Predictive model of social media and mobile phone’s problematic use: Impulsivity and social anxiety

Abstract

The number of social media and mobile phone users is constantly increasing. Researchers worldwide argue that studying the problematic use of these technologies is of the utmost importance to develop better interventions in the future. The study proposes a predictive model of problematic use of social media and mobile phones in relation to social anxiety the components of impulsivity and emotional regulation. A non-experimental, predictive, and correlational cross-sectional design was used to investigate the interaction between psychological variables. Through a convenience sampling, 242 university students aged 18 to 24 were selected (mean age = 20.29 SE = 2.19) to interact with relevant instruments. Then was applied the predictive model using the structural equations’ method and obtained a final predictive model with the following results: χ2 = 7.6, gl = 7, P <0.001, χ2 / df = 1.08, NFI = 0.96, CFI = 0.99, RMSEA = 0.019, IC 90 = [0.001 - 0.08], SRMR = 0.038. The findings of direct and indirect effects related to problematic use of mobile phones, social media, and hours invested, link these and the following variables: Negative Urgency, Expressive Suppression of emotions, and Social Anxiety.