU severity and resilience levels may have a preventive effect, which must be investigated in further studies.

Background: Social networking sites (SNSs) allow people to socially connect with each other, collaborate, and share information. However, problematic SNS use (PSNSU) may be associated with negative personality traits. The present study investigated the associations between PSNSU, dark triad personality traits, and emotion dysregulation. Method: In the present study, 555 SNS users (Mage = 33.32 years, SD = 10.88) completed an online survey comprising measures of PSNSU, dark triad personality traits, and emotion dysregulation. Results: Bivariate correlations showed that PSNSU was significantly associated with dark triad traits as well as emotion dysregulation. Structural equation modelling (where the effect of the dark triad traits on PSNSU was mediated by emotion dysregulation) showed that 33.5% of the variance of PSNSU was explained by Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism. Conclusion: The findings provide suggestive evidence of why PSNSU may occur as a function of the presence of dark triad traits and emotion dysregulation. The study also highlighted the important role that emotion regulation plays in the association between dark triad traits and PSNSU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social networking sites (SNSs) are now used by billions of users worldwide and can help facilitate communication and the sharing of information. However, there is evidence that problematic SNS use (PSNSU) can have negative effects on health. The present study examined the associations between PSNSU, sleep quality, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, anxiety and stress among SNS users. A total of 638 SNS users (mean age = 32.03 years, SD = 10.08) completed an online survey comprising instruments assessing SNS addiction, sleep quality, ADHD, depression, anxiety and stress. Regression analysis indicated that the factors of age (β = −.24, p <.01), relationship status (i.e., being in a relationship) (β = −.09, p <.05), ADHD (β =.43, p <.01) and anxiety (β =.12, p <.01) explained 23.9% of the variance in problematic SNS use. Bivariate correlations identified moderate positive correlations between PSNSU, poor sleep quality (r =.24, p <.01, R2 =.06), ADHD (r =.47, p <.01, R2 =.22), depression (r =.32, p <.01, R2 =.10), anxiety (r =.38, p <.01, R2 =.14) and stress (r =.34, p <.01, R2 =.12). The study demonstrated that PSNSU was associated with psychopathological and psychiatric disorders symptoms, the findings will help inform future interventions for reducing and tackling PSNSU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The current study examined motivations for social networking site use across three years during the transition from late adolescence to emerging adulthood. While research has been conducted examining reasons for social networking site usage and behavior, the clear majority have focused on samples of undergraduate college students and are cross-sectional.Methods: Changes in motivations for using social networking sites were examined in relation to problematic social networking site use and several behavioral and mental health outcomes in a sample of adolescents over three years.Results: Using social networking sites to connect with others was relatively stable over a three-year period. However, using social networking sites to seek information increased from late adolescence to emerging adulthood and was not related to any negative outcomes across three years. Using social networking sites to alleviate boredom also increased over time. Initial levels of social media use to alleviate boredom were associated with problematic social networking site use, financial stress, anxiety, and empathy at year three. Increases in using social networking sites to socially connect over time was related to problematic social networking site use, anxiety, delinquency, and empathy at year three. Using social networking sites for any reason was not related to depressive symptoms over three years.Conclusions: The current study supports the growing body of literature suggesting that using social networking sites to alleviate boredom and socially connect, may place individuals at increased risk for developing pathological tendencies and patterns of behavior towards social networking sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research suggests that exposure to social networking sites portraying a thin and often sexualized beauty ideal reduces young women's body satisfaction, while exposure to body-positive content improves it. However, it is unclear whether sexualization could impair the beneficial effects of body-positivity messages. Young Italian women were exposed to one of three experimental conditions showing sexualized beauty ideals, sexualized body positivity, or non-sexualized body positivity that appeared either on Instagram (Study 1, N = 356) or TikTok (Study 2, N = 316). Across the two studies, results showed that, regardless of sexualization, exposure to body positivity increased body satisfaction and positive mood compared with pre-exposure measures, while exposure to sexualized beauty ideals reduced it. Participants in the sexualized beauty ideal condition also engaged in upward appearance social comparison whereas body positivity elicited downward comparison. Problematic social networking sites' use moderated the effects of condition on body satisfaction, appearance social comparison, and positive mood, while downward comparison mediated the relation between condition and body satisfaction and positive mood. Our results highlight both beneficial and critical aspects of body positivity that should be taken into consideration when designing body image interventions and policymaking.

Introduction: Prior research has found that psychopathology constructs such as depression and anxiety are associated with problematic use of Facebook (PFU). In the present study, we examined a structural equation model whereby depression, social anxiety and lower life satisfaction predicted PFU severity, while analyzing mediating variables including rumination, fear of missing out (FoMO), and frequency of Facebook use, as well as age and gender as covariates., Method: Participants were 296 college students administered a web survey of instruments measuring these constructs., Results: Modeling results demonstrate that FoMO and rumination were significantly related to PFU severity. Facebook use frequency was related to PFU severity. FoMO and rumination each mediated relations between social anxiety and PFU severity., Conclusions: Results are discussed in the context of prior work on FoMO and excessive technology use, as well as several relevant theoretical frameworks.