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© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

During the first lockdown, there was an increase in time spent using Social Networking Sites (SNS), which should be studied, as well as problematic SNS use. The present study has three objectives: to evaluate (i) the differences across gender and age and SNS type in increased SNS use, (ii) problematic SNS use during lockdowns, and (iii) the protective role of resilience and optimism on problematic SNS use. A total of 1003 participants (75.5% women) over 18 years old participated (M = 42.33; SD = 14.32 years). The use of SNS before and during lockdown, anxiety, depression, life satisfaction and problematic SNS use were evaluated. A repeated measures ANOVA and four regression analyses were calculated for the first objective regarding increased SNS use. Another linear regression analysis was calculated for the second objective regarding problematic SNS use. A correlational analysis has been performed to assess the protective roles of resilience and optimism. Differences in the increased use of SNS were found between the two time points and between the different types of SNS. Higher use of Instagram and YouTube was related to younger age. Being female was associated with higher Instagram use. Significant problematic use was found to be associated with younger age but was not dependent on gender. Higher levels of resilience and optimism were related to a lower level of problematic SNS use. SNS use during lockdown needs to be studied in order to understand factors that may protect against undesirable psychological consequences and support prevention programs.

Details

Title
Problematic Use of Social Networks during the First Lockdown: User Profiles and the Protective Effect of Resilience and Optimism
Author
González-Nuevo, Covadonga 1 ; Cuesta, Marcelino 1 ; Muñiz, José 2 ; Postigo, Álvaro 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Menéndez-Aller, Álvaro 1 ; Kuss, Daria J 3   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

 Department of Psychology, University of Oviedo, Plaza Feijoo s/n, 33003 Oviedo, Spain 
 Faculty of Psychology, University of Nebrija, Calle Santa Cruz de Marcenado, 27, 28015 Madrid, Spain 
 International Gaming Research Unit and Cyberpsychology Research Group, Psychology Division, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham NG1 4BU, UK 
First page
7431
Publication year
2022
Publication date
2022
Publisher
MDPI AG
e-ISSN
20770383
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2756721843
Copyright
© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.