Attached to Virtual Dreams: The Mediating Role of Maladaptive Daydreaming in the Relationship Between Attachment Styles and Problematic Social Media Use

Clarifying the relationship between insecure attachment and problematic social media use across platforms: a network analysis

BACKGROUND

Despite evidence suggesting that insecure attachment is a significant risk factor for Problematic Social Media Use (PSMU), there remains a lack of comprehensive studies exploring this relationship, and a unified understanding of its role has yet to be established.

METHODS

We employed network analysis to construct an integrated model for examining the complex interrelations between negative emotions, trait and state attachment, motives, and PSMU across three platforms (i.e., WeChat, Sina Weibo, and TikTok), as well as for identifying potential mediating variables between attachment and PSMU. Data were collected from 685 young adults via online self-reported questionnaires.

RESULTS

We found that negative emotions are positively correlated with insecure trait and state attachment but have a negligible direct relationship with PSMU. The conformity motive and state attachment security emerged as important central nodes when measured by strength, closeness, and betweenness. Moreover, attachment states and motives were found to be clustered. Such strong interrelationships were also evident between insecure attachment and PSMU, while trait attachment anxiety and avoidance were observed to be related to PSMU across various platforms.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings promote a deeper understanding of the relationship between insecure attachment and PSMU from a cross-platform perspective and offer novel insights into the mechanisms underlying their co-occurrence, which may guide the development of effective interventions for healthier social media engagement.

Maladaptive daydreaming and problematic online behaviors: A network analysis approach

Previous evidence showed that Maladaptive Daydreaming (MD) is positively associated with different Problematic Online Behaviors (POBs). This study aimed to investigate the mutual relationship between MD and several POBs. Data were collected from 1209 participants, aged 18-73 (M = 30.59, SD = 12.26), through self-report questionnaires assessing MD and POBs, including problematic online gambling, problematic online gaming, problematic cybersex, Problematic Social Media Use (PSMU), problematic online shopping, and cyberchondria. Two psychometric network analyses were performed to examine the associations between all POBs at item levels, and between MD and POBs at construct levels. Results revealed six distinct communities, supporting the specificity of each POB. Furthermore, MD was found to be more strongly associated with PSMU and cyberchondria, and weakly associated with problematic online gaming, problematic cybersex, and problematic online shopping. The mutual relationships between MD and POBs might have relevant implications for the assessment and treatment of these clinical conditions.

Can Inflammation Predict Social Media Use? Linking a Biological Marker of Systemic Inflammation with Social Media Use Among College Students and Middle-Aged Adults

Drawing on recent evidence that inflammation may promote social affiliative motivation, the present research proposes a novel perspective that inflammation may be associated with more social media use. In a cross-sectional analysis of a nationally representative sample, Study 1 (N = 863) found a positive association between C-reactive protein (CRP), a biomarker of systemic inflammation, and the amount of social media use by middle-aged adults. Study 2 (N = 228) showed that among college students CRP was prospectively associated with more social media use 6 weeks later. Providing stronger evidence of the directionality of this effect, Study 3 (N = 171) showed that in college students CRP predicted increased social media use in the subsequent week even after controlling for current week's use. Additionally, in exploratory analyses of CRP and different types of social media use in the same week, CRP was only associated with using social media for social interaction and not for other purposes (e.g., entertainment). The present research sheds light on the social effects of inflammation and highlights potential benefits of using social media as a context for studying the impact of inflammation on social motivation and behavior.

Deconstructing the components model of addiction: an illustration through "addictive" use of social media

The components model of addiction posits that all addictions share six components, namely salience, tolerance, mood modification, relapse, withdrawal, and conflict. This highly influential model has resulted in the development of numerous psychometric instruments that measure addictive behaviors according to these criteria. However, recent research suggests that, in the context of behavioral addictions, certain components constitute peripheral features that do not distinguish non-pathological from pathological behavior. Using "addictive" use of social media as a representative example, we examined this perspective by testing whether these six components actually assess central features of addiction, or whether some of them constitute peripheral features that are not indicative of a disorder. Four independent samples totaling 4,256 participants from the general population completed the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale, a six-item psychometric instrument derived from the components model of addiction to assess social media "addiction". By performing structural equation modeling and network analyses, we showed that the six components did not form a unitary construct and, crucially, that some components (i.e., salience, tolerance) were not associated with measures assessing psychopathological symptoms. Taken together, these results suggest that psychometric instruments based on the components model conflate central and peripheral features of addiction when applied to behavioral addictions. This implies that such instruments pathologize involvement in appetitive behaviors. Our findings thus call for renewing the conceptualization and assessment of behavioral addictions.

Predictors of Cyberchondria during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study using supervised machine learning

BACKGROUND

Cyberchondria is characterized by repeated and compulsive online searches for health information, resulting in increased health anxiety and distress. It has been conceptualized as a multi-dimensional construct fueled by both anxiety and compulsivity-related factors and described as a "transdiagnostic compulsive behavioral syndrome" which is associated with health anxiety, problematic internet use and obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Cyberchondria is not included in the ICD-11 or the DSM-5, and its defining features, etiological mechanisms and assessment continue to be debated.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate changes in the severity of cyberchondria during the pandemic and identify predictors of cyberchondria at this time.

METHODS

Data collection started on May 4, 2020 and ended on June 10, 2020, which corresponds to the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe. At the time the present study took place, French-speaking countries in Europe (France, Switzerland, Belgium and Luxembourg) all implemented lockdown or semi-lockdown measures. The survey consisted of a questionnaire collecting demographic information (sex, age, education level and country of residence) and information on socioeconomic circumstances during the first lockdown (e.g., economic situation, housing and employment status), and was followed by several instruments assessing various psychological and health-related constructs. Inclusion criteria for the study were being at least 18 years of age and having a good understanding of French. Self-report data were collected from 725 participants aged 18 to 77 years (mean 33.29, SD 12.88 years), with females constituting the majority (416/725, 57.4%).

RESULTS

The results show that the COVID-19 pandemic affected various facets of cyberchondria: cyberchondria-related distress and interference with functioning increased (distress z=-3.651, P<.001; compulsion z=-5.697, P<.001), whereas the reassurance facet of cyberchondria decreased (z=-6.680, P<.001). Also, COVID-19-related fears and health anxiety emerged as the strongest predictors of cyberchondria-related distress and interference with functioning during the pandemic.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings provide evidence about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cyberchondria and identify factors that should be considered in efforts to prevent and manage cyberchondria at times of public health crises. Also, they are consistent with the theoretical model of cyberchondria during the COVID-19 pandemic proposed by Starcevic and his colleagues in 2020. In addition, the findings have implications for the conceptualization and future assessment of cyberchondria.

Antecedents of problematic social media use and cyberbullying among adolescents: attachment, the dark triad and rejection sensitivity

With the acceleration of internet use, problematic social media use (PSMU) is included in our lives. When looking at the antecedents of PSMU, being young has been found to be a risk factor for PSMU. In addition to the benefits of technological advances in education and training, rapid technological developments may also result in problematic behaviors, especially among children and young. Recently, possibilities brought by technology and more widespread use of technology by young people have created a new concept, namely, cyberbullying. The present study aims to examine the effects of attachment anxiety and avoidance on PSMU and cyberbullying as with the partial mediating effects of the Dark Triad personality traits, angry rejection sensitivity, and anxious rejection sensitivity among adolescents. In general, the findings supported the proposed theoretical model. The results are discussed in terms of theoretical and practical implications along with suggestions for future research.

Maladaptive Daydreaming and Its Relationship with Psychopathological Symptoms, Emotion Regulation, and Problematic Social Networking Sites Use: a Network Analysis Approach

The present study investigated the patterns of mutual associations between maladaptive daydreaming-related variables (MD, i.e., interference with life and somatosensory retreat), psychopathological symptoms (i.e., depression, anxiety, somatization, obsessive–compulsive, interpersonal sensitivity, psychoticism), emotion regulation strategies (i.e., cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression), and problematic social networking sites use (PSNSU). A total of 531 young adults completed self-report measures through an online survey shared on social network groups. Two network models were performed on 297 young adults with probable MD (MDers) (Mage = 23.2, SD = 2.7) vs. 234 non-MDers (Mage = 23.4, SD = 2.6). Results showed that, compared to non-MDers, MDers showed significantly higher scores in all the study variables, except for cognitive reappraisal. Moreover, in the MDers network, the following patterns were identified: (i) no connections between the cluster of psychopathological symptoms, and neither cognitive reappraisal nor expressive suppression; (ii) a connection, through obsessive–compulsive (OC) symptoms, between the cluster of psychopathological symptoms and MD-interference with life; and (iii) a connection between PSNSU and MD-interference with life. Accordingly, the Network Comparison Test evidenced that the network structures of MDers vs. non-MDers were significantly different (M = .24; p = .01). Overall, higher scores on psychopathological symptoms in MDers provide support to the assumption that MD is a clinical condition, in which OC symptoms may play a critical role. Additionally, the association of PSNSU and MD-interference with life suggests that MDers might rely on PSNSU as a maladaptive emotion regulation strategy. Under this scenario, MD may be regarded as a potential vulnerability factor for PSNSU.

Are Defense Styles Mediators between traumatic Experiences and Maladaptive Daydreaming?

Maladaptive daydreaming (MD) is a new proposed mental disorder in which an excessive absorption in vivid, narrative fantasies generates impairments in various life domains. This study aimed to examine the role of traumatic life experiences and immature, neurotic, and mature defense styles in MD. Three hundred and fifty-six Italian adults, ranging in age from 18 to 60 years completed an online survey, including measures of MD, traumatic life events, and defense styles. A multiple mediation model showed that immature, neurotic, and mature defense styles fully mediated the relationship between traumatic life experiences and MD. These findings suggest that clinical interventions for people with a history of traumatic experience who developed MD should aim to help them acquire more adaptive coping strategies to deal with traumatic memories.

Interpersonal Guilt and Problematic Online Behaviors: The Mediating Role of Emotion Dysregulation

OBJECTIVE

The positive association between problematic Internet use (PIU) and emotion dysregulation (ED) is well documented. Research has also found that interpersonal guilt is positively associated with ED. Nevertheless, the influence of interpersonal guilt on PIU has been scarcely examined. In the current study, we investigated the relationships among the three constructs, and tested if emotion dysregulation mediates the association between interpersonal guilt and different types of PIU, namely problematic online gaming, problematic social media use, and problematic online pornography use.

METHOD

A sample of 434 adult participants (210 males, 48.4%) aged between 18 and 69 years old completed self-reported measures on interpersonal guilt, ED, and PIU. A structural equation modeling (SEM) framework was used to test the mediation models.

RESULTS

SEM analyses showed that ED mediates the relationship between interpersonal guilt as antecedent, and problematic online gaming, problematic social media use, and problematic online pornography use as outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that emotion dysregulation deriving from experiences of interpersonal guilt can amplify the risk of using gaming, social media, and online pornography in a problematic way. Implications for prevention and treatment of PIU are discussed.

Not All Daydreaming Is Equal: A Longitudinal Investigation of Social and General Daydreaming and Marital Relationship Quality

Preliminary evidence suggests that daydreaming about other people has adaptive value in daily social lives. To address this possibility, we examined whether daydreaming plays a role in maintaining close, stable relationships using a 1-year prospective longitudinal study. We found that individuals' propensity to daydream about their marital partner is separate to general daydreaming. In contrast to general daydreaming, which was associated with lower subsequent relationship investment size (i.e., magnitude and importance of resources attached to a relationship) in the marital partner, partner-related social daydreaming led to a greater subsequent investment size. Additionally, attachment styles moderated these effects. The effect of daydreaming regarding investment size was found only in securely attached individuals. This research advances the emerging field of social daydreaming and highlights self-generated thought as a critical tool that can help people navigate the complex social world.