Loneliness unlocked: Associations with smartphone use and personality

Communication and relationships have been dramatically altered among emerging adults thanks to the rapid adoption of the smartphone in just over a decade. Studying the effects of evolving personal technology helps researchers understand both the detriments of widespread adoption and the benefits that accompany the technology. One such area of concern is the relationship of technology with loneliness. Emerging adulthood is described as the period of transition from adolescence to adulthood, taking place from age 18–25. This period is characterized by change, exploration, but also a vulnerability to psychological distress. Young adults are not only at greater risk of loneliness compared to other developmental stages, but report greater distress about being lonely (Rokach, 2000). Previous research has found support for the hypothesis that use of social communication on the Internet has a bidirectional relationship with loneliness (Nowland et al., 2018); use of the Internet can support relationships and decrease loneliness, but if used as a compensation for social skill deficits, the Internet can also displace quality time spent in relationships, and thereby increase loneliness. This study examines loneliness and its relationship with smartphone use, while also accounting for individual differences in facets of neuroticism, communication apprehension, emotional support, and nomophobia for emerging adults. Participants (N = 302; MAGE = 18.85) completed self-report measures of loneliness and the individual differences variables. They also reported average daily smartphone data of screen time, pickups, and application (app) use, which was measured by their personal devices. Correlations indicated loneliness was positively associated with screen time, social media app use, neuroticism, social recognition, communication anxiety, and nomophobia. Loneliness was negatively associated with smartphone pickups, communication application use, need for affiliation, and emotional support. A regression analysis revealed that neuroticism, need for affiliation, social recognition, emotional support, and smartphone pickups were significant predictors of loneliness, when taking into account all the individual difference and smartphone use variables. Neuroticism and loneliness have a strong relationship, but a hierarchical regression showed that over and above neuroticism and its facets, smartphone screen time and pickups predict loneliness. Overall, the results for this sample of emerging adults supported the hypotheses by Nowland et al. (2018) about social use of the Internet, but applied to smartphone use. More time spent on one\u27s smartphone and on social media apps is related to increased loneliness, and is discussed in context of identity development. More frequent use (pickups) and use of communication apps is related to decreased loneliness and is discussed with respect to development of relationship intimacy. These results suggest that loneliness in young adults is related to different types of smartphone use, even when accounting for stable characteristics such as personality. Finally, neuroticism remains a significant variable in understanding loneliness, and further examination of lower-order facets help define a more nuanced profile in individual differences

Relationship between using social networks internet addiction and loneliness among students

- Background: Worldwide internet is known as one of the most outstanding information andcommunication technology and represents the technological advancement of modern humans. Its role in creating social changes is unavoidable. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between using social networks and loneliness among students. - Method: The study was cross-sectional and correlational.The sample consisted of 30 students and 30 students Mvzady use of social networks, which were selected by convenience sampling method.The data gathering tool included UCLA loneliness scale, Young’s Internet Addiction and researcher made questionnaires. - Findings: There was a significant relationship between using social network and internet addiction (r=0.506, P<0.001). There was no significant relationship between using social network and loneliness. Between girls and boys, there was no significant difference in the use of social networks. Between the two groups with up to Internet addiction Internet addiction and lack of significant differences in the levels of loneliness there. - Conclusion: Internet due to its false appeals to users, slowly causes addiction and can satisfy the users psychological and emotional needs. Therefore, replacing interaction with people in the real world rather than social networking can help in developing emotional and social communications

The Influence of Internet Use on the Development of Internet Addiction and Social Isolation among Al-Quds University Undergraduate Students

Background: Internet use including social networking may cause internet addiction and social isolation. The use of internet and social networks, internet addiction and social isolation had been highlighted by different studies as a major concern in the world and particularly among young adult. However, there is a lack of such studies in Palestine. Aim: To assess the use of internet, including social networking, and its effects on internet addiction and social isolation among Al-Quds University undergraduate students aged 18- 22. Method: A cross sectional design was utilized to achieve this purpose. The data was gathered between beginning of August, 2015 and finished at the end of October, 2015. The sample included 219 students from Al-Quds University - Abu Dies Campus. The data was collected using self-administrated questionnaire including the socio-demographic data, Internet Addiction Test for internet addiction and UCLA Loneliness Scale for social isolation. Statistical analysis was performed using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS), version 61.0 and were analyzed by using parametric tests such as frequency, Ttest, ANOVA’s test, Chi-square test and Pearson's test.Findings: Analysis of the participants’ characteristics showed that males were (37.9%) and females were (62.1%). Their ages ranged between (18-22) years old and they were (44%) from the Faculty of Arts and (56%) from Health Complex Building. Findings showed that (57%) of the participants spent equal to or less than 5 hours per day on internet and social networks while (42.9%) spent more than 5 hours. The current study showed a positive correlation between internet use including social networking and internet addiction at PValue =0.01, where those who spent more time on the internet and social networking had higher frequent problem and significant problem of internet addiction. Moreover, the current study showed no relationship between the hours spent on social networking and the social isolation at P-Value (0.635), as severity of isolation and loneliness was almost equal for those who spent more than 5 hours and less or equal to 5 hours per day. The overall result of UCLA Loneliness Scale showed that (52%) of theparticipants had frequent or severe social isolation, compared to (48%) who had average or below average problems. Finally, there was a strong positive relationship between internet addiction and social isolation at P-Value (0.00), which means that those who had higher internet addiction had higher social isolation scores. Conclusion: The study found that the use of social networking may cause internet addiction and social isolation among Al Quds University students and there is a positive relationship between them

Development and validation of a measure of cybersexual addiction

Sexual addiction has long been a controversial topic, and it has become no less tendentious with its latest incarnation as Internet cybersexual addiction, i.e., the addiction to sexual materials on the Internet. As cybersexual addiction is a relatively recent phenomenon, it is important to have adequate measures to assess the behavior and provide empirical support for diagnostic criteria. While a number of measures are used in the research, none of the measures are based on the currently proposed diagnostic criteria. This study aimed to develop a new measure of cybersexual addiction based on the proposed hypersexual disorder diagnostic criteria and to better understand the relationship between cybersexual addiction, shame, loneliness, anxiety, depression, offline sexual addiction behavior, and Internet addiction. This study provides support for the use of two already established measures. Further, shame, loneliness, sexual compulsivity, and compulsive Internet use were all found to predict cybersexual behavior, whereas substance abuse was inversely related to the behavior. Finally, a model of the predictive correlates found that sexual compulsivity, compulsive Internet use, and depression provided the strongest predictive value. The results imply that additional validation is needed for the Problematic Cybersexual Behavior Scale and the Internet Sex Screening Test for use across general samples. Further, the model of prediction provides support for the role of offline sexual addiction in the development of cybersexual addiction

Does loneliness, self-esteem and psychological distress correlate with problematic internet use? A Bangladeshi survey study

Background: Researchers have claimed that problematic internet use (PIU) and internet addiction (IA) is a global mental health problem. However, little research has addressed this issue in Bangladesh and no previous study has examined the relationship between PIU and potential psychological risk factors. Aim: The present study examined the prevalence of PIU and its associated risk factors including socio-demographic variables, internet use behaviors, and other psychological variables including loneliness, self-esteem, and psychological distress. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among Bangladeshi students (N = 605). Measures included the Internet Addiction Test (IAT), Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale, the UCLA Loneliness Scale, and the General Health Questionnaire. Results: Using a cut-off score of ≤60 (out of 100) on the IAT, the prevalence of PIU was 16.5% (n = 100). Regression analysis showed that sleep disturbance (more or less than 6-7 hours sleeping time), not using internet for academic purposes, and online chatting were risk factors for PIU. Loneliness and psychological distress were positively correlated with PIU, whereas self-esteem was negatively correlated. Conclusions: The present study highlights that PIU among Bangladeshi university students is an issue of concern and that targeted prevention is needed among emerging adults to help overcome the potentially negative effects of problematic internet use

The use of social web applications as a functional alternative in loneliness coping: investigating the plausibility of a model of compensatory Internet use

Loneliness is a negative psychological experience that results from a perceived lack of supportive and intimate social relationships. While normative throughout development, the experience nonetheless may be indicative of psychosocial maladjustment in the context of ongoing developmental tasks. Moreover, social isolation and loneliness have been shown to be associated with increased mortality, physical, and mental health problems. The university context is especially attractive for studies of loneliness, since the transitions afforded by university entry and the normative expectations concerning the adoption of a vocational identity represent major stressors in emerging adults’ lives. Social integration might represent a major buffer, a correlate of mastering such developmental tasks. Just as with every stressor, the occurrence of loneliness implies the adoption of coping strategies aimed at overcoming the experience or its underlying causes. Engaging in activities on the Internet might be an effective way of loneliness coping, given the manifold and convenient ways to establish and maintain social relationships. The studies reported herein investigate the significance of social-compensatory Internet use for the lonely. The “Uses and Gratifications” approach served as a conceptual basis for the present studies, since it puts a large emphasis on the motivational dimension of media use and posits that use behaviors are active and serve the gratification of psychological needs. Since loneliness has been associated with negative Internet effects such as Internet addiction, the importance of behavioral engagement in social web applications for establishing and maintaining such addictive use behaviors was investigated (Study 1, Chapter II). Based on existing theory and empirical findings, loneliness was hypothesized to be indirectly associated with Internet addiction due to social-compensatory Internet use motives. The strength of this indirect effect, in turn, was hypothesized to be contingent on the level of social web application use endorsed by the individual. Study hypotheses were largely supported by the obtained results. Not only could this study show the specificity of social-compensatory use motives in mediating loneliness effects on Internet addiction, but also their contingency on the actual extent of social web application use. Albeit small in effect, the identified moderation of loneliness effects suggests that lonely people who effectively use higher levels of social web applications show a stronger social-compensatory use orientation. This, in turn, translates into higher levels of addictive Internet use. These findings suggested that lonely people are indeed driven toward the Internet in their attempt to gratify needs unmet in real life. Moreover, the Internet would seem to be a more addictive environment for those who deliberately seek to compensate for social relationship deficits in the real world by engaging in high levels of social web application use. Since loneliness has been associated with media use as a coping strategy, the occurrence of such coping through social media was investigated within the context of everyday life (Study 2, Chapter III). Adopting an experience sampling methodology, it was hypothesized that state feelings of loneliness would lead to an increase in the subsequent use of Facebook. Since social media might represent important functional alternatives for the gratification of social needs in the lonely, the strength of these situation-level contingencies was hypothesized to be contingent on trait levels of loneliness. It was expected that lonely (trait) persons would show an increased inclination to social media when feeling (state) lonely. Data were analyzed within a multilevel analytic framework, and major hypotheses were confirmed. Albeit small in effect, state feelings of loneliness were indeed predictive of subsequent increases in Facebook use. Moreover, trait loneliness moderated the strength of state loneliness effects, as hypothesized. Considering the moderating role of other person-level traits such as gender, social insecurity, and Facebook addiction levels, the meaning and the limitations of these findings will be discussed. While the studies reported here largely support the notion of compensatory Internet use in the lonely and show how psychological and media concepts can meaningfully be integrated to aid such study, several open issues remain. Reported effects were of rather small magnitude and the studies were largely cross-sectional in nature, hence not allowing for definite causal interpretations. Against the background of identified conceptual and methodological limitations, several suggestions for future studies of social-compensatory Internet use will be made

Loneliness and problematic Internet use among high school and university students

Usamljenost je uznemirujuće i univerzalno ljudsko iskustvo, koje tijekom života u većoj ili manjoj mjeri dožive svi ljudi (Peplau i Perlman, 1982). Brojni autori ističu kako je usamljenost posebno izražena u adolescenciji zbog velikih razvojnih promjena koje obilježavaju to razdoblje. Posljednjih desetljeća sve je veći znanstveni interes za proučavanje psiholoških efekata korištenja interneta zbog njegove sve veće upotrebe i razvoja problematičnog korištenja interneta. Glavni cilj ovog istraživanja bio je ispitati razlike u usamljenosti i problematičnom korištenju interneta između srednjoškolaca i studenata, postoje li razlike u problematičnom korištenju interneta s obzirom na razinu usamljenosti te utvrditi povezanost između usamljenosti, problematičnog korištenja interneta i nekih aspekata korištenja interneta. Istraživanje je provedeno na uzorku od 404 sudionika, odnosno učenika srednjih škola i studenata. Kako bi se odgovorilo na postavljene probleme primijenjene su dvije skale: kratka verzija UCLA skale usamljenosti i skala generaliziranog problematičnog korištenja interneta 2. Rezultati ovog istraživanja pokazali su da ne postoji statistiĉki značajna razlika u usamljenosti i korištenju interneta s obzirom na dobnu skupinu, odnosno između srednjoškolaca i studenata. Nadalje, u skladu s prijašnjim istraživanjima utvrđeno je da usamljeniji pojedinci imaju izraženije problematično korištenje interneta. Dobivena je i značajna pozitivna povezanost između usamljenosti i problematičnog korištenja interneta, dok između usamljenosti i nekih aspekata korištenja interneta nisu dobivene značajne povezanosti. Nadalje, dobivena je pozitivna povezanost problematičnog korištenja interneta i prosječnog vremena kojeg pojedinci dnevno provode na internetu, odnosno pojedinci s izraženijim problematičnim korištenjem interneta više slobodnog vremena provode na internetu tijekom dana.Loneliness is a disturbing and universal human experience, which, to a greater or lower extent, all people experience throughout life (Peplau and Perlman, 1982). Many authors point out that loneliness is especially expressed in adolescence due to the great developmental changes that mark this period. In recent decades, there is a growing scientific interest in the study of the psychological effects of the use of the Internet because of its increasing use and the development of problematic Internet use. The main aim of this study was to investigate differences in loneliness and problematic Internet use among high school students and university students, differences in problematic Internet use considering the level of loneliness, and the relationship between loneliness, problematic Internet use, and some aspects of using the Internet. The study was conducted on a sample of 404 participants, high school students and university students. In order to provide an answer to the identified problems two scales were applied: a short version of the UCLA loneliness scale and the scale of generalized problematic use of the Internet 2. The results of this study showed that there was no statistically significant age difference in loneliness and problematic Internet use, in other words there was no difference between high school students and university students. Furthermore, in accordance with previous studies it was found that lonely individuals have more pronounced problematic internet use. Additionally, there was a significant positive correlation between loneliness and problematic Internet use, while no significant correlations between loneliness and some aspects of using the Internet were found. Furthermore, there was a positive correlation between problematic Internet use and the average time that individuals spend online, that is, individuals with more pronounced problematic Internet use spend more time on the Internet daily

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIAL NETWORK USE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL ADJUSTMENT IN STUDENTS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The aim of this study was to examine the students’ habits of using social networking sites (SNS) during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the relationship of SNS use (usage frequency and characteristics of problematic use) with students’ psychological adjustment (distress, loneliness, and happiness). Participants were 352 Croatian students (234 female, 118 male), with the mean age of 22 years (M = 22.2; SD = 2.44). The data was collected in May 2020 via online questionnaire containing the Generalized Problematic Internet Use Scale 2, the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), the short‐form of the UCLA‐Loneliness Scale, and the Subjective Happiness Scale. The results showed that students actively used four social networks; 44% of students spent 2-4 hours a day on SNS during the pandemic, while 19.3% spent more than fi ve hours. For more than a half of students this was more than before the pandemic. Levels of all characteristics of problematic SNS use (preference for online interaction, mood regulation, cognitive preoccupation, compulsive use, and negative outcomes) were low in surveyed students, while levels of all psychological adjustment indicators were normal. The results of hierarchical regression analyses showed that the SNS usage frequency positively predicted distress and loneliness, and negatively predicted happiness. However, after entering the characteristics of problematic SNS use in the second step of regression, usage frequency lost its signifi cance as a predictor of adjustment. Mood regulation, preference for online interaction and negative outcomes positively predicted distress; preference for online interaction positively predicted loneliness, and mood regulation, compulsive use and preference for online interaction negatively predicted happiness. The obtained results were interpreted in relation to the research conducted before the pandemic, but also considering the specifi cs brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic

Social isolation, loneliness and well-being : the impact of WeChat use intensity during the COVID-19 pandemic in China

This study is aimed to examine the impact of WeChat use intensity on social isolation, loneliness, and well-being during the lockdown period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on the regulatory loop model of loneliness, the notions of Internet Paradox, the Time Displacement hypothesis and previous literature on WeChat use intensity, we propose that lockdown loneliness (partially) mediates the relationship between lockdown WeChat use intensity and well-being (i.e., lockdown stress and lockdown life satisfaction). Moreover, we assume that lockdown WeChat use intensity moderates the relationship between lockdown social isolation and well-being (i.e., lockdown stress and lockdown life satisfaction) in both a direct and in an indirect way, that is through lockdown loneliness. The results from our Structural Equation Modeling analyses, using a sample of 1,805 Chinese respondents, indicate that all of our research hypotheses are confirmed. From this empirical work, it becomes clear that online social interactions, which are believed by many people to be able to compensate for the lack of offline social interactions during the COVID-19 lockdown period, in fact are endangering their mental health and life satisfaction instead. This article concludes with theoretical and practical implications of our study, followed by its limitations and recommendations for future research