<p>A latent profile approach for the study of internet gaming disorder, social media addiction, and psychopathology in a normative sample of adolescents</p>

Abstract

Background For a small minority of individuals, the overuse of digital technologies has been associated with negative factors, including psychological distress and psychopathological symptoms. Two technology-based addictions – internet gaming disorder (IGD) and social media addiction (SMA) – have been found to be related to comorbid disorders and impulsivity especially in adolescents and emerging adults’ populations, but results in this field are inconclusive Purpose Using the latent profile analysis (LPA), this study identified different profiles of adolescents characterized by unique patterns of psychopathological risks, and similar levels of impulsivity, IGD, and SMA. Participants and methods A total of 643 participants (312 males; M age =16.02 years) were divided into three age groups (early, mid-, and late adolescence). They completed a battery of scales comprising: Internet Gaming Disorder Scale–Short Form, Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale for Adolescents, and Symptom Checklist-90-R. Results LPAs revealed distinct profiles across early, mid- and late adolescence with regards to the psychopathological variables taken into account. Specifically, only two profiles were identified in the 14–15 year age group, whereas three profiles emerged in the 16–17 year age group. Conclusion This study highlighted that the profiles identified in each age group differed in terms of psychopathological risk (low, medium and high), showing instead similar (and non-clinical) scores in technology-based addictions and impulsivity. Results could be useful in designing prevention and intervention programs in youth showing similar patterns for technology-based addictions, but different levels of psychopathological symptoms.

Selfitis Behavior: Assessing the Italian Version of the Selfitis Behavior Scale and Its Mediating Role in the Relationship of Dark Traits with Social Media Addiction

“…Finally, examining the mediating associations between Dark Triad traits and social media addiction requires the inclusion of gender as an important variable to get the full picture, since significant gender effects were generally found among the aforementioned associations. Some studies have reported that girls usually share and post more selfies on social networks than boys [ 30 , 34 , 48 , 49 , 50 ], and other studies have reported an association between narcissism and selfie-posting and editing behavior among men [ 27 , 31 , 48 ]. Similarly, Arpaci et al’s study [ 48 ] demonstrated the influence of selfie behavior on narcissism but only in men.…”

Psychological Characteristics and Addiction Propensity According to Content Type of Smartphone Use

“…These characteristics can also make people more vulnerable to behavioral addiction [7] in the form of habitual checking or excessive use of smartphones. Previous studies have reported that excessive smartphone use in adolescents is associated with psychopathologies (i.e., depression, anxiety, high-stress levels, and low mood) and behavioral problems [8,9], because adolescents are easily affected by external stimulus, interpersonal issues, and emotional changes. Another study on young adults suggested that excessive smartphone use is related to high stress, and it is also inversely related to academic performance, as well as life satisfaction [10].…”

The relationship between maladaptive personality functioning and problematic technology use in adolescence: A cluster analysis approach

“…To date, only a few recent studies have simultaneously explored the use of multiple technological instruments during adolescence highlighting various technology‐related behavior patterns (Carras, Van Rooij, Van de Mheen, Musci, Xue & Mendelson, 2017; Cerniglia, Griffiths, Cimino et al ., 2019; Lee et al ., 2018). In particular, Carras and colleagues (2017) investigated problematic videogame use and online social interactions identifying two groups of heavy gamers who differed in their level of online communication.…”

“…However, both groups showed more depressive symptoms than normative gamers . In a similar study, social media addiction and problematic videogame use were investigated (Cerniglia, Griffiths, Cimino et al ., 2019). The results revealed two profiles of users in the 14–15 year age group and three profiles in the 16–17 year age group.…”