How maladaptive cognitions contribute to the development of problematic social media use
- PMID: 32467856
- PMCID: PMC7244923
- DOI: 10.1016/j.abrep.2020.100267
How maladaptive cognitions contribute to the development of problematic social media use
Abstract
The current study investigates the effects of perfectionism discrepancies (PD) and social hopelessness (SH) on problematic social media use as conceptualized by the cognitive-behavioral model.
Methods: A sample of 400 university students (52.3% women; mean age = 22.01 ± 1.99) completed measures assessing PD, SH, and problematic social media use.
Results: Structural equation modeling showed that both social hopelessness and feeling discrepant from personal and prescribed standards predicted the preference for online social interactions (POSI). POSI predicted the motivation to use online social media as a means of alleviating distressing feelings, the inability to regulate social media use and the negative outcomes resulting from use of SNS.
Conclusions: In line with the cognitive-behavioral model of problematic Internet use, the present study suggests the primary importance of maladaptive cognitions about the self (i.e. perfectionism discrepancies) and the world (i.e. social hopelessness) for the development of a preference for online social interactions. In particular, the present study shows that individuals are likely to opt for online social interactions as a function of their pessimistic social expectancies and the sense of inadequacy that comes from perceptions of falling short of expectations.
Keywords: Maladaptive cognitions; Perfectionism discrepancies; Preference for online social interactions; Social hopelessness; Social media problematic use.
© 2020 The Authors.
Conflict of interest statement
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Figures
![Fig. 1](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/7244923/bin/gr1.gif)
Similar articles
-
[Girls are more successful than boys at the university. Gender group differences in models integrating motivational and aggressive components correlated with Test-Anxiety].Encephale. 2004 Jan-Feb;30(1):1-15. doi: 10.1016/s0013-7006(04)95410-3. Encephale. 2004. PMID: 15029071 French.
-
Modeling Problematic Facebook Use: Highlighting the role of mood regulation and preference for online social interaction.Addict Behav. 2018 Dec;87:214-221. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2018.07.014. Epub 2018 Jul 23. Addict Behav. 2018. PMID: 30056306
-
From socially prescribed perfectionism to problematic use of internet communicative services: the mediating roles of perceived social support and the fear of negative evaluation.Addict Behav. 2014 Dec;39(12):1816-22. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2014.06.006. Epub 2014 Jun 20. Addict Behav. 2014. PMID: 25127198
-
Maladaptive cognitions predict changes in problematic gaming in highly-engaged adults: A 12-month longitudinal study.Addict Behav. 2017 Feb;65:125-130. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2016.10.013. Epub 2016 Oct 25. Addict Behav. 2017. PMID: 27816037
-
An examination of emotion dysregulation in maladaptive perfectionism.Clin Psychol Rev. 2019 Jul;71:39-50. doi: 10.1016/j.cpr.2019.04.006. Epub 2019 Apr 30. Clin Psychol Rev. 2019. PMID: 31078057 Review.
Cited by
-
Insecure Minds through the Looking Glass: The Mediating Role of Mentalization in the Relationships between Adult Attachment Styles and Problematic Social Media Use.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2024 Feb 22;21(3):255. doi: 10.3390/ijerph21030255. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2024. PMID: 38541257 Free PMC article.
-
Totally All Alone with My Thoughts: Development, Psychometric Properties and Correlates of the Loneliness Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire.Psychol Res Behav Manag. 2024 Mar 12;17:1073-1085. doi: 10.2147/PRBM.S433211. eCollection 2024. Psychol Res Behav Manag. 2024. PMID: 38495085 Free PMC article.
-
Perfect people, happier lives? When the quest for perfection compromises happiness: the roles played by substance use and internet addiction.Front Public Health. 2023 Sep 28;11:1234164. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1234164. eCollection 2023. Front Public Health. 2023. PMID: 37841705 Free PMC article.
-
The Moderator Effect of Subthreshold Autistic Traits on the Relationship between Quality of Life and Internet Addiction.Healthcare (Basel). 2023 Jan 7;11(2):186. doi: 10.3390/healthcare11020186. Healthcare (Basel). 2023. PMID: 36673554 Free PMC article.
-
Identifying the central symptoms of problematic social networking sites use through network analysis.J Behav Addict. 2021 Aug 25;10(3):767-778. doi: 10.1556/2006.2021.00053. J Behav Addict. 2021. PMID: 34437299 Free PMC article.
References
-
- Alden L.E., Ryder A.G., Mellings T.M.B. Perfectionism in the context of social fears: Toward a two-component model. In: Flett G.L., Hewitt P.L., editors. Perfectionism: Theory, research, and treatment. American Psychological Association; Washington, DC: 2002. pp. 373–391.
-
- Andreassen C.S. Online social network site addiction: A comprehensive review. Current Addiction Reports. 2015;2:175–184.
-
- Andreassen C.S., Pallesen S. Social network site addiction—an overview. Current Pharmaceutical Design. 2014;20:4053–4061. - PubMed
-
- Bentler P.M. Multivariate Software; Encino, CA: 1995. EQS structural equations program manual.
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources