Type D personality, stress coping strategies and self-efficacy as predictors of Facebook intrusion

The associations among type D personality and nomophobia, metacognitions about smartphone use, smartphone addiction in Chinese university freshmen: a two-wave study

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to examine longitudinal associations of Type D personality and smartphone addiction, while also exploring the mediating roles of nomophobia and metacognitions about smartphone use.

METHODS

Type D Personality Scale-14 (T1), Nomophobia Questionnaire (T2), Metacognitions about Smartphone Use Questionnaire (T2) and Smartphone Addiction Scale Short Version (T2) were applied at two time points. 653 university freshmen (Mage= 18.56, SD = 0.65) from a university in China were surveyed.

RESULTS

(1) Type D personality was significantly and positively correlated with nomophobia, negative metacognition, and smartphone addiction. In contrast, the correlation between Type D personality and positive metacognition did not reach the significant level. (2) Compared with individuals with non-Type D personality, those with Type D personality scored significantly higher on nomophobia, negative metacognition, and smartphone addiction. However, the difference was not significant for positive metacognition. (3) Nomophobia and metacognitions about smartphone use fully mediated the relationship between Type D personality and smartphone addiction. While the mediating effects of nomophobia and negative metacognition were significant, the mediating effect of positive metacognition was not significant.

CONCLUSIONS

Type D personality can not only affect smartphone addiction directly but also indirectly through nomophobia and negative metacognition. Therefore, to prevent and intervene in smartphone addiction, we can start from both affect (nomophobia) and metacognition (negative metacognitions about smartphone use).

The Influence of Personality Type D and Coping Strategies on Cognitive Functioning in Students

INTRODUCTION

Academic and emotional challenges faced by medical students can affect their psychological well-being and health. Personal characteristics may also predispose one to the manifestation of distress reactions. Individuals with type D personality have an increased tendency to develop depressive reactions and somatic diseases, including the presence of cognitive dysfunction. In students, the presence of cognitive dysfunction may additionally adversely affect academic and psycho-emotional problems. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of type D personality and coping strategies on cognitive functioning in medical students.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study included 258 medical students (age 19 ± 1.2 years, 79 men). All participants completed psychological questionnaires (DS-14 to identify type D personality, and The Coping Strategy Indication, CSI-to determine coping strategies), as well as extensive neuropsychological testing of cognitive functions.

RESULTS

Among the medical students examined, the frequency of identification of type D personality was 44%. In persons with personality type D, according to psychometric testing, a decrease in the level of functional mobility of nervous processes (FMNP) was noted, which was manifested in an increase in the test completion time (p < 0.001) and an increase in the number of errors (p < 0.001) during the FMNP test, and an increase in the test completion time in the attention concentration test. In addition, in type D participants, an increase in the test execution time during the attention test was noted (p = 0.007). Personality type D was an independent risk factor for cognitive decline in students in multiple linear regression analysis, when type D was analyzed as a dichotomous construct.

CONCLUSIONS

Assessing personal characteristics and identifying personality type D is advisable for medical students, to develop subsequent programs to increase their resistance to academic challenges, improve cognitive function, and also to prepare for future stress loads during professional activities in the field of healthcare.

The Role of Machiavellianism and Interdependent Agency in Facebook Intrusion

Facebook is one the most popular social networking sites in the world. The social aspect and perceiving oneself in the context of relationships seem to be crucial in the analysis of Facebook use. In recent years the number of Facebook users has been increasing, which is related to the problem of Facebook intrusion. Machiavellianism and selected interdependence agency indicators (conformity, relatedness, and autonomy) are associated with social functioning, which is an important aspect of Facebook intrusion. The aim of the study was to check how Machiavelianism and the interdependent agency indicators mentioned above affect Facebook intrusion and whether Facebook intrusion decreases satisfaction with life. The participants in the online study were 715 Polish Facebook users. We administered the Facebook Intrusion Scale, Conformity, Relatedness, and Autonomy Scales, and the Satisfaction With Life Scale. The results show that the selected interdependence agency indicators predict Facebook intrusion. Our results revealed that a high level of Machiavellianism was related to a high level of Facebook intrusion in women. They also show that conformity is positively and autonomy negatively related to Facebook intrusion and that Facebook decreases reduces satisfaction with life. The presented research thus contributes to knowledge about Facebook usage patterns.

The efficacy of a training program for social skills in reducing addictive Internet behaviors among Palestinian university students

Background

For youth in geopolitically at-risk environments, such as Palestine, the issues related to Internet overuse and addictions are complex. Youth residing in the occupied territories of Palestine as in other highly militarized zones have high levels of environmental stressors (e.g., militarization, poverty, lack of employment opportunities, cultural pressures, etc.) and few chemical or social outlets such as alcohol, intoxicants, and leisure activities. As such, the easily accessible and unrestricted opportunities for stress-reducing social contact of social media can lead easily to excessive and maladaptive Internet use. Therefore, interventions directly aimed at awareness and education on how to manage Internet use are critical for addressing these issues in high risk populations.

Aims

The purpose of the current study was to test the efficacy of a time-limited group training program aimed at improving social skills and reducing addictive Internet behaviors among university students.

Methods and results

The sample consisted of 30 university students who self-reported high scores on an Internet addiction scale. Participants were randomly assigned to either wait list or treatment group (15 in each condition). Results demonstrated that using a social skills training program over an 8-week period improved the level of social skills and reduced addictive Internet behaviors significantly in those who experienced the intervention when compared with a wait list control group.

Conclusions

These findings support the implementation of time limited training programs targeting social skills and addictive patterns of Internet use with university students identified with high levels of Internet addictive behaviors.

Big Five Personality Traits, Coping Strategies and Compulsive Buying in Spanish University Students

Personality traits and coping strategies have historically been two key elements in the field of health psychology. It is, therefore, striking that there is no study in the field of compulsive buying that integrates the most generic, decontextualized and stable aspects (traits) with those having a more marked processual and dynamic nature, which are closer to goal-based views of human nature (coping strategies). Another weakness of the compulsive buying field is that, despite the confirmed growing increase in compulsive buying in the younger age groups, most studies have been conducted with adult samples. Hence, this study seeks to clarify the role of the Big Five domains and different coping strategies in university students' compulsive buying. The sample consisted of 1093 participants who were classified as either compulsive buyers or non-compulsive buyers. Both groups were compared regarding sociodemographic variables (gender, age), the Big Five personality traits, and coping strategies through chi-square tests or Student's t-tests. Besides, a multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine which of these determinants might play a part in the construction of a risk profile for compulsive buying. The results showed that other than gender (specifically being female), Neuroticism and the use of such coping strategies as problem avoidance and wishful thinking are risk factors that increase the propensity for compulsive buying. The use of active coping strategies such as problem solving, cognitive restructuring and social support, as well as the Conscientiousness dimension are protection factors that decrease the likelihood of becoming a compulsive buyer. Finally, and on the basis of the findings obtained, possible guidelines are given, which, hopefully, may effectively contribute to the prevention of and/or intervention in compulsive buying among young adults.

Adolescent type D personality and social networking sites addiction: A moderated mediation model of restorative outcomes and affective relationships

Type D personality denotes the joint tendency towards negative affectivity and social inhibition. The recent research has regarded Type D personality as a risk factor of social networking sites addiction. The current study aimed to test whether restorative outcomes would mediate the relation between Type D personality and social networking sites addiction, and whether affective relationships would moderate simultaneously the mediating process. A valid sample of 679 adolescents (mean age = 13.29 ± 0.77 years) participated in our paper-and-pencil survey. Results showed that, after controlling for age and gender, Type D personality positively correlated with social networking sites addiction, and it increased social networking sites addiction via escalating participants' restorative outcomes. Moreover, only affective relationships with friends moderated the mediating effect: for adolescents with low levels of affective relationships with friends, the indirect effect of Type D personality on social networking sites addiction was significant; contrarily, the indirect effect for high levels of affective relationships with friends was non-significant. The current study indicated that Type D personality as a risk factor interacted with other factors (e.g., affective relationships with friends) to contribute to adolescent social networking sites addiction. The limitations and practical implications were discussed.