Social Media Disorder Scale Research Articles

The role of bullying perpetration and victimization in adolescents' perceptions of school climate and social media usage

AbstractPrevious research has reported a relationship between adolescents' perceptions of school climate and social media use. However, the underlying mechanisms associated with the relationship have yet to be fully explored. This study aimed to examine the role of peer bullying in the relationship under consideration. This cross‐sectional study applied a correlational research model to examine the perceptions of 718 adolescents aged 11–14. Data gathering entailed the School Climate Survey, Peer Bullying Self‐Report Form, and the Social Media Disorder Scale. Significant relationships between school climate, social media addiction, and peer bullying emerged from the gathered data. The study also found that peer bullying partially mediated the relationship between school climate and social media usage, both in terms of perpetrating bullying behavior and experiencing victimization. Specifically, 22.43% of the total effect of school climate on social media addiction was mediated through exposure to bullying perpetration, while 25.10% was mediated through experiencing victimization. A notable finding of this study is the role played by a perceived negative school climate in terms of increasing social media addiction; additionally, this increase may be partially mediated by exposure to peer bullying. A discussion of the results in light of the relevant literature is included, along with suggestions for future study.

Exploring the associations between symptom severity, metacognition, problematic social media use and cyberbullying in treatment naïve adolescents with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder

This study investigates the relationship between ADHD symptom severity, metacognition, problematic social media use, and cyberbullying/cybervictimization in treatment-naïve adolescents. Understanding these relationships is vital for enhancing ADHD intervention strategies. Using a cross-sectional design, 97 adolescents meeting DSM-5 criteria for ADHD without any comorbidity and 97 healthy controls were assessed. Measures included the Metacognitions Questionnaire for Children, Social Media Disorder Scale, Revised Cyberbullying Inventory-II, and Revised Conners’ Parent Rating Scale-Short. The comparisons were performed with independent samples’ t tests and the associations were estimated by using Pearson’s bivariate correlations and multiple regression analyses. Results revealed that adolescents with ADHD exhibited higher levels of dysfunctional metacognitions, problematic social media use, cyberbullying, and cybervictimization compared to controls. Regression analysis showed significant positive associations between ADHD symptoms, specific metacognitions (e.g., positive meta-worry, cognitive monitoring), and problematic social media use. This study, the first of its kind among treatment-naïve ADHD adolescents, provides valuable insights into the relationship between ADHD symptoms and particular metacognitions (i.e. positive meta-worry, cognitive monitoring) and problematic social media use. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of ADHD in adolescence and may inform the development of targeted prevention and treatment strategies, particularly relevant given adolescents’ susceptibility to social media’s influence and their potential for cognitive flexibility in rehabilitation contexts.

Subjective and objective sleep quality assessment in adolescent patients with inflammatory bowel disease

ObjectivesThere is a link between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and poor sleep quality that is presumed to be multifactorial. The purpose of this study was to identify factors that impact sleep quality in this group including clinical disease activity, depression, anxiety, quality of life, and disordered social media use through questionnaires. MethodsThis prospective study analyzed sleep quality in adolescent patients ages 13 to 18 with a diagnosis of IBD using objective data from wrist actigraphy and subjective report from the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Additional screeners including the Short Pediatric Crohn's Disease Activity Index or Pediatric Ulcerative Colitis Activity Index, Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Gastrointestinal Symptoms Module, Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item screener, Patient Health Questionnaire depression screener, and Social Media Disorder scale were also collected. ResultsTwenty-three subjects enrolled and 16 completed questionnaires. 62.5 % of participants were in clinical remission and the remaining 37.5 % had mild to severe clinical IBD activity. Poor subjective sleep quality was associated with a shorter duration of sleep time and an increased clinical disease activity score. Patients in clinical remission slept for a longer duration than those with mild IBD activity. ConclusionsThis study did not identify a significant relationship between sleep quality and psychosocial factors in the adolescent population with IBD, though their influence cannot be discounted. There was a connection between the presence of disease activity and shorter sleep duration. Similarly, PSQI scores correlated with sleep time but not sleep quality.

Social Media Disorder Scale: Structure, Reliability and Validity in Indian Context

India is a country that has seen a notable increase in the amount of time its citizens spend on the Internet. One of the primary drivers of internet usage is the widespread adoption of social media platforms. When there is compulsive and unhealthy use of those platforms, it is termed Social Media Disorder (SMD), which has far-reaching implications. However, a valid tool to measure this issue still needs to be created in India. The study aimed to determine the reliability and validity of the Social Media Disorder Scale (SMDS), initially developed in the Netherlands. The developers used the diagnostic criteria of DSM-5 Internet Gaming Disorder since both have the same overarching construct of internet addiction. The nine-dimensional 27-item scale was put through a rigorous validation process while being administered among 552 adolescents in five districts and two states of India. The data collection lasted for three months between March - May, 2024. Construct validity of SMDS was assessed with Exploratory Factor Analysis (first subsample n=280) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (second subsample n=272) using SPSS and AMOS software, respectively. The nine dimensions and 27 items were retained, yielding an internal consistency Cronbach’s alpha of 0.945. This comprehensive validation process has ensured and provided strong evidence that the scale can be utilized in the Indian context to assess SMD.

ASSOCIATION OF PROBLEMATIC USE OF SOCIAL NETWORKS WITH INDICATORS OF DEPRESSION ON THE HADS SCALE AMONG MEDICAL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

The available literature data on the impact of social media on mental health are contradictory. Some studies report the benefits of using social media for mental health, including increased social support, strengthening connections and seeking help. In others, on the contrary, associations of problematic use of social networks with a number of psychosocial problems such as psychological stress, anxiety and depression have been identified. Purpose. To study the association of problematic use of social networks with indicators of depression on the HADS scale among medical university students. Materials and methods. 229 students of both sexes enrolled in the 3rd year of the medical faculty of the Medical University were examined. Problematic use of social networks was identified using the Russian-language version of the questionnaire «The Social Media Disorder Scale». The identification of depressive disorders and the assessment of severity were carried out using the Russian-language version of the hospital scale of anxiety and depression HADS. Results. It was found, that signs of depression were observed in 34,9% of the surveyed students and were statistically significantly more common among girls compared with boys. The frequency of problematic social media use among students with signs of depression was 36,4%. Among both the surveyed girls and boys the number of people with signs of depression in combination with problematic use of social networks was more than twice as high as in patients without problematic use of social networks. Conclusion. Associations of problematic use of social networks with indicators of depression on the HADS scale among students studying at a medical university have been revealed.

Validation of the Russian version of the Social Media Disorder Scale (SMDS) questionnaire in adolescents

Introduction. An urgent medical and social problem at present is the need to develop nationally adapted versions of the questionnaire for assessing dependence on social networks, which is due to the avalanche-like increase in the prevalence of this phenomenon, especially among adolescents and youth, and often associated with disorders of the neuropsychic and somatic spectrum.Aim. Validation of the English-language Social Media Disorder scale (SMDS) questionnaire based on 9 criteria, including psychopathological aspects of engagement with social networking sites.Materials and methods. After the procedures of direct and reverse translation of the questionnaire, the psychometric validation of the test was carried out on a Russian-speaking sample of 3074 adolescents aged 11–19 years (46.1% of boys and 53.9% of girls, median age 14 (13–16) years) – students of 10 educational institutions in Krasnoyarsk. The external validity of the SMDS- RU questionnaire was assessed using the following methods: Chen Internet Addiction Scale (CIAS) – to assess the presence of Internet addicted behavior; the Strengths and Challenges Questionnaire (SDQ) – to analyze the mental health of the subjects.Results. Expiratory and confirmatory factor analyzes demonstrated good agreement between the test components. The results of confirmatory factor analysis confirmed its single-factor structure (CFI = 0.9, TLI = 0.9, RMSEA = 0.06), an acceptable Cronbach’s Alpha value (Cronbach’s Alpha = 0.7) indicates its sufficient internal consistency and reliability. The external validity of the SMDS-RU questionnaire was confirmed by established associations with the results of the Chen Internet Addiction Test (CIAS) and the Strengths and Challenges Questionnaire (SDQ) by R. Goodman. Test-retest reliability when measured at 6-month intervals also demonstrated acceptable results: the Spearman correlation coefficient between the sums of scores of two measurements was 0.66, p < 0.001.Conclusion. The Russian-language version of the Social Network Addiction Questionnaire (SMDS-RU) developed for teenagers has sufficient information content, reliability, internal and external validity and can be actively used in the Russian adolescent population.

The relationship between chronotype, psychological pain, problematic social media use, and suicidality among university students in Turkey

ABSTRACT Chronotype has been extensively linked to various psychological outcomes, including suicide, which significantly impacts the mortality rate among young adults worldwide. Research on the extent of these links is still ongoing. This cross-sectional study aimed to explore the complex relationships between chronotype, internet addiction, problematic social media use (PSMU), psychological pain, and suicidality in a student population. A total of 571 Turkish students (65.3% female, mean age 20.3 ± 1.63 years) completed the following scales: the Suicide Probability Scale (SPS), the Mee-Bunney Psychological Pain Assessment Scale (MBPPAS), the Social Media Disorder Scale (SMDS), the Internet Addiction Test (IAT), the Morningness – Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The results showed that the relationship between chronotype and suicidality was partially mediated by SMDS and MBPPAS but not by anxiety, depression, or IAT. These findings suggest that psychological pain and PSMU may be important factors that contribute to suicidality in evening-type individuals. These findings have significant implications for the development of interventions aimed at reducing suicidality among evening-type individuals. By addressing the underlying factors of psychological pain and PSMU, it may be possible to mitigate the increased risk of suicidality among this population.

Promoting a healthy lifestyle: exploring the role of social media and fitness applications in the context of social media addiction risk.

The popularity of social networks turns them into a legal method for promoting a healthy lifestyle, which benefits not only people but also different countries' governments. This research paper aimed to examine the Keep fitness app integrated into WeChat, Weibo and QQ as regards long-term improvements in health-related behaviors (physical activity, nutrition, health responsibility, spiritual growth, interpersonal relationships and stress management) and assess the associated risk of increased social media addiction. Students from Lishui University in China (N = 300) participated in this study, and they were formed into control and experimental groups. The Healthy Lifestyle Behavior Scale and Social Media Disorder Scale were used as psychometric instruments. The Keep app was found to improve respondents' scores on the parameters of physical activity, nutrition and health responsibility (P = 0.00). However, the level of dependence on social media did not change in either the control or the experimental group during the year of research (P ≥ 0.05). It is concluded that fitness apps can be an effective tool to promote healthy lifestyles among young people in China and other countries. The feasibility of government investment in fitness apps to promote healthy lifestyles is substantiated.

ASSOCIATION OF PROBLEM USE OF SOCIAL NETWORKS WITH MOOD DISORDERS IN MEDICAL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

The addictive potential of social media is well known. However, data on the impact of social media on mental health are contradictory. Some studies report the benefits of using social media for mental health. In turn, data from other studies have shown that widespread use of social networks has been associated with a number of psychological and mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, psychological stress, especially in young people.
 The purpose of the study. To study the association of problematic use of social networks with anxiety indicators on the HADS scale among medical university students
 Materials and methods. The study included 229 students of both sexes enrolled in the 3rd year of the medical faculty of the Medical University. The analysis of the problematic use of social networks was carried out using the Russian version of the questionnaire «The Social Media Disorder Scale». The identification and assessment of the severity of anxiety disorders was carried out using the Russian version of the hospital scale of anxiety and depression HADS.
 Results. It was found, that the frequency of problematic use of social networks in the general group of surveyed students studying at a medical university was 9,6%. The presence of signs of anxiety was detected in 34,9% of the surveyed students. The frequency of problematic use of social networks among people with signs of anxiety was 59,1%. Among the examined girls the number of people with signs of anxiety with problematic use of social networks was twice as large as compared to patients without problematic use of social networks.
 Conclusion. Associations of problematic use of social networks with indicators of anxiety on the HADS scale among students at a medical university were revealed.

ERGENLERİN SOSYAL MEDYA BOZUKLUĞUNUN YORDAYICILARI OLARAK BİLİNÇLİ FARKINDALIK VE PSİKOLOJİK İHTİYAÇLARIN DOYUMU

Objectives: In this study, mindfulness (MN) and satisfaction of psychological needs (SPN) were considered as structures that protect adolescents’ mental health against social media disorder (SMD). The main purpose of the study was to examine the relationships between MN levels, SPN levels and SMD levels of adolescents and to examine the predictive level of MN and SPN on SMD levels of adolescents. Methods: The model was predictive associational survey model. The sample was consisted of 521 adolescents (Mage: 16,02; SD: 1,16; %37 girls, %67 boys) from the central districts of Izmir province in Turkey. Data were collected by Social Media Disorder Scale, Mindful Attention and Awareness Scale – Adolescents, Psychological Need Satisfaction Scale with a questionnaire to gather demographic information. Results: Results showed that there were negative correlations between mindfulness levels and SMD levels, between the satisfaction of competence need levels and SMD levels. There were positive correlations between the satisfaction of relatedness need levels and the SMD levels. There was no significant relationship between the satisfaction need for autonomy and social media disorder. Mindfulness, satisfaction of competence need and relatedness need together, predict the social media disorder levels of adolescents significantly and they explain 26,1% of the total variance. Conclusion: Mindfulness and competence need satisfaction protect adolescents from social media disorder more than a quarter. However as the need to be related increases, social media disorder increase.

The Relationship between the Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) and Social Media Use in Articulating Islamic Identity among Muslim Millennials

Current technological developments have both positive and negative impacts. One of the negative impacts of excessive use of social media is that it can lead to addiction, cyberbullying, and fear of missing out (FoMO). It can even erode one's identity, as it is influenced by widely circulated videos on social media. The purpose of this research is to analyze the relationship between FoMO, problematic use of social media, and expressions of Islamic identity. The FoMO scale, social media disorder scale, and Instagram Islamic identity scale were used as measuring tools in this research. A quantitative approach was employed, using multiple analyses, which revealed that both FoMO and problematic use of social media contribute simultaneously to the expression of Islamic identity. The subjects of this research were 177 Indonesian millennial Muslims who actively participated in the Instagram migration movement. Problematic use of social media and expression of Islamic identity had an effective contribution of 40.6% (36.7% from social media use and 3.9% from FoMO). Additionally, we found that questionable social media use had a significant correlation with the articulation of Islamic identity, while FoMO itself had no correlation with it. These results can serve as a basis for future research on the expression of religious identity on social media and the development of interventions to address excessive social media use.

Need for Affect, Problematic Social Media Use and the Mediating Role of Fear of Missing Out in European and Arab Samples.

The growing awareness and concern about the excessive use of social media have led to an increasing number of studies investigating the underlying factors contributing to this behavior. In the literature, it is discussed that problematic social media use (PSMU) can impact individuals' mental health and well-being. Drawing on the Interaction of Person-Affect-Cognition-Execution (I-PACE) model, this study aimed to examine the association between the need for affect (affect approach and affect avoidance) and PSMU (operationalized via the social media disorder scale), as well as the mediating role of fear of missing out (FoMO) in that relation. Data were collected via an online survey from 513 participants in European and Arabic countries. Regression and mediation analyses were conducted to explore the relationships between affect approach, affect avoidance, FoMO, and PSMU. Regression analysis results indicated that both affect approach and affect avoidance as part of the need for affect construct significantly predicted PSMU in both cultural contexts. Mediation analysis showed that FoMO partially mediated the relationship between affect approach and PSMU in the Arab sample but not in the European sample. Beyond this, FoMO partially mediated the relationship between affect avoidance and PSMU in both cultural samples. The present study indicates that managing emotions could be an effective strategy to combat PSMU. In line with this and against the background of the data business model behind social media companies, we deem it to be of importance to minimize triggers related to FoMO in the design of social media platforms (for example, push notifications). This might be particularly relevant for individuals with a high inclination towards affect approach and affect avoidance.

Social Media Use Behavior and Social Media Disorder Among Faculty of Public Health Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Excessive use of social media may lead to vulnerability to social media disorder, which is significantly related to the trend of mental health problems among college students. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of social media disorder among college students and to determine the relationship between the number of social media accounts, the total duration of social media use, and social media disorder. This cross-sectional study collected data through an online survey of 201 college students from the class of 2021 at the Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Indonesia. This study used the Social Media Disorder scale and univariate and bivariate analysis to analyze the data. The prevalence of social media disorder was 23.9%; 93% of students were classified as high-duration social media users, and 58.2% had more than 10 accounts. Statistically, there was a significant relationship between the number of accounts (p-value = 0.045) and social media disorder. However, there was no significant relationship between the duration of social media use and social media disorder (p-value = 0.560). As a suggestion, the self-regulation factor must be considered an independent variable in predicting social media disorder among college students.

INTERNET DEPENDENCE: RISK FACTORS AND INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ADOLESCENTS

Purpose: a review of domestic and foreign studies in the field of the formation of Internet addiction in adolescents.
 Materials and methods. The article presents a review of the literature and analyzes scientific research on the prevalence of Internet addiction, the formation of Internet addiction and the individual psychological characteristics of adolescents according to researchers from various countries. The authors of the article conducted a scientific search using the relevant keywords in PubMed and Google Scholar search engines, in databases for searching scientific information: RFBR Library, PsyJournals, PsyArxiv, Scopus, Web of Science, MedLine, The Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Global Health, CyberLeninka, RSCI (eLIBRARY.RU) and others.
 Results. To study the presence of Internet addiction and its types, surveys are used in research ("Chen Internet Addiction Scale" (CIAS), "Game Addiction Scale for Adolescents" (GASA) and "The Social Media Disorder Scale" (SMDS), Russian-language versions of questionnaires), psychological testing and psychological observation. Significant risk factors for Internet addiction in adolescents are: high excitability (irritability, nervousness); decrease in self-control (decrease in the manifestation of one's own emotions and motivations for activity); emotional instability (mood swings, impulsiveness, inconsistency of actions); anxiety-depressive conditions; tendency to introversion according to a complex of personality traits; insufficient development of emotional (social) intelligence (perception, use, understanding and management of emotions), difficulties in the educational process.
 Conclusion. Early warning of the development of Internet addiction should be carried out in educational institutions. Personalized prevention of Internet addiction in the adolescent age group is the most effective and can significantly reduce the incidence. A qualified psychologist can identify a tendency to addictive behavior in adolescents. Educate children and adolescents in the reasonable use of technology. More research is needed in adolescents to better identify commonalities and different types of Internet content addiction.

Mediating Effect of Creativity on How Burnout Affects Social Media Use: An Examination on Physicians

Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion due to exposure to excessive and prolonged stress. It isn’t a medical condition. However, it negatively affects the creativity of employees. The individual with increasing burnout withdraws into his/her world by reducing his/her social ties with his/her environment. Those who are self-isolating might try to connect with the outside world by using social media more. This study primarily aims to examine the mediating effect of creativity on how burnout affects social media use among physicians through a correlational survey study design. Personal information form, Maslach Burnout Inventory, Kaufman Domains of Creativity Scale, and Social Media Disorder Scale were utilized as measures. A total of 529 physicians participated in the study. According to the results, there is a correlation between burnout and self/everyday creativity, as well as self/creativity and social media use. Moreover, there is a correlation between burnout and social media use. It was concluded in the study that creativity among physicians had a mediating effect on social media user. This study is meaningful in terms of seeing the effect of burnout on self/everyday creativity and social media usage. Directing physicians to programs that reduce/prevent burnout might positively affect their self/everyday creativity and social media usage.

RELATIONSHIP OF INTERNET ADDICTION WITH HEADACHES IN ADOLESCENTS: COMORBID PATHOLOGY AND COMMON RISK FACTORS

Data on the relationship of headaches with Internet addiction is rather inconsistent.
 Purpose: to establish common risk factors for the development of various types of Internet addiction and primary types of headache.
 Materials and methods. 5195 schoolchildren aged 11-18 in Siberia were examined. Internet addiction and its types were determined using the Chen questionnaire, Game Addiction Scale and The Social Media Disorder Scale; Type of headache (migraine or tension headache) – according to the questionnaire of S.Yu. Tereshchenko, based on The International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd edition (beta version), 2013; Mental disorders – in computerized testing in the program “The Development and Well-Being Assessment” (DAWBA, R. Goodman et al.)
 Results. It has been established that Internet addiction occurs 6 times more often in migraine and 3 times more often in tension headache. However, this relationship is only observed for Social Media Disorder. The connection of headaches with Game Addiction has not been revealed. At the same times headaches (especially migraine) and Internet addiction (predominantly social media disorder) have a common comorbid pathology and risk factors: recurrent abdomen pain, back pain, insomnia, daytime sleepiness, gastroesophageal reflux disease, asthenic syndrome, emotional problems, hyperactivity, high prognosis of mental pathology.

The mediating role of cognitive distortions in the relationship between problematic social media use and self-esteem in youth.

Self-esteem expresses the individual's approach to himself and affects the whole life in terms of mental health. Another important factor affecting self-esteem, which has a critical importance for the youth period, is social media. In the literature, there are many studies examining the relationship between social media use and self-esteem of young people. In this study, it was aimed to investigate the relationship between problematic social media use and self-esteem in university students and to test the mediating role of cognitive distortions in the relationship between these two variables. The sample of the study consisted of 239 young individuals, 197 (82.4%) female, and 42 (17.6%) males, with a mean age of 20.62 ± 1.92years, studying at a private university. Participants were evaluated by administering the "Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES)", "Social Media Disorder Scale (SMD-9)", and "Cognitive Distortions Scale (CDS)". The scales were administered via an online survey. Results revealed that there was a negative significant relationship between the problematic social media use levels of the participants and their self-esteem. In the model established to evaluate the mediating role of cognitive distortions in the relationship between problematic social media use and self-esteem levels, in the first step, it was found that problematic social media use directly predicted self-esteem negatively. In the second step, it was determined that the use of problematic social media negatively predicted the mediating variable cognitive distortions. In the third step, when cognitive distortions, which are mediator variables, are added to the model in the relationship between problematic social media use and self-esteem; it was determined that cognitive distortions played a partial mediating role in the sub-dimensions of "self-perception", "self-blame", "hopelessness" and "seeing life as dangerous", while the sub-dimensions of "helplessness" and "total scale scores" played a full mediator role. Our findings show that there is a negative relationship between the problematic social media use of young people and their self-esteem levels, and cognitive distortions play a mediating role in the relationship between both variables.

Social media use and mental health in deaf or hard-of-hearing adults—Results of an online survey

This paper presents the results of an online survey on digital participation through the use of social media of n = 38 German deaf or hard-of-hearing (DHH) adults. In addition, information about the respondents' mental health is collected with four different scales: the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), the Fear of Missing Out Scale (FoMoS), the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Social Isolation Scale (PRO-MIS SI-S) and the Social Media Disorder Scale (SMDS). Correlation analyses using Pearson correlation and Spearman rank correlation tests were conducted to identify relationships between mental health and use of social media. The results indicate that the DHH adults have 4.13 social media accounts on average and use social media 3.78 h per day. This is consistent with other research findings, so that the DHH individuals in this study do not differ from other DHH adults or hearing adults in the number of their social media accounts and in their media usage time. However, there are differences in usage of social media that concern, for example, the social media platforms that are used and time of usage due to communication modality (spoken language, sign language, bimodal bilingualism, and mixed forms). DHH individuals who use sign language use social media less overall compared to DHH people who use spoken language. In terms of mental health, it was found that, as expected, addictive social media behavior and high usage time are interrelated. Addictive behavior, in turn, is often associated with low self-esteem, a sense of social isolation, and a fear of missing out. In general, many participants in the study score high in scales for self-perception of social isolation and loneliness. Nevertheless, there are also positive effects and opportunities of using social media, especially in terms of digital participation, for DHH people, which are also discussed in the article.

Problematic social media use is associated with depression and similar to behavioral addictions: Physiological and behavioral evidence

While many studies have examined the relationship between problematic social media use (PSMU) and mental health disorders, little is known about reward responsiveness mechanisms that might be driving this relationship and the neurophysiological characteristics of PSMU. We surveyed 96 undergraduate students at a private liberal arts college in upstate NY. PSMU was assessed using the Social Media Disorder Scale. Fourteen Individuals endorsing in five or more and three or less categories on the Social Media Disorder Scale were offered and underwent resting state QEEG. Mental health was assessed with the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale Short Form, Social Interaction Anxiety Scale, Penn State Worry Questionnaire, the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale, and a locally developed measure of Substance Use Disorder. Reward and motivational systems were studied using the Brief Sensation Seeking Scale, Behavioral Inhibition/Behavioral Activation Scale, and Temporal Experience of Pleasure Scale.SMDS scores were associated with poorer mental health on all measures except substance use. SMDS scores were positively associated with the behavioral inhibition scale, and the anticipatory pleasure scale. QEEG results revealed a negative association of high PSMU and right central and frontal lobeta, right central beta, and a positive association with frontal alpha asymmetry. The study replicates findings that PSMU is associated with mental health issues. Further the pattern of reward response is different compared with other addictive behaviors. QEEG results are consistent with previous work in substance use and depression.

Strong Correlations between Social Appearance Anxiety, Use of Social Media, and Feelings of Loneliness in Adolescents and Young Adults.

Social appearance anxiety is a type of social anxiety that is associated with body image perception and exacerbated by the use of social media, leading to feelings of loneliness. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine the relations between social appearance anxiety, use of social media, and feelings of loneliness in Greek adolescents and young adults. The sample of the research consisted of 632 participants, 439 women (69.5%) and 193 men (30.5%), aged 18-35 years. The Social Appearance Anxiety Scale (SAAS), the Social Media Disorder Scale (SMDS), and the UCLA Loneliness Scale were the instruments used. Data collection was performed online, via Google forms. Multiple regression analyses were performed and demonstrated a significant positive correlation between the Social Appearance Anxiety Scale and the UCLA Loneliness Scale scores. The feeling of loneliness was predicted by the social appearance anxiety score (p < 0.0001). On the other hand, there was a significant negative correlation between the Social Appearance Anxiety Scale and the Social Media Disorder Scale scores (p = 0.002), suggesting that social media use may exacerbate appearance anxiety and, hence, loneliness. The findings suggest that there may be a complex, vicious reverberatory cycle between appearance anxiety, use of social media, and feelings of loneliness in some young people.