Emotion regulation and desire thinking as predictors of problematic Facebook use

Marino, Claudia, Caselli, Gabriele, Lenzi, Michela, Vieno, Lessio, Nikcevic, Ana and Spada, Marcantonio M. (2018) Emotion regulation and desire thinking as predictors of problematic Facebook use. In: 5th International Conference on Behavioral Addictions; 23-25 Apr 2018, Cologne, Germany. (Unpublished)

Abstract

Background: Research evidence suggests that problematic Facebook use (PFU) affects a large number of people worldwide. A variety of studies have investigated the relationship between PFU and psychological dysfunction, revealing that deficient mood and cognitive self-regulation (Caplan, 2010; Marino et al., 2016) are common among problematic Facebook users. Two important constructs have yet to be investigated in the relationship between craving and PFU: emotion regulation and desire thinking. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between craving, emotion regulation and desire thinking in pre-dicting PFU. Methods: We present data on 750 adults who completed self-report measures of craving (Penn Alcohol Craving Scale), emotion regulation (Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Strategies), desire thinking (Desire Thinking Questionnaire) and PFU (Problematic Facebook Use Scale). Results: Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that gender, craving, emotion regulation and the verbal perseveration component of desire thinking predicted PFU. On the basis of these results we proposed a summary model of the inter-relationships between the variables under study based on previous research findings. Conclusion: Emotion regulation and desire thinking are independent predictors of PFU. These constructs should be considered in the modification of problematic Facebook behavior.

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