Relationships Between Addictive Facebook Use, Depressiveness, Insomnia, and Positive Mental Health in an Inpatient Sample: A German Longitudinal Study

Background and aims: Individuals with high level of negative mental health often tend to use the social platform Facebook to escape from daily stress. They are at risk to develop an emotional bond to Facebook linked to a need to stay permanently online. The current work investigated addictive use of Facebook and its conceptual framework in clinical context. Methods: In a longitudinal study design, duration of daily use of Facebook, addictive Facebook use, depressiveness, insomnia, and positive mental health (PMH) were assessed in a sample of 349 inpatients [Mage (SDage) = 50.13 (9.41)] of a psychosomatic rehabilitation clinic in Germany over a period of on average 6 weeks. Results: Regression analyses revealed that duration of daily Facebook use at the first measurement time point (T1) served as significant positive predictor of addictive Facebook use at the second measurement time point (T2). Addictive Facebook use (T1) significantly positively predicted depressiveness and insomnia (T2). Its prediction of PMH (T2) was significantly negative. Mediation analyses showed that PMH (T1) partially mediated the association between addictive Facebook use (T1) and depressiveness (T2), and fully mediated the relationship between addictive Facebook use (T1) and insomnia (T2). Discussion and conclusions: Current longitudinal results indicate that addictive Facebook use might negatively impact the recovery process of inpatients. Thus, it might be relevant to assess and consider addictive Facebook use in the clinical context. Therapeutic interventions are suggested to focus on the enhancement of inpatients’ PMH level, which may buffer the negative effect of problematic Facebook use

The anxious addictive narcissist: The relationship between grandiose and vulnerable narcissism, anxiety symptoms and Facebook Addiction.

Vulnerable narcissism and grandiose narcissism share the core of the narcissistic self but are considered as separate forms of this personality trait. While previous research mainly focused on the mechanisms that connect grandiose narcissism and addictive use of the social platform Facebook, it remained unclear why individuals with enhanced levels of vulnerable narcissism are at risk to develop Facebook Addiction (FA). The present study investigated the links between vulnerable and grandiose narcissism, anxiety symptoms, and FA. In a sample of 327 Facebook users (age: M(SD) = 23.67(3.96), range: 18-56), both forms of narcissism were positively related to anxiety symptoms and FA. Moreover, the association between both forms of narcissism and FA was partly mediated by anxiety symptoms. Results enter new territory by revealing hidden similarities between vulnerable and grandiose narcissists, emphasizing that similar mechanisms might explain their enhanced risk to develop addictive tendencies of Facebook use. These findings should be considered when assessing individuals at risk for FA and when developing (therapeutic) intervention programs to deal with problematic use of social platforms

The relationship between narcissism, intensity of Facebook use, Facebook flow and Facebook addiction.

Introduction: The present study investigated mechanisms that may contribute to the enhanced risk of narcissistic individuals to develop Facebook addiction. Methods: In a sample of 449 Facebook users (age: () = 31.07(9.52), range: 18-65) the personality trait narcissism, Facebook flow, intensity of Facebook use, and Facebook addiction were assessed by an online survey. Results: In a moderated mediation analysis, the positive relationship between narcissism and Facebook addiction was positively mediated by the level of flow experienced on Facebook. Intensity of Facebook use moderated the positive association between Facebook flow and Facebook addiction. Conclusions: Excessive Facebook use may cause psychological dependence. Narcissistic individuals are at enhanced risk for this form of dependence that is fostered by experience of flow during Facebook use and intensity of Facebook use. Current results should be taken into account, when assessing individuals at risk for pathological Facebook use and when planning specific interventions to deal with it

The brave blue world: Facebook flow and Facebook Addiction Disorder (FAD) - Fig 2

<p>a. Moderating effect of Facebook use intensity (operationalized by Facebook Intensity Scale) on Facebook flow to FAD; b. Moderating effect of Facebook use intensity (operationalized by composite index including duration of Facebook membership, frequency of daily Facebook use, duration of daily Facebook use and Facebook Intensity Scale) on Facebook flow to FAD.</p

Descriptive statistics of investigated variables.

<p>Descriptive statistics of investigated variables.</p

“Facebook flow” questionnaire (modified version of [21]).

<p>“Facebook flow” questionnaire (modified version of [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0201484#pone.0201484.ref021" target="_blank">21</a>]).</p

Correlogram of the correlations between the five FB flow subscales and the six FAD items (FB = Facebook; BFAS = Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale).

<p>Correlogram of the correlations between the five FB flow subscales and the six FAD items (FB = Facebook; BFAS = Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale).</p

Correlations of investigated variables.

<p>Correlations of investigated variables.</p

The anxious addictive narcissist

Vulnerable narcissism and grandiose narcissism share the core of the narcissistic self but are considered as separate forms of this personality trait. While previous research mainly focused on the mechanisms that connect grandiose narcissism and addictive use of the social platform Facebook, it remained unclear why individuals with enhanced levels of vulnerable narcissism are at risk to develop Facebook Addiction (FA). The present study investigated the links between vulnerable and grandiose narcissism, anxiety symptoms, and FA. In a sample of 327 Facebook users (age: $\it M$(SD) = 23.67(3.96), range: 18–56), both forms of narcissism were positively related to anxiety symptoms and FA. Moreover, the association between both forms of narcissism and FA was partly mediated by anxiety symptoms. Results enter new territory by revealing hidden similarities between vulnerable and grandiose narcissists, emphasizing that similar mechanisms might explain their enhanced risk to develop addictive tendencies of Facebook use. These findings should be considered when assessing individuals at risk for FA and when developing (therapeutic) intervention programs to deal with problematic use of social platforms

The anxious addictive narcissist

Vulnerable narcissism and grandiose narcissism share the core of the narcissistic self but are considered as separate forms of this personality trait. While previous research mainly focused on the mechanisms that connect grandiose narcissism and addictive use of the social platform Facebook, it remained unclear why individuals with enhanced levels of vulnerable narcissism are at risk to develop Facebook Addiction (FA). The present study investigated the links between vulnerable and grandiose narcissism, anxiety symptoms, and FA. In a sample of 327 Facebook users (age: $\it M(SD)$ = 23.67(3.96), range: 18–56), both forms of narcissism were positively related to anxiety symptoms and FA. Moreover, the association between both forms of narcissism and FA was partly mediated by anxiety symptoms. Results enter new territory by revealing hidden similarities between vulnerable and grandiose narcissists, emphasizing that similar mechanisms might explain their enhanced risk to develop addictive tendencies of Facebook use. These findings should be considered when assessing individuals at risk for FA and when developing (therapeutic) intervention programs to deal with problematic use of social platforms