doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0191810. eCollection 2018.
What does media use reveal about personality and mental health? An exploratory investigation among German students
Affiliations
- PMID:29370275
- PMCID: PMC5784983
- DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0191810
Item in Clipboard
What does media use reveal about personality and mental health? An exploratory investigation among German students
Julia Brailovskaia et al. PLoS One..
Display options
Format
Display options
Format
Abstract
The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between personality traits, mental health variables and media use among German students. The data of 633 participants were collected. Results indicate a positive association between general Internet use, general use of social platforms and Facebook use, on the one hand, and self-esteem, extraversion, narcissism, life satisfaction, social support and resilience, on the other hand. Use of computer games was found to be negatively related to these personality and mental health variables. The use of platforms that focus more on written interaction (Twitter, Tumblr) was assumed to be negatively associated with positive mental health variables and significantly positively with depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms. In contrast, Instagram use, which focuses more on photo-sharing, correlated positively with positive mental health variables. Possible practical implications of the present results for mental health, as well as the limitations of the present work are discussed.
Conflict of interest statement
Similar articles
- Comparing Facebook Users and Facebook Non-Users: Relationship between Personality Traits and Mental Health Variables - An Exploratory Study.Brailovskaia J, Margraf J.Brailovskaia J, et al.PLoS One. 2016 Dec 1;11(12):e0166999. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0166999. eCollection 2016.PLoS One. 2016.PMID:27907020Free PMC article.
- Facebook Addiction Disorder (FAD) among German students-A longitudinal approach.Brailovskaia J, Margraf J.Brailovskaia J, et al.PLoS One. 2017 Dec 14;12(12):e0189719. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0189719. eCollection 2017.PLoS One. 2017.PMID:29240823Free PMC article.
- The dark side of internet: Preliminary evidence for the associations of dark personality traits with specific online activities and problematic internet use.Kircaburun K, Griffiths MD.Kircaburun K, et al.J Behav Addict. 2018 Dec 1;7(4):993-1003. doi: 10.1556/2006.7.2018.109. Epub 2018 Nov 14.J Behav Addict. 2018.PMID:30427212Free PMC article.
- The Big-five personality traits and their link to problematic and compensatory Facebook use: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Akbari M, Seydavi M, Jamshidi S, Marino C, Spada MM.Akbari M, et al.Addict Behav. 2023 Apr;139:107603. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2022.107603. Epub 2022 Dec 30.Addict Behav. 2023.PMID:36608593Review.
- Social media use and its impact on adolescent mental health: An umbrella review of the evidence.Valkenburg PM, Meier A, Beyens I.Valkenburg PM, et al.Curr Opin Psychol. 2022 Apr;44:58-68. doi: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2021.08.017. Epub 2021 Aug 18.Curr Opin Psychol. 2022.PMID:34563980
Cited by
- Media coverage of Robin Williams' suicide in the United States: A contributor to contagion?Carmichael V, Whitley R.Carmichael V, et al.PLoS One. 2019 May 9;14(5):e0216543. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0216543. eCollection 2019.PLoS One. 2019.PMID:31071144Free PMC article.
- The Potential of Chatbots for Emotional Support and Promoting Mental Well-Being in Different Cultures: Mixed Methods Study.Chin H, Song H, Baek G, Shin M, Jung C, Cha M, Choi J, Cha C.Chin H, et al.J Med Internet Res. 2023 Oct 20;25:e51712. doi: 10.2196/51712.J Med Internet Res. 2023.PMID:37862063Free PMC article.
- Tumblr Facts: Antecedents of Self-Disclosure across Different Social Networking Sites.Bianchi M, Fabbricatore R, Caso D.Bianchi M, et al.Eur J Investig Health Psychol Educ. 2022 Sep 1;12(9):1257-1271. doi: 10.3390/ejihpe12090087.Eur J Investig Health Psychol Educ. 2022.PMID:36135225Free PMC article.
- Relationships between addictive Facebook use, depressiveness, insomnia, and positive mental health in an inpatient sample: A German longitudinal study.Brailovskaia J, Rohmann E, Bierhoff HW, Margraf J, Köllner V.Brailovskaia J, et al.J Behav Addict. 2019 Dec 1;8(4):703-713. doi: 10.1556/2006.8.2019.63. Epub 2019 Dec 13.J Behav Addict. 2019.PMID:31830811Free PMC article.
- Exploring the Impact of Social Media on Anxiety Among University Students in the United Kingdom: Qualitative Study.Anto A, Asif RO, Basu A, Kanapathipillai D, Salam H, Selim R, Zaman J, Eisingerich AB.Anto A, et al.JMIR Form Res. 2023 Jun 16;7:e43037. doi: 10.2196/43037.JMIR Form Res. 2023.PMID:37327030Free PMC article.
References
- Postman N. Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business. USA: Penguin; 1985.
- Howard PE, Rainie L, Jones S. Days and nights on the internet the impact of a diffusing technology. Am Behav Sci. 2001;45(3): 383–404.
- German Federal Statistical Office. Wirtschaftsrechnungen. Private Haushalte in der Informationsgesellschaft (IKT). 2016. Available from:https://www.destatis.de/DE/Publikationen/Thematisch/EinkommenKonsumLeben....
- Michikyan M, Subrahmanyam K, Dennis J. Can you tell who I am? Neuroticism, extraversion, and online self-presentation among young adults. Comput Human Behav. 2014;33: 179–83.
- Roth P. Nutzerzahlen: Facebook, Instagram und WhatsApp, Highlights, Umsätze, uvm. (Stand November 2017) 2017 [updated 02 November 2017]. Available from:https://allfacebook.de/toll/state-of-facebook.
Publication types
MeSH terms
Grants and funding
This study was supported by Alexander von Humboldt Professorship awarded to Jürgen Margraf by the Alexander von Humboldt-Foundation. Furthermore, we acknowledge support by the Open Access Publication Funds of the Ruhr-Universität Bochum to JB. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources
Medical