Emotion Regulation and Desire Thinking as Predictors of Problematic Facebook Use

Marino, Claudia; Caselli, Gabriele; Lenzi, Michela; Monaci, Maria Grazia; Vieno, Alessio; Nikčević, Ana V.; Spada, Marcantonio M.

doi:10.1007/s11126-019-09628-1

Cited by 46 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 24 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…However, in some cases, this may represent a maladaptive strategy that might foster a dysfunctional feedback loop reinforcing lonely individuals' anxiety in the specific pandemic circumstance. Accordingly, problematic social media use has already been evidenced as a dysfunctional emotional-regulation strategy (117)(118)(119), although it is frequently used to control mood (120)(121)(122)(123)(124). Thus, despite this excessive social media use denoting individuals' efforts to face their sense of loneliness and isolation, it might also foster more negative outcomes if forced by the situation and prolonged in time.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Facing Loneliness and Anxiety During the COVID-19 Isolation: The Role of Excessive Social Media Use in a Sample of Italian Adults

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) prompted people to face a distressing and unexpected situation. Uncertainty and social distancing changed people's behaviors, impacting on their feelings, daily habits, and social relationships, which are core elements in human well-being. In particular, restrictions due to the quarantine increased feelings of loneliness and anxiety. Within this context, the use of digital technologies has been recommended to relieve stress and anxiety and to decrease loneliness, even though the overall effects of social media consumption during pandemics still need to be carefully addressed. In this regard, social media use evidence risk and opportunities. In fact, according to a compensatory model of Internet-related activities, the online environment may be used to alleviate negative feelings caused by distressing life circumstances, despite potentially leading to negative outcomes. The present study examined whether individuals who were experiencing high levels of loneliness during the forced isolation for COVID-19 pandemic were more prone to feel anxious, and whether their sense of loneliness prompted excessive social media use. Moreover, the potentially mediating effect of excessive social media use in the relationship between perceived loneliness and anxiety was tested. A sample of 715 adults (71.5% women) aged between 18 and 72 years old took part in an online survey during the period of lockdown in Italy. The survey included self-report measures to assess perceived sense of loneliness, excessive use of social media, and anxiety. Participants reported that they spent more hours/day on social media during the pandemic than before the pandemic. We found evidence that perceived feelings of loneliness predicted both excessive social media use and anxiety, with excessive social media use also increasing anxiety levels. These findings suggest that isolation probably reinforced the individuals' sense of loneliness, strengthening the need to be part of virtual communities. However, the facilitated and prolonged access to social media during the COVID-19 pandemic risked to further increase anxiety, generating a vicious cycle that in some cases may require clinical attention.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Facing Loneliness and Anxiety During the COVID-19 Isolation: The Role of Excessive Social Media Use in a Sample of Italian Adults

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Research undertaken across numerous studies has shown that desire thinking is a transdiagnostic process as it is present across a range of targets, including alcohol (Caselli, Ferla, Mezzaluna, Rovetto, & Spada, 2012;Caselli, Gemelli, & Spada, 2017;Caselli & Spada, 2010), nicotine (Caselli, Nik cevi c, Fiore, Mezzaluna, & Spada, 2012;Caselli & Spada, 2010), food (Spada, Caselli, Fernie et al, 2015), gambling (Caselli & Spada, 2010;Fernie et al, 2014), problematic Internet (Spada, Caselli, Slaifer, Nik cevi c, & Sassaroli, 2014) social media use (Marino et al, 2019), and pornography (Allen, Kannis-Dymand, & Katsikitis, 2017; for a recent systematic review and meta-analysis see; Mansueto et al, 2019).…”

Section: Desire Thinkingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Desire thinking as a predictor of compulsive sexual behaviour in adolescents: Evidence from a cross-cultural validation of the Hebrew version of the Desire Thinking Questionnaire

Efrati

Kolubinski

Caselli

et al. 2020

JBA

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundDesire thinking is a voluntary cognitive process that involves the perseverative focus on memories, images and information related to a desired target. The aim of the present study was to validate the Hebrew version of the Desire Thinking Questionnaire (DTQ; Caselli & Spada, 2011) in a sample of adolescents and to investigate its relationship with measures of thought suppression, impulsivity and individual-based compulsive sexual behaviour.MethodsIn Study 1, a convenience sample of 718 adolescents completed the newly translated Desire Thinking Questionnaire in Hebrew (DTQ-H) and results were subjected to an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA). In Study 2, a convenience sample of 379 adolescents completed a battery of questionnaires including the DTQ-H. A Confirmatory Factors Analysis was performed on the DTQ-H and validity was ascertained by correlating with other measures.ResultsIn Study 1, a 9-item two-factor structure was identified. A 6-item two-factor structure was confirmed in Study 2. Results also indicated that the DTQ-H has acceptable levels of reliability, and good concurrent and incremental validity in predicting compulsive sexual behaviour.ConclusionsThe 6-item DTQ-H appears to be a reliable and valid measure of desire thinking and may be used also on adolescents – an understudied population.

show abstract

“…The diversity of contents related to physical appearance in a social network makes it easier for negative emotional responses to appear which not all users know how to manage with adaptive emotion regulation strategies (ER). Hormes, Kearns, and Timko (2014) and Marino et al (2019) found a positive relationship between problematic Facebook use and greater ER difficulties (experiential avoidance, emotional rejection, poor impulse control). Therefore, the use of a social network like Instagram could impede identifying, understanding and accepting emotional experiences derived from a setting which values and evaluates appearance.…”

mentioning

confidence: 94%

The dark side of Instagram: Predictor model of dysmorphic concerns

Senín‐Calderón

Perona‐Garcelán

Rodríguez‐Testal

2020

International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background/Objective Dysmorphic concern are excessive preoccupation about one or several physical characteristics perceived as defects, usually unnoticeable by others. This study was intended to explore the relationship between Instagram use and dysmorphic concerns through appearance-related comparisons, ideas of reference and problems with emotion regulation, and find out whether this relationship is moderated by gender. Method: The sample was comprised of 796 participants ( M age = 22.49; SD = 3.56; 54% women). Results: The results showed a non-significant direct effect between Instagram use and dysmorphic concerns. However, the relationship between these variables was statistically significant through appearance-related comparisons, ideas of reference about “laughing, commenting” and difficulties in emotion regulation. Gender did not moderate any relationship. Conclusions: Men and women who made the most use of Instagram were equally vulnerable to dysmorphic concerns when they tended to compare their appearance with other users, had problems regulating their emotions, and showed interpretative biases related to the belief that others could make comments about them or laugh at them because of their imperfections. The implications of the study are discussed.

show abstract

Emotion Regulation and Desire Thinking as Predictors of Problematic Facebook Use

Abstract: Emotion regulation and desire thinking in problematic Facebook use Funding sources: No external funding source for this study has been received.

Cited by 46 publications

References 24 publications

Facing Loneliness and Anxiety During the COVID-19 Isolation: The Role of Excessive Social Media Use in a Sample of Italian Adults

Facing Loneliness and Anxiety During the COVID-19 Isolation: The Role of Excessive Social Media Use in a Sample of Italian Adults

Desire thinking as a predictor of compulsive sexual behaviour in adolescents: Evidence from a cross-cultural validation of the Hebrew version of the Desire Thinking Questionnaire

The dark side of Instagram: Predictor model of dysmorphic concerns

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About