An exploratory analysis of the relationship of problematic Facebook use with loneliness and self-esteem: the mediating roles of extraversion and self- presentation

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Authors

Troy Smith¹

1. Targeted Evidence-Based Research Solutions Ltd

Conference / event

2022 National Health Research Conference, November 2022 (Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago)

Poster summary

The study examined direct and indirect effects of factors associated with problematic Facebook use (PFU) among University students in Trinidad and Tobago. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires that captured psychological factors (loneliness & self-esteem), personality (extraversion) and motives (self-presentation). PFU was evaluated using the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale. The prevalence of ‘at-risk’ users was 6.0% with both loneliness and self-esteem significantly associated with PFU. Self-presentation significantly mediated the relationship of loneliness and self-esteem and PFU with PFU. While extraversion only significantly mediated the relationship between self-esteem and PFU. Overall, self- presentation accounted for 33.6% of the total effect of loneliness on PFU. While the cumulative interaction of extraversion and self-presentation resulted in a 47.6% decrease in the direct effect of self-esteem on PFU. Variations in the relationship between psychological factors and PFU were associated with the dominant personality traits and motives for social media use of individuals.

Keywords

Facebook addiction, Loneliness, Self-esteem, Social problems, Mediation, Self-presentation

Research areas

Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences

References

1. Primi, C., Fioravanti, G., Casale, S., & Donati, M. A. (2021). Measuring Problematic Facebook Use among Adolescents and Young Adults with the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale: A Psychometric Analysis by Applying Item Response Theory. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(6), 2979. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18062979
2. Skogen, J. C., Hjetland, G. J., Bøe, T., Hella, R. T., & Knudsen, A. K. (2021). Through the Looking Glass of Social Media. Focus on Self-Presentation and Association with Mental Health and Quality of Life. A Cross-Sectional Survey-Based Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(6), 3319. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18063319
3. Smith, T. (2022). An exploratory analysis of the relationship of problematic Facebook use with loneliness and self-esteem: The mediating roles of extraversion and self-presentation. Current Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-03505-0
4. Zhou, Y., Li, H., Han, L., & Yin, S. (2021). Relationship Between Big Five Personality and Pathological Internet Use: Mediating Effects of Loneliness and Depression. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 739981. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.739981

Funding

No data provided

Supplemental files

No data provided

Additional information

Competing interests

No competing interests were disclosed.

Data availability statement

The datasets generated during and / or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Creative Commons license

Copyright © 2023 Smith. This is an open access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.