Craving Facebook? Behavioral addiction to online social networking and its association with emotion regulation deficits. (December 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hormes, Julia M.; Kearns, Brianna; Timko, C. Alix
• Is Part Of: Addiction. Volume 109:Number 12(2014:Dec.)
• Page Start: 2079
• Page End: 2088
• Publication Date: 2014-12
• Subjects: Alcoholism -- Periodicals; Drug addiction -- Periodicals; 616.86
• DOI: 10.1111/add.12713
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0965-2140

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main"> <title>Abstract</title> <sec id="add12713-sec-0001" sec-type="section"> <title>Aims</title> <p>To assess disordered online social networking use via modified diagnostic criteria for substance dependence, and to examine its association with difficulties with emotion regulation and substance use.</p> </sec> <sec id="add12713-sec-0002" sec-type="section"> <title>Design</title> <p>Cross‐sectional survey study targeting undergraduate students. Associations between disordered online social networking use, internet addiction, deficits in emotion regulation and alcohol use problems were examined using univariate and multivariate analyses of covariance.</p> </sec> <sec id="add12713-sec-0003" sec-type="section"> <title>Setting</title> <p>A large University in the Northeastern United States.</p> </sec> <sec id="add12713-sec-0004" sec-type="section"> <title>Participants</title> <p>Undergraduate students (<italic>n</italic> = 253, 62.8% female, 60.9% white, age mean= 19.68, standard deviation = 2.85), largely representative of the target population. The response rate was 100%.</p> </sec> <sec id="add12713-sec-0005" sec-type="section"> <title>Measurements</title> <p>Disordered online social networking use, determined via modified measures of alcohol abuse and dependence, including DSM‐IV‐TR diagnostic criteria for alcohol dependence, the Penn Alcohol Craving Scale and the Cut‐down, Annoyed, Guilt, Eye‐opener (CAGE) screen, along with the Young Internet Addiction Test, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, Acceptance and Action Questionnaire‐II, White Bear Suppression Inventory and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale.</p> </sec> <sec id="add12713-sec-0006" sec-type="section"> <title>Findings</title> <p>Disordered online social networking use was present in 9.7% [<italic>n</italic> = 23; 95% confidence interval (5.9, 13.4)] of the sample surveyed, and significantly and positively associated with scores on the Young Internet Addiction Test (<italic>P</italic> < 0.001), greater difficulties with emotion regulation (<italic>P</italic> = 0.003) and problem drinking (<italic>P</italic> = 0.03).</p> </sec> <sec id="add12713-sec-0007" sec-type="section"> <title>Conclusions</title> <p>The use of online social networking sites is potentially addictive. Modified measures of substance abuse and dependence are suitable in assessing disordered online social networking use. Disordered online social networking use seems to arise as part of a cluster of symptoms of poor emotion regulation skills and heightened susceptibility to both substance and non‐substance addiction.</p> </sec> </abstract>