International Congress of Psycholog, Praha, Czech Republic, 19 - 21 July 2021
Today, internet is an inevitable part of our lives as
well as social media. However, extensive internet and social media use can have
aversive personal, interpersonal, and work-related consequences for individuals.
Although outcomes of internet and/or SMA are relatively more widely
investigated, antecedents of especially SMA are new era for empirical research.
The present study proposed a mediational model in which adult attachment styles
(i.e., secure, preoccupied, fearful, dismissive) were predictors of SMA both
directly and indirectly through their effects on need for approval (Napp). Secure
and dismissive attachment were proposed to be directly and negatively; preoccupied
and fearful attachment styles were suggested to be directly and positively
associated with SMA. Secure and dismissive attachment were hypothesized to be negatively,
preoccupied and fearful attachment styles were hypothesized to be positively
associated with Napp, which in turn, was proposed to be positively linked to
SMA. Data were collected from 455 university students (300 females, 155 males) and
analyzed by using Structural Equation Modeling. The proposed model provided
good fit to the data and revealed that was a significant predictor of SMA. Secure
and dismissive attachment were indirectly associated with SMA through their
negative effects on Napp. Furthermore, fearful attachment was positively and
directly associated with SMA. In addition, preoccupied attachment had direct
positive effect on SMA and it was also indirectly associated with SMA through
its positive effects on Napp. The findings were discussed regarding theoretical
and practical implications together with directions for future studies on SMA.
Keywords: Social
media addiction; adult attachment styles; need for approval.