Взаимосвязи зависимости студентов от социальных сетей с психологическим неблагополучием

Abstract

Introduction. The negative consequences of addiction to social networks (anxiety, depression, stress, dissatisfaction with life, etc.) contribute to the psychological distress of its victims. The purpose of the study is to identify in students of both sexes the alleged links between social network addiction and such signs of psychological distress as impulsivity, narcissism, vulnerability to manipulation, low assertiveness, bad mood, smartphone addiction (along with its factors), and craving for smoking. Materials and methods. The “Social network addiction scale” (ZSS-15) questionnaire (V. P. Sheinov, A. S. Devitsyn) was used to diagnose addiction to social networks, and the SAS-16 short version of the questionnaire SAS — “Smartphone addiction scale” (V. P. Sheinov), to diagnose smartphone addiction. The assertiveness test (V. P. Sheinov) was used to assess assertiveness, while exposure to manipulation was measured with the questionnaire “Assessment of the degree of vulnerability of an individual to manipulative influences” (V. P. Sheinov), the reliability and validity of which have been proven earlier. The “Methodology for diagnosing the potential of communicative impulsivity” (V. A. Losenkov) was used to assess impulsiveness, and a questionnaire by E. Kot, to assess narcissism. The study involved 227 students, including 124 males (M = 18.03 years, SD = 1.161) and 103 females (M = 18.3, SD = 1.128). Research results. We revealed the presence of statistically significant relationships of social network addiction with other indicators in both males and females. The positive relationships are with impulsivity (r = 0.267, p < 0.001), smartphone addiction (r = 0.517, p < 0.001), and with all the factors of smartphone addiction— specifically, “Loss of control” (r = 0.414, p < 0.001), “Fear of rejection” (r = 0.163, p < 0.001), and “User euphoria” (r = 0.459, p < 0.001). Further, males have negative associations with assertiveness (r = – 0.226, p < 0.001) and mood (r = – 0.190, p < 0.01), while females have positive associations with narcissism (r = 0.152, p < 0.05), exposure to manipulation (r = 0.175, p < 0.05), and cravings for smoking (r = 0.220, p < 0.01). It has been established that addiction to social networks and smartphone addiction are positively and highly significantly related to each other at the level of factors that form them—these factors were measured by the subscales of the questionnaires “Social network addiction scale” and “Smartphone addiction scale”. Conclusion. The findings allow us to put forward the following recommendations to curators of study groups, psychologists and social pedagogues: 1) to diagnose the degree of social network addiction of students using the reliable and valid “Social network addiction scale” questionnaire used in this study; and 2) based on the results of the diagnostics, carry out corrective measures with students who need it.