Study on Influence of Internal Working Models and Gender Differences on Addiction of Social Network Sites in Japanese University Students

Abstract

In recent decades, social network sites (SNSs) have become more popular and SNSs addiction has become a serious social problem. However, few studies have examined the effect of a person's internal working model (IWM) on addiction, which determine how attachment processes operate throughout the life course. This study aims at investigating the influence of IWMs and the psychological state, particularly loneliness and interpersonal trust, and of gender differences on addiction of SNSs in Japanese university students. Participants were 284 undergraduates in Japan (130 males, 154 females) who were evaluated with an original questionnaire about SNSs addiction, the UCLA Loneliness Scale, Interpersonal Trust Scale, and Internal Working Model Scale. We conducted multiple regression analyses by setting the entry method, one of which was forced entry, to examine the relationship between the dependent variable (SNSs addiction) and the independent variables (other factors) in each gender. The results show that SNSs addiction is influenced by an ambivalent attachment style (males, β = .19; females β = .36) and utilization time (males, β = .32; females β = .32) in both genders. To compare gender differences, we examined the structural equation modeling. The results show that only the influence of an ambivalent attachment style is significantly different between males and females (z = 5.04, p < .01), suggesting that such an attachment style predicts SNSs addiction. Because females tend to use SNSs as interaction tools, those with a high ambivalent style may become preoccupied with peer group membership. To prevent * Corresponding author. A. Fujimori et al. 1833 SNSs addiction, it is important that children form stable attachment relationships with parents/ caregivers when young. Regarding clinical implications, if counseling or psychotherapy is employed for people with SNSs addiction, it is important to assess the attachment style, and that therapy work toward changing an ambivalent style to a stable one.

Addiction to Social Media and Attachment Styles: A Systematic Literature Review

“…More specifically, secure individuals accept their own emotional needs (Estévez et al 2017), while insecure individuals do not (e.g., anxious-avoidant). The more they think they cannot rely on others' support (Estévez et al 2017), the more it leads to the avoidance of interpersonal relationships and they search for compensation via online engagement (Eichenberg et al 2017;Estévez et al 2017;Fujimori et al 2015;Lei and Wu 2007;Savcı and Aysan 2016;Yang et al 2016). This finding is in line with research suggesting that childhood trauma (e.g., physical and sexual abuse) can be a risk factor for internet addiction (Odacı and Çıkrıkçı 2014;Schimmenti et al 2014).…”

Influences of Attachment Style, Family Functions and Gender Differences on Loneliness in Japanese University Students

“…The following was referred to in Fujimori et al (2015) about attachment theory. Bowlby (1969) In general, there might be family functions issue or an attachment problem in addiction, substance abuse or conduct disorder conditions.…”

“…To prevent any leaking of personal information via survey assistants, participants responded anonymously to survey materials. The Ethical Review Committee of Kawasaki University of Medical Welfare approved this study .Over and above, this study was conducted at the same time with Fujimori et al (2015) and investigated SNSs addiction. Thus, measurements of loneliness and attachment as well as sample were duplicates.…”

Gender differences in symptom structure of adolescent problematic internet use: A network analysis

“…One meta-analysis found that females were more likely to exhibit social media addiction and less likely to display Internet gaming disorder than males [ 35 ]. Since female adolescents often value relationships more than males, they tend to use the Internet for social networking in response to feelings of emptiness when their social needs are not otherwise fully met [ 36 ]. Once the threshold of Internet use increases, individuals require more time to reach the degrees of satisfaction previously achieved [ 37 ].…”