The relationship between addictive use of social media and video games and symptoms of psychiatric disorders: A large-scale cross-sectional study.

Mar 22, 2016Psychology of addictive behaviors : journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors

Link between addictive social media and video game use and mental health symptoms in a large population

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Abstract

A survey of 23,533 adults revealed that demographic factors explained 11-12% of the variance in addictive technology use.

Positive and significant correlations were found between symptoms of addictive technology use and symptoms of mental disorders.
Age was inversely related to the addictive use of social media and video games.
Males showed significantly higher addictive use of video games, while females exhibited higher addictive use of social media.
Being single was positively related to both addictive social networking and video gaming.
Mental health variables accounted for 7-15% of the variance in addictive technology use.

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Over the last decade, research into "addictive technological behaviors" has substantially increased. Research has also demonstrated strong associations between addictive use of technology and comorbid psychiatric disorders. In the present study, 23,533 adults (mean age 35.8 years, ranging from 16 to 88 years) participated in an online cross-sectional survey examining whether demographic variables, symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety, and depression could explain variance in addictive use (i.e., compulsive and excessive use associated with negative outcomes) of two types of modern online technologies: social media and video games. Correlations between symptoms of addictive technology use and mental disorder symptoms were all positive and significant, including the weak interrelationship between the two addictive technological behaviors. Age appeared to be inversely related to the addictive use of these technologies. Being male was significantly associated with addictive use of video games, whereas being female was significantly associated with addictive use of social media. Being single was positively related to both addictive social networking and video gaming. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that demographic factors explained between 11 and 12% of the variance in addictive technology use. The mental health variables explained between 7 and 15% of the variance. The study significantly adds to our understanding of mental health symptoms and their role in addictive use of modern technology, and suggests that the concept of Internet use disorder (i.e., "Internet addiction") as a unified construct is not warranted.

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The relationship between addictive use of social media and video games and symptoms of psychiatric disorders: A large-scale cross-sectional study.

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