The Moderating Role of State Attachment Anxiety and Avoidance Between Social Anxiety and Social Networking Sites Addiction

Social anxiety and problematic social media use: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Some theories posit a close relationship between social anxiety and problematic social media use; however, empirical findings are inconsistent, and existing hypotheses are conflicting. Hence, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to clarify the relationship between social anxiety and problematic social media use. After searching and screening the literature, we identified 53 studies, including 59,928 participants and 56 effect sizes, for analysis. A meta-analysis was subsequently performed using CMA software. Results showed that social anxiety and problematic social media use were highly positively correlated. The moderating effect results suggested that the relationship between social anxiety and problematic social media use was influenced by the measurement instrument, sex, publication year, and platform type; however, the relationship was not moderated by region and age. It is suggested to consider social anxiety in the treatment of problematic social media use.

Association between problematic social networking use and anxiety symptoms: a systematic review and meta-analysis

A growing number of studies have reported that problematic social networking use (PSNU) is strongly associated with anxiety symptoms. However, due to the presence of multiple anxiety subtypes, existing research findings on the extent of this association vary widely, leading to a lack of consensus. The current meta-analysis aimed to summarize studies exploring the relationship between PSNU levels and anxiety symptoms, including generalized anxiety, social anxiety, attachment anxiety, and fear of missing out. 209 studies with a total of 172 articles were included in the meta-analysis, involving 252,337 participants from 28 countries. The results showed a moderately positive association between PSNU and generalized anxiety (GA), social anxiety (SA), attachment anxiety (AA), and fear of missing out (FoMO) respectively (GA: r = 0.388, 95% CI [0.362, 0.413]; SA: r = 0.437, 95% CI [0.395, 0.478]; AA: r = 0.345, 95% CI [0.286, 0.402]; FoMO: r = 0.496, 95% CI [0.461, 0.529]), and there were different regulatory factors between PSNU and different anxiety subtypes. This study provides the first comprehensive estimate of the association of PSNU with multiple anxiety subtypes, which vary by time of measurement, region, gender, and measurement tool.

Social media addiction and academic engagement as serial mediators between social anxiety and academic performance among college students

BACKGROUND

Social anxiety has been shown to affect college students' academic performance. However, the role of social media addiction and academic engagement in this association is unclear.

METHODS

A total 2661 college students completed a self-report questionnaire including Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale, the Utrecht Student Work Engagement Scale for Students, and the grade point average. Hayes' PROCESS macro for SPSS was employed to test the serial mediation effect.

RESULTS

Results indicated that social anxiety was negatively related to academic performance, only academic engagement played a single mediating role in the relationship between social anxiety and academic performance, meanwhile social media addiction and academic engagement acted as serial mediators between social anxiety on academic performance.

CONCLUSIONS

Social media addiction and academic engagement can explain the potential mechanisms of the association between social anxiety and academic performance, which have implications for devising intervention strategies to enhance the mental health and academic outcomes of college students.

The association between problematic internet use and social anxiety within adolescents and young adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective

Although numerous studies have investigated the association between problematic internet use (PIU) and social anxiety, the findings have no yet reached consistent. The present meta-analysis aims to examine the association between PIU and social anxiety within adolescents and young adults (age range: 14-24 years old).

Method

The meta-analysis systematically retrieved the studies prior to September 7, 2023 from Web of Science, PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, CNKI, and CQVIP. The meta-analysis based on random-effects model to conduct the research. Stata Version 17.0 and JASP 16.3.0 was used to analysis.

Results

The meta-analysis ultimately included 37 studies (37 effect sizes in total), involving a total of 36,013 subjects. Our findings indicated that the overall correlation between PIU and social anxiety was significant positive [r = 0.333, 95% CI (0.292, 0.373), p < 0.001]. Their association was significantly moderated by publication year, measurement tools for PIU and social anxiety but not significantly by culture context, developmental level and gender.

Conclusion

This meta-analysis suggests that social anxiety is a predictor of the development of PIU in adolescents and young adults. Furthermore, the study also finds the possibility that contemporary adolescents and youth may exhibit a more "global" behavior pattern, potentially emphasizing fewer differences between cultures, generations and genders.

The Effect of Emotional Neglect on Cyberbullying among Rural Chinese Left-behind Adolescents-Mediating Role of Social Anxiety

BACKGROUND

Cyberbullying is a globally shared youth problem-a problem of the interpersonal conflicts and contradictions that emerge during the socialization of adolescents. In particular, the issue of cyberbullying among rural left-behind adolescents needs to be given high priority. However, previous studies have paid little attention to how emotional neglect and social anxiety affect the cyberbullying behavior of rural left-behind adolescents. Therefore, this study was based on cognitive-behavioral theory to investigate the relationship between emotional neglect, cyberbullying, and social anxiety.

METHODS

This study used the Emotional Neglect Scale, the Cyberbullying Scale, and the Social Anxiety Scale to conduct an anonymous online survey of 1429 rural left-behind adolescents in China.

RESULTS

(1) Emotional neglect, social anxiety, and cyberbullying showed a two-way positive correlation. (2) The direct effect of emotional neglect on rural left-behind youth cyberbullying was significant (β = 0.14, p < 0.00). (3) Social anxiety showed a partial mediating effect in the process of emotional neglect affecting rural left-behind youth cyberbullying, with a mediating effect of 26.32%.

CONCLUSIONS

The results have positive implications for improving relevant policies and constructing mechanisms for protecting the rights and interests of rural left-behind adolescents.

Problematic social networking sites use and online social anxiety: The role of attachment, emotion dysregulation and motives

Problematic Social Networking Sites Use (PSNSU) and social anxiety are associated. SNSs users may develop online social anxiety that may become a standalone problem. The present study aims to test the mediating role of emotion dysregulation and motives (coping, conformity, social, and enhancement) between attachment (anxiety and avoidance) and two outcomes (PSNSU and online social anxiety) in an integrated theory-driven model. Self-report questionnaires were completed by 756 SNSs users (50.4 % females; mean age = 28.74 years, SD = 8.00). Results of the path analysis supported the partial mediating role of emotion dysregulation in the association between attachment anxiety and both the outcomes and the serial mediating role via four and three motives in the association with PSNSU and online social anxiety, respectively. This study highlighted the role of several relational, emotional, and motivational factors that should be taken into account to tackle PSNSU and online social anxiety through clinical and prevention interventions.

Relational Victimization and Video Game Addiction among Female College Students during COVID-19 Pandemic: The Roles of Social Anxiety and Parasocial Relationship

Video game addiction, a common behavioral problem among college students, has been more prominent during the COVID-19 pandemic; at the same time, females' video game usage has also attracted considerable research attention. Against this background and under the perspective of social interaction, this study aimed to examine the relationship between relational victimization and video game addiction among female college students, as well as its underlying mechanism-the mediating roles of social anxiety and parasocial relationships with virtual characters. Female college students (N = 437) were recruited to complete a set of questionnaires voluntarily in June 2022. Through the mediating effect analysis, the results found that (1) relational victimization was positively associated with female college students' video game addiction; (2) social anxiety and parasocial relationships with virtual characters could independently mediate this relation; (3) social anxiety and parasocial relationships with virtual characters were also the serial mediators in this association. These findings not only expand previous studies by revealing the social motivation of video game usage and the underlying mechanism accounting for video game addiction, but also provide basis and guidance for the prevention and intervention of video game addiction in the current context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Problematic Social Media Use in Adolescents and Young Adults: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Technology is ever evolving, with more and more diverse activities becoming possible on screen-based devices. However, participating in a heavy screen-based lifestyle may come at a cost. Our hypothesis was that problematic social media use increased the prevalence of mental health outcomes.

OBJECTIVE

This study seeks to systematically examine problematic social media use in youth and its association with symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress.

METHODS

A systematic search was conducted to identify studies in adolescents and young adults, using the databases Engineering Village, Psycinfo, Pubmed, and Web of Science. A total of 18 studies were identified, with a total of 9269 participants in our review and included in the meta-analysis.

RESULTS

Our metaregression shows moderate but statistically significant correlations between problematic social media use and depression (r=0.273, P<.001), anxiety (r=0.348, P<.001), and stress (r=0.313, P<.001). We did not find evidence of heterogeneity of these summary correlations by age, gender, or year of publication.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides further evidence of the association between problematic social media use and negative mental health among adolescents and young adults and supports future research to focus on the underlying mechanisms of problematic use of social media.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

PROSPERO CRD42021222309; https://tinyurl.com/2p9y4bjx.

Social Commerce Intention, Social Interaction, and Social Support

A higher number of socially anxious users were found as more users joined social network sites. Since social commerce has become an important issue, this study investigated the effect of social anxiety on online users’ social commerce intention. Online social interactions are hypothesized to influence social commerce intention directly or indirectly through online social support. 427 effective samples were collected from Facebook users, and the results confirmed most of the causal effects. The study also tested the moderating effect of social anxiety on the causal effects. Of the eight relationships, social anxiety significantly moderates six of them. The relationships between online social interaction and emotional support and between online social interaction and social commerce intention are stronger for users with higher social anxiety. For users with lower social anxiety, the relationship between social support and the receiving of social commerce intention is stronger. The research findings lead to significant theoretical contributions and managerial implications.

Integrating an information systems success model with perceived privacy, perceived security, and trust: the moderating role of Facebook addiction

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of perceived security, perceived privacy, and satisfaction on Facebook user continuance intention. In addition, the serial multiple mediating effects of trust and satisfaction on the relationship between continuance intention and Facebook determinants are explored. This study also investigates the moderating role of Facebook addiction on the relationship between satisfaction and continuance intention.

Design/methodology/approach

To achieve the study aims, an online survey was conducted among university undergraduate students. Data were collected from 450 voluntary participants. The statistical analysis was performed using SPSS and PROCESS macro models.

Findings

The study results confirm that perceived privacy and satisfaction have significant impacts on Facebook continuance intention. The path analysis results confirm the full mediating roles of trust and satisfaction in the relationship between perceived security and continuance intention. Furthermore, the moderating role of Facebook addiction on the relationship between satisfaction and continuance intention is confirmed.

Practical implications

The results of this study offer insights to Facebook managers and policymakers regarding the treatment of and intervention in Facebook continuance intention. The results disclose the critical role of users' satisfaction and perceived privacy in influencing Facebook users' continuance intention for Facebook managers and policymakers. This confirms that Facebook managers and policymakers must maintain user privacy to increase the level of user satisfaction and continuance intention. Furthermore, they must ensure that the requisite security mechanisms are in place to increase user trust and satisfaction that influence users' continuance intention.

Originality/value

This research integrated perceived privacy, perceived security, and trust with an Information System (IS) success model. This is the first study to investigate the serial mediating effects of trust and satisfaction on the determinants of Facebook continuance intention. The moderating effects of Facebook addiction on the relationship between satisfaction and continuance intention are also examined. The study results make important contributions to Facebook continuance intention research and advance scholarship into aspects of undergraduate students' continuance intention in the context of Facebook.

Peer Phubbing and Social Networking Site Addiction: The Mediating Role of Social Anxiety and the Moderating Role of Family Financial Difficulty

A growing body of research has pinpointed the consequences as well as mechanisms of phubbing. However, few studies have explored the relationship between peer phubbing and social networking site addiction. Based on the self-determination theory, the exclusion theory of anxiety, the social compensation model, and the reserve capacity model, the present study examined whether peer phubbing was positively related to social networking site addiction among undergraduates, whether social anxiety mediated the relationship, and whether this mediating process was moderated by family financial difficulty. Our theoretical model was tested using the data collected from 1,401 Chinese undergraduates (M_age = 18.83 years, standard deviation = 0.93). The participants completed anonymous questionnaires that assessed their peer phubbing, social anxiety, social networking site addiction, and family financial difficulty. The correlation analysis indicated that peer phubbing was positively associated with social networking site addiction. The testing for moderated mediation further revealed that social anxiety partially mediated the association between peer phubbing and social networking site addiction, with family financial difficulty moderating the first stage. To be specific, the indirect association between peer phubbing and social networking site addiction via social anxiety was stronger for undergraduates in high family financial difficulty. The results from this study extend research on the potential consequences of phubbing as well as highlight the significance of uncovering the underlying mechanisms.

Moderated-mediation analysis of problematic social networking use: The role of anxious attachment orientation, fear of missing out and satisfaction with life

Anxious attachment orientation has a well document relationship with problematic social networking use. Additionally, the fear of missing out and satisfaction with life have emerged as robust predictors of problematic social networking use. However, it remains unclear how these determinants may converge to promote problematic social networking use. Thus, the current study examined how anxious attachment, fear of missing out, and satisfaction with life concurrently influence problematic social networking use. One hundred and eighty-eight participants were recruited from online dissertation swap sites to complete an online questionnaire. The mean age of the sample was 31.95 (SD = 11.54) and 67% were female. As expected, anxious attachment was positively related to problematic social networking use. Further analysis indicated the relationship between anxious attachment and problematic social networking use was mediated by fear of missing out, and this relationship was moderated by satisfaction with life. These findings indicate that engendering greater levels of life satisfaction in those who engage in problematic social networking could present a viable prevention or treatment strategy.

The Type of Daily Life Stressors Associated with Social Media Use in Adolescents with Problematic Internet/Smartphone Use

OBJECTIVE

This study investigated the types of daily life stressors associated with social media use in adolescents with problematic Internet/smartphone use in a city in Korea.

METHODS

Data from 2,997 Internet and smartphone users who participated in a survey about the actual use of smart digital media in Korea were included. The measurement tools included questionnaires on Internet and smartphone usage patterns and types of daily life stressors as well as the Internet Gaming Use-Elicited Symptom Screen and a smartphone addiction scale. The subjects were divided into a problematic Internet/smartphone use group and a control group. We compared the types of daily life stressors associated with social media use for each group.

RESULTS

All types of daily life stressors were more prevalent in the problematic Internet use group than in the control group. In the problematic Internet/smartphone use group, the types of daily life stressors that were positively associated with social media use were sibling rivalry and physical health. In the control group, social media use was negatively associated with daily life stressors related to appearance and heterosexual relationships.

CONCLUSION

There is a need to provide personalized stress management related to social media use for adolescents with problematic Internet/smartphone use.

The Relationship Between the Use of Mobile Social Media and Subjective Well-Being: The Mediating Effect of Boredom Proneness

Objective

This study took users of short-form mobile videos as research participants to explore the role of their boredom proneness in mediating the relationship between the use of mobile social media (UMSM) and subjective well-being (SWB).

Methods

A sample of 656 users was evaluated by the Problematic Mobile Social Media Usage Assessment Questionnaire, General Well-Being Schedule, and Boredom Proneness Scale.

Results

Firstly, significant interactions were found between monthly living expenses and the UMSM of the participants, which were recognized as factors affecting SWB. Secondly, the level of living expenses had little effect on the high-level and low-level groups of the UMSM but imposed a significant impact on the medium-level group. Thirdly, the UMSM showed an influence that could positively predict boredom; both the UMSM and boredom demonstrated a negative predictive effect on SWB.

Conclusion

The findings indicate that the inappropriate use of mobile social media negatively affects users' subjective well-being; boredom partially mediated the relationship between the use of mobile social media and SWB.

Parental Socialization, Social Anxiety, and School Victimization: A Mediation Model

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between parenting dimensions (involvement/acceptance vs. strictness/imposition) and school victimization, considering the possible mediating role of social anxiety. The sample comprised 887 adolescents (52.3% girls) aged between 12 and 16 (M = 13.84 and SD = 1.22) enrolled at three compulsory secondary education ("ESO" or "Educación Secundaria Obligatoria" in Spanish) schools located in the provinces of Valencia, Teruel and Seville (Spain). A structural equations model was developed using the Mplus 7.4 program. The results obtained indicate that social anxiety mediates the relationship between parenting dimensions (involvement/acceptance vs. strictness/imposition) and school victimization. Finally, the results and their potential theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Social Networks Use Disorder and Associations With Depression and Anxiety Symptoms: A Systematic Review of Recent Research in China

Background: An increasing number of studies have investigated Social Networks Use Disorder (SNUD) among Western samples. In this context, the investigation of SNUD in Asia and especially in China has been much neglected. This poses a gap in the literature; it has been estimated that more than one billion Chinese people are using Chinese social networking sites (SNSs). Of note, many of these Chinese SNSs are rather unknown to researchers in Western countries. Aims: The primary objective of the present systematic review was to identify and evaluate studies that investigated Chinese SNS use and associations between SNUD and depression and anxiety symptoms. Method: A comprehensive search strategy identified relevant studies in PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, MEDLINE, ProQuest, Web of Science, PubMed, Google Scholar, and the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure database (CNKI). Results: The search strategy identified 35 potential studies, 13 studies were identified after shortlisting and full-text reviews of the studies, and finally 10 studies were included in the full review. Associations between SNUD, depression, and anxiety were reported in 10 studies. In eight (of the 10) studies, symptom severity of SNUD was associated with depression. Four studies reported associations between SNUD and anxiety. Most studies had utilized cross-sectional survey designs. Conclusions: Most associations were found between SNUD and depression symptoms, but effect sizes were higher between SNUD and anxiety symptoms. The results have the potential to inform prevention and interventions on SNUD in Eastern cultures, although we explicitly state that our work focuses on China, the transfer of the present observations to other Asian countries (and their cultures) still needs to be established.

Verbal Abuse Related to Self-Esteem Damage and Unjust Blame Harms Mental Health and Social Interaction in College Population

Verbal abuse is an emotional abuse intended to inflict intense humiliation-denigration-fear as perceived by exposed person. Network-based approaches have been applied to explore the integrative-segregated patterns of associations among the psychological features and external stimuli for diverse populations; few studies reported for verbal abuse effects in college population. Self-reporting measurements acquired form 5,616 college students were used for network analyses. Escalating cascades of verbal abuse from differential sources (parents, peers, or supervisors; network 1) and directed associations among verbal abuse severity-psychopathology-social interaction (network 2) were estimated using the directed acyclic graphs. Principal connectors of verbal abuse–psychopathology–social interaction were shown using the graph theory metrics calculated from the intra-individual covariance networks (network 3). Directed propagating patterns of verbal abuse phenomena differed by source (network 1). Severe peer-related verbal abuse affected psychomotor changes and influenced irritability (network 2). Verbal abuse of self-esteem damage and unjust blame served as connectors in the verbal abuse-psychopathology-social interaction; influence of smartphone overuse-related distress was stronger in cases with more severe verbal abuse (network 3). Verbal abuse that damages self-esteem and conveys unjust blame harms mental health and social interaction for college population.