Doomscrolling Scale: its Association with Personality Traits, Psychological Distress, Social Media Use, and Wellbeing

Reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the doomscrolling scale and the mediating role of doomscrolling in the bidirectional relationship between insomnia and depression

BACKGROUND

Doomscrolling behavior is very common among college students. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Doomscrolling Scale, thus providing a scientific basis for its application among Chinese university students.

METHODS

The Chinese version of Doomscrolling Scale was developed through translation and revision of the original scale, conducting item and factor analysis, and validating it with validation factor analysis. The psychometric properties of the Doomscrolling Scale were assessed in 2885 Chinese university students.

RESULTS

The internal consistency coefficients, two-month test-retest reliability, and split-half reliability of the Chinese version of the Doomscrolling Scale (including the 15-item and the 4-item short version) were high, and the mono-factorial scales fitted well to the theoretical model. Scores on the Chinese version of the Doomscrolling Scale were significantly associated with depression, anxiety, and smartphone addiction. The structural equation model indicates that doomscrolling can mediate the bidirectional relationship between insomnia disorder and depression.

CONCLUSIONS

The revised Chinese version of the Doomscrolling Scale is valid and reliable, which can facilitate research in this field. The association between doomscrolling and various mental disorders has been confirmed, and further research should be conducted to investigate its mechanisms of action.

I rely on a little help from my friends: the effect of interpersonal and intrapersonal emotion regulation on the relationship between FOMO and problematic internet use

BACKGROUND

This study investigated the role of emotion regulation in relation to the links between fear of missing out (i.e., FOMO) and two components of problematic internet use: problematic social media use and doomscrolling.

METHODS

Participants (N = 603, Mage = 30.41, SDage = 7.64; 49.1% male-identifying) completed measures of fear of missing out, intrapersonal and interpersonal emotion regulation, and problematic social media use, and doomscrolling. A parallel mediation model was tested to examine the nature of the associations between fear of missing out, intrapersonal, and interpersonal emotion regulation, in accounting for variance in the outcome measures.

RESULTS

Analyses revealed that the effect of fear of missing out on problematic social media use was fully mediated by both intrapersonal and interpersonal emotion regulation. In contrast, the effect on doomscrolling was fully mediated by intrapersonal emotion regulation only.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings clarify the role of emotion regulation in explaining the relationship between fear of missing out and two types of problematic internet use, indicating a need to consider individual differences in emotion regulation in an evolving social media landscape.

Doomscrolling and mental well-being in social media users: A serial mediation through mindfulness and secondary traumatic stress

Considering that large-scale events such as natural disasters, epidemics, and wars affect people all over the world through online news channels, it is inevitable to investigate the impact of following or avoiding negative news on well-being. This study investigated the effect of doomscrolling on mental well-being and the mediating role of mindfulness and secondary traumatic stress in social media users. A total of 400 Turkish adults completed scales to assess doomscrolling, mental well-being, mindfulness, and secondary traumatic stress. The average age of the participants was 29.42 (SD = 8.38; ranged = 18-65). Structural equation modeling was conducted to examine the mediating roles of mindfulness and secondary traumatic stress in the relationship between doomscrolling and mental well-being. Mindfulness and secondary traumatic stress fully mediated the relationship between doomscrolling and mental well-being. The results are discussed in light of existing knowledge of doomscrolling, mental well-being, mindfulness, and secondary traumatic stress. High levels of doomscrolling, which is related to an individual's mental well-being, can predict the individual's distraction from the here and now and fixation on negative news. This situation, in which mindfulness is low, is related to the individual's indirect traumatization and increased secondary traumatic stress symptoms in the face of the negative news he/she follows.

Development and validation of the Earthquake Obsession Scale

Earthquakes are natural disasters that are very destructive and whose timing is unknown. These disasters can have a very negative effect on people's mental health, and their effects can last for many years. This study examined the psychometric properties of a scale to measure earthquake obsession. Data were collected from adults living in different provinces of Türkiye (N = 732), who completed the new scale, Doomscrolling Scale, Death Distress Scale, and Mental Well-Being Scale. The Earthquake Obsession Scale (EOS) had a two-factor structure, good internal consistency reliability, and convergent and discriminant validity. Correlational analysis revealed that earthquake obsession was positively associated with doomscrolling and death anxiety, and negatively associated with well-being. Mediation analysis indicated that doomscrolling and death distress mediated the relationship between earthquake obsession and well-being. The results emphasized the potential of earthquake obsession to affect daily life negatively and revealed its relationship with psychological variables.

'I cannot see ahead': psychological distress, doomscrolling and dark future among adult survivors following Mw 7.7. and 7.6 earthquakes in Türkiye

BACKGROUND

The earthquakes, which occurred on 6 February 2023, affecting a total of eleven provinces in Türkiye, with magnitudes of 7.7 and 7.6, and killing around 50,000 people, caused the greatest loss of life compared to previous earthquakes in Türkiye. In this study, we analyse the psychological status of the adult individuals who experienced the earthquakes three months after the earthquakes in terms of different variables.

METHODS

In this research, an analytical cross-sectional study was conducted by applying face-to-face and online questionnaires to 402 adult individuals who had experienced the earthquake. The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), the Dark Future Scale and Doomscrolling Scale were applied. The relationships between variables are discussed in this study using the predictive correlational model.

RESULTS

The results revealed that the participants had very high levels of future anxiety and moderate levels of doomscrolling after the earthquake. Although their psychological distress levels were relatively low, as the psychological distress levels of adult individuals who experienced the earthquake increased, their doomscrolling also increased. In addition, as individuals' future anxiety increases, their doomscrolling increases similarly. The mediation analysis reveals that the mediating role of future anxiety between psychological distress and doomscrolling is significant (p < .001).

CONCLUSION

Individuals are more exposed to negative news streams in negative life events that occur beyond their control and they need to search for information. Increased levels of depression, anxiety and stress lead to more exposure to this flow. In addition, future anxiety is also an important trigger of this behaviour. The effects of psychological distress on individuals who survived the earthquake are discussed in the context of the literature.