The “Bubbles”-Study: Validation of ultra-short scales for the assessment of addictive so-cial media use and grandiose narcissism

Abstract

Intensive engagement in social media use (SMU) can result in the development of addictive tendencies and a decrease of mental health. Enhanced levels of the personality trait narcissism foster addictive SMU. An early identification of persons at risk for the addictive tendencies can contribute to the protection of their mental health. Very brief valid screening instruments implemented in general mental health programs and in therapeutic settings are supportive tools in this regard. In two studies on representative German population samples, we developed and validated four ultra-short scales – the “bubbles” – that consist of only one item per construct/subscale based on the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS; Andreassen, Pallesen, & Griffiths, 2017) and the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI-13; Gentile et al., 2013) for the assessment of addictive SMU (one bubble) and narcissism (one bubble per subscale). The results of Study 1 (N = 700) and Study 2 (N = 770) showed that the bubbles are valid instruments that fit the original instruments on the factor level; the bubbles largely replicated their association pattern with demographic variables, social media-related, personality-related and mental health-related variables. Their shortness prevents fatigue, motivation decrease, and participants’ dropout. Due to their time- and cost-efficiency, the bubbles can be used as brief screening tools in research (e.g., large-scale studies, longitudinal studies) and in praxis (e.g., mental health programs). Future research should validate the bubbles cross-nationally, in children and adolescents, and in clinical contexts.