Attachment and problematic Facebook use in adolescents: the mediating role of metacognitions

Background and aims: Recent research used attachment theory and the metacognitive tenet as frameworks to explain problematic Facebook use (PFU). This study aims to test, in a single model, the role of different attachment styles and metacognitions in PFU among adolescents. Methods: Two separate studies were conducted in order to establish the link between security (Study 1) and insecurity (Study 2), metacognitions, and PFU. A total of 369 and 442 Italian adolescents (age: 14–20 years old) participated in Study 1 and Study 2, respectively. Results: Path analyses revealed the relative importance of different attachment dimensions with mother and father in predicting PFU and the mediating role of metacognitions between attachment styles and PFU. Discussion and conclusion: In conclusion, since attachment styles and PFU may significantly affect adolescents’ development and well-being, the results of this study may provide some practical indications for researchers and practitioners

Influence of Childhood Social Media Use on Parental Attachment and Individual Self-Regulation as an Adult

The utilization of social media continues to rise as technology becomes more refined. Social media has become a topic for extensive research due to this continuing upward trend of use among its diverse set of users. Evidence indicates that there are positive and negative outcomes that originate from the use of social media, including the inability to self-regulate. Several research articles also indicate that the lack of parental attachment, results in the inability to self-regulate. Research shows that social media has a negative effect on self-regulation, but there is limited data on how this association affects all ages, including adults. This paper will serve as a review of research on parental attachment, social media, and self-regulation and provides a discussion of future possible research that involves emerging adults

The Relationship Between Narcissism Attachment Styles and the Response to Social Media

Previous research suggests that narcissism is correlated with higher social media use and that self-esteem motivates this use. Additionally, research suggests that individuals with anxious or avoidant attachment styles have “self object” needs that are fulfilled through interactions with others. In the current research, we examined the correlation between narcissism and social media use, as well as the correlation between attachment style and social media use. Participants were given questionnaires to measure narcissism, attachment style, social media use, and self-esteem. Participants were also assigned to one of three feedback conditions, positive, neutral, or negative, on a social media site. Results indicated that participants with anxious, avoidant or insecure attachment style reported significantly lower levels of self-esteem in response to neutral and negative feedback than did participants without avoidant, anxious, or secure attachment styles. The research therefore provides evidence that attachment style may predict self-esteem levels in response to social media feedback

Tracing Relations Between Attachment, Social Media Use, Self-Esteem, Loneliness, and Depression: A Mediation Model

An extensive amount of correlational research has well-established the link between insecure attachment style and subsequent adverse interpersonal and psychopathological outcomes. Moreover, the rise of social media has precipitated a shift in the methods by which individuals communicate; consequently, this has resulted in the shifting of preexisting dispositions toward dysfunctional behaviors to a more ubiquitous route of manifestation. Given that attachment literature has indicated notable differences in both underlying mechanisms and resulting outcomes of both avoidant and anxious attachment, examination of this alongside social media use provides valuable insight into potential relationships between the two. Further, research has examined the implications of each of these constructs in relation to self-esteem and loneliness; however, despite the extensive research, there remains a lack of consensus on the positive or negative implications of these interactions. Accordingly, much of the previous literature has neglected to examine the potential psychopathological implications following the combination of each of these constructs. A series of regression analyses revealed significant indirect effects between attachment style and depression. Results indicated a significant positive relationship between best friend attachment anxiety and social media usage; further examination revealed notable significant mediating roles of both self-esteem and loneliness in the indirect relationship between insecure attachment style and depression. Collectively, these findings not only extend research’s understanding of the complex dynamics amongst these variables, but it also advocates the value of further research into attachment style-specific outcomes

Interrelationship between Attachment Styles and Facebook Addiction

Social networking sites have started to become one of the most frequently used online communication types in the world. It is reported that one of the commonly used social networking sites is Facebook. Since Facebook use is new yet, it can be stated that researches on the Facebook addiction are at the beginning level. For this reason, determining factors leading to the Facebook addiction has gained importance. In this context, in this study, relationships between attachment styles and the Facebook addiction were examined. The participants of the study were 322 university students [145(45%) male, 177(55%) female, Mage=20.61 years, SD=1.82]. In the study, the Personal Information Form, the Relationship Scales Questionnaire and the Facebook Addiction Scale were administered. The relationships between attachment styles and the Facebook addiction were calculated via using the Pearson correlation analysis. The Pearson correlation analysis results indicated that the Facebook addiction was negatively related with the secure and dismissing attachment style and positively related with the preoccupied attachment style. No relationship was found between the fearful attachment style and the Facebook addiction. If the attachment styles predicted the Facebook addiction was examined via using the stepwise regression analysis. The research findings indicated that the secure and dismissing attachment style negatively predicted and the preoccupied attachment style positively predicted the Facebook addiction. However, it was determined that the fearful attachment style did not predict Facebook addiction. The research findings were discussed under the light of related literature

Attachment style moderates the relationship between social media use and user mental health and wellbeing

Background: Past research has correlated social media use with a variety of mental health outcomes – both positive and negative. The current study aims to explore two possible moderators of the link between social media use and mental health outcomes; specifically, the effects of having an anxious and/or avoidant attachment style. Method; A cross-sectional correlational design was implemented. Participants (n = 124). aged ≥18 years completed scales measuring experiences in close relationships, general problematic Internet use, psychological wellbeing and satisfaction with life. Results: Negative relationships between problematic social media use and both psychological wellbeing and life satisfaction were observed. For psychological wellbeing, the relationship was strongest amongst individuals who were low in avoidant attachment and high in anxious attachment. Discussion: These results suggest that attachment style impacts the extent that social media affects user mental health and wellbeing; partly explaining paradoxical results in previous research. Conclusion: We suggest that individuals who are high in anxious attachment and low in attachment avoidance may be more susceptible to negative outcomes arising from problematic SNS use

Sport and physical education as prevention against technological addictions

There is no question that technologies have revolutionized the way with which our world operates and consequently the individuals' life styles. On the other hand, nowadays, technological addiction is an educational problem underestimated yet given its pervasiveness and diffusion among teenagers. Learning and cognition processes are influenced by the environmental experience, as technology has created a new environmental space to experience among digital natives. The purpose of this article is to examine some positive and negative effects of technology on teenagers' life styles. From a methodological point of view, a systematic review of the existing literature will be provided following the PRISMA guidelines both on technological addictions, examining the negative effects on adolescent mental health, and on educational strategies, on the other hand, aimed at promoting positive effects through analysis of the relationships between technology and learning processes. By comparing empirical studies and international experiences, it can be suggested that education plays a key role in preventing behavioural addictions and promoting physical and mental well-being, given that technology could represent a precursor of positive and stable attitudes towards healthy habits and learning processes

Adult attachment, cognitive, emotional and behavioural responses and the impact of social media

Individual differences in attachment style have been associated with a range of different experiences in adult romantic relationships including how we think, feel and respond behaviourally (Gillath et al., 2016). These differences are understood through the operation of internal working models of attachment of self and other (Simpson & Rholes, 2017; Collins & Allard, 2001; Collins & Read, 1990). Despite the theoretical importance of context in understanding how working models function, there is little empirical work into the impact of contextual differences on the operation of working models and the consequent impact on relationship experiences (Mikulincer & Shaver, 2016). As a near ubiquitous feature of contemporary romantic relationships, the role of social media on the activation of attachment working models is an under-researched area. Furthermore, there is a growing interest in the impact of social media on social psychological processes. Little is known, however, about whether and in what way social media contexts transform offline processes as opposed to merely mirroring them, as described in the mirroring framework (see Nesi et al., 2018). This conceptual introduction will describe research on adult attachment, internal working models, the associations with cognitive, emotional and behavioural responses in adult romantic relationships and the impact of context on attachment processes. In the second part, it will consider two frameworks (McFarland & Ployhart, 2015, Nesi et al., 2018) that explain how social media is a distinct interpersonal context that impacts the cognition, affect and behaviour of individuals. The introduction will conclude by drawing on this research to make predictions about how social media context might influence the relationship between attachment and cognitive, emotional and behavioural responses in romantic relationships

An Exploration Of In-Person And Online Social Interaction: Examining The Effects Of Two Domains Of Social Behavior

Social interaction is a core dimension of a fulfilling life. At present, the study of social interaction has focused largely on online social interaction due to the prevalence of this behavior in modern society, and the large impact of this manner of interaction on the psychological health of individuals. In terms of online behavior, both positive and negative effects may be experienced. Better understanding predictors and outcomes of online behavior would thus be a timely and valuable contribution to literature. The present study examined anxious and avoidant attachment style as predictors of social intimacy, levels of both in-person and online intimate disclosure, a negative attitude toward technology, and problematic internet use. It was then examined whether these variables in combination predicted social well-being. Participants were collected online using Amazon Mechanical Turk. The present sample of 314 participants was restricted to those that are currently young adults, which for the purpose of this study was defined as those individuals aged 18-25. A series of six total hierarchical regressions were conducted. It was found that both anxious and avoidant attachment positively predicted problematic internet use, neither predicted online intimate disclosure, and only avoidant attachment predicted negative attitudes toward technology. While avoidant attachment negatively predicted social intimacy and in-person disclosure, anxious attachment positively predicted both of these. Social well-being was positively predicted by social intimacy and network number and negatively predicted by negative attitudes toward technology, problematic internet use, and online self-disclosure. The present study demonstrated that attachment style has a strong relationship to many variables related to online and in-person behavior