J Korean Acad Community Health Nurs.  2018 Sep;29(3):371-381. 10.12799/jkachn.2018.29.3.371.

Effects of University Students' Social Comparison Orientation on Their SNS Addiction through Self-esteem

• Yang IS
• Whang SA

• KMID: 2429991
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.12799/jkachn.2018.29.3.371

Abstract

PURPOSE
The purpose of this study is to identify the mediating effects of self-esteem between social comparison orientation and social network service (SNS) addiction in university students.
METHODS
Descriptive cross-sectional survey design was employed. The data were statistically analyzed by using the descriptive and inferential statistics. Sobel test and Bootstrap method, and Kappa squared mediation effect size measure were used to identify the mediator's significance. A convenience sample of 195 subjects was recruited from two universities in Korea.
RESULTS
The mean age of the subjects was 22.58±1.81. The subjects showed relatively high levels of SNS addiction with a mean score of 14.33±4.80. The overall model significantly explained 37.0% of variances in the subjects' SNS addiction after controlling gender, age, grade, major, period of SNS using, time spent on SNS per day, and times accessed SNS per day. Of the predictors, time spent on SNS per day, social comparison orientation, and self-esteem were significantly associated with SNS addiction. Self-esteem was the mediator between social comparison orientation and SNS addiction.
CONCLUSION
When developing strategies for preventing SNS addiction, interventions for reducing time spent on SNS per day, not having upward social comparison orientation, and improving the self-esteem should be considered. These findings might provide a theoretical basis for developing effective strategies for preventing SNS addiction in university students.

Keyword

Cross-cultural comparison; Self concept; Behavior, Addictive; Social networkingg

MeSH Terms

Behavior, Addictive
Cross-Cultural Comparison
Cross-Sectional Studies
Humans
Korea
Methods
Negotiating
Self Concept

Figure

• 

  Figure 1 Mediating effect of self-esteem on SNS addiction.

Reference

1. Shin JH, Joo JW, Kim YH, Ha HS. 2015 Korea media panel survey. Administration data. Jincheon: Korea Information Society Development Institute;2015. 12. Report No.: 15-12.

2. Muench F, Hayes M, Kuerbis A, Shao S. The independent relationship between trouble controlling Facebook use, time spent on the site and distress. J Behav Addict. 2015; 4(3):163–169. DOI: 10.1556/2006.4.2015.013.

3. Lee YM. SNS addiction tendency and its related factors among university students. J Korea Acad Ind Coop Soc. 2016; 17(12):561–568. DOI: 10.5762/KAIS.2016.17.12.561.

4. Andreassen CS, Pallesen S, Griffiths MD. The relationship between addictive use of social media, narcissism, and self-esteem: Findings from a large national survey. Addict Behav. 2017; 64:287–293. DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2016.03.006.

5. Andreassen CS, Pallesen S. Social network site addiction: An overview. Curr Pharm Des. 2014; 20(25):4053–4061.

6. Lee SH. A study on the policy implication on the addiction of social media service user: Focusing on the proposal of Korean SNS addiction Index (KSAI). J Digit Converg. 2013; 11(1):255–265.

7. Lee IS, Cho JY. A Study on social networking service addiction and mental health among nursing college students. J Korean Soc Sch Health. 2012; 25(1):22–30.

8. Błachnio A, Przepiorka A, Pantic I. Association between Facebook addiction, self-esteem and life satisfaction: A cross-sectional study. Comput Human Behav. 2016; 55:701–705. DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2015.10.026.

9. Vogel EA, Rose JP, Roberts LR, Eckles K. Social comparison, social media, and self-esteem. Psychol Pop Media Cult. 2014; 3(4):206–222. DOI: 10.1037/ppm0000047.

10. Jeong SR, Hyun MH. Mediating effects of inferiority feeling and moderating effects of self-esteem stability on the relationship between upward social comparison and depression: Focusing on Facebook use by college student. Korean J Health Psychol. 2015; 20(4):703–717.

11. Kwon HS, Kim GE, Kim MH, Kim SJ, Kim JW, NamGung B, et al. Comparison orientation and patterns of using Facebook among Facebook users in their twenties. J Nurs Acad Assoc Ewha Womans Univ. 2015; 1(49):21–31.

12. Ha JH. The relationship between social comparison orientation, irrational beliefs and achievement goals on male and female adolescents. Korean J Educ Psychol. 2006; 20(4):785–805.

13. Kim JH, Kim W, Kim SH, Lee KJ. The impact of social support to the elderly group on their anxiety over aging and the mediation effect of self-esteem. J Welf Aged. 2014; 64:323–343.

14. Kim MR. The relationship between married womens' life stress and depression tendency: The mediating and moderating effects of self-esteem. Korean J Clin Psychol. 2007; 12(4):761–777.

15. Seo DB, Kim SJ. Comparison between SNS addiction and gaming addiction-based on the problem behavior theory. Inf Syst Rev. 2017; 19(1):25–48.

16. Lee JY, Yoo JS, Heo G. The effects of gender, self-esteem, and self-control on the smartphone addiction in university students. J Korean Data Anal Soc. 2014; 16(3):1557–1566.

17. Gibbons FX, Buunk BP. Individual differences in social comparison: Development of a scale of social comparison orientation. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1999; 76(1):129–142.

18. Choi YH. The effects of stress, locus of control and social comparison orientation on level of depression [master's thesis]. [Seoul]: Catholic University of Korea;2003. 48.

19. Rosenberg M. Society and the adolescent self-image. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press;1965. p. 326.

20. Jon BJ. Self-esteem: A test of its measurability. Yonsei J. 1974; 11(1):107–130.

21. Andreassen CS, Torsheim T, Brunborg GS, Pallesen S. Development of a Facebook addiction scale. Psychol Rep. 2012; 110(2):501–517. DOI: 10.2466/02.09.18.PR0.110.2.501-517.

22. Schou Andreassen C, Billieux J, Griffiths MD, Kuss DJ, Demetrovics Z, Mazzoni E, et al. The relationship between addictive use of social media and video games and symptoms of psychiatric disorders: A large-scale cross-sectional study. Psychol Addict Behav. 2016; 30(2):252–262. DOI: 10.1037/adb0000160.

23. Bányai F, Zsila Á, Király O, Maraz A, Elekes Z, Griffiths MD, et al. Problematic social media use: Results from a large-scale nationally representative adolescent sample. PLoS One. 2017; 12(1):e0169839. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0169839.

24. Baron RM, Kenny DA. The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1986; 51(6):1173–1182. DOI: 10.1037//0022-3514.51.6.1173.

25. Sobel ME. Asymptotic confidence intervals for indirect effects in structural equations models. In : Leinhart S, editor. Sociological methodology. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass;1982. p. 290–312.

26. Preacher KJ, Hayes AF. Asymptotic and resampling strategies for assessing and comparing indirect effects in multiple mediator models. Behav Res Methods. 2008; 40:879–891. DOI: 10.3758/BRM.40.3.879.

27. Preacher KJ, Kelley K. Effect sizes measures for mediation models: Quantitative strategies for communicating indirect effects. Psychol Methods. 2011; 16(2):93–115. DOI: 10.1037/a0022658.

28. Heyman GM. Addiction: A disorder of choice. Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press;2009. p. 216.

29. Burnell K, Kuther TL. Predictors of mobile phone and social networking site dependency in adulthood. Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw. 2016; 19(10):621–627. DOI: 10.1089/cyber.2016.0209.

30. Morse S, Gergen KJ. Social comparison, self-consistency, and the concept of self. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1970; 16(1):148–156. DOI: 10.1037/h0029862.