Investigation of the relationship of problematic social media use with narcissistic personality traits and psychological symptoms in young adults

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between problematic social media use, narcissistic personality traits and psychological symptoms in young adults. The data collection technique of the research was done through online questionnaires. 387 people participated in the research. The questionnaires used in the research were sent to the participants via social media applications and e-mail. The data obtained from the participants were entered into the SPSS 25.0 package software, and comparative and relational analysis methods were applied by the researcher. Sociodemographic Information Form, Social Media Addiction Scale, Narcissistic Personality Inventory and Brief Symptom Inventory were applied to the participants in the study. Independent Sample t-Test, One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), Pearson Correlation and Linear Regression Analysis were applied since the data provided by the scales and sample were used to show normal distribution. Multiple Regression Analysis was performed with the variables that were found to be related. According to the findings obtained in the study, it was concluded that men and women were not significantly different in terms of narcissistic personality traits. In addition, no significant difference was found in the total scores of men's and women's narcissistic personality traits. Women's SMDS sub-dimension scores of preoccupation, mood, repetition and conflict were found to be significantly higher than male participants. Women's Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) sub-dimension scores of anxiety, depression, negative self, somatization and hostility were found to be significantly higher than men. Compared to the family relationship variable among other sociodemographic variables, it was observed that the participants who stated that they had a bad relationship with their families scored significantly higher in the BSI sub-dimensions. It was determined that only the somatization sub-dimension was higher in the participants who stated that they had good relations with their families. It was found that the participants who stated that they used Instagram, one of the social media applications, got significantly higher scores from the Social Media Addiction Scale (SMDS) sub-dimensions. Among the participants, those who prefer to share videos on social media have a significantly higher NCI total score compared to those who share photos, messages and other types. In addition, it was seen that the participants whose purpose of internet use was to look at photos and who had a weblog got significantly higher scores in the SMDS sub-dimensions. When the findings on the relationship between social media addiction, narcissistic personality traits and psychological symptoms were examined, it was determined that social media addiction had a positive and significant relationship with narcissistic personality traits and psychological symptoms. According to the findings regarding the variables predicting social media addiction, it was concluded that anxiety, depression, somatization and negative self sub-dimensions significantly predicted social media addiction. It is thought that the results obtained in the research are important in terms of evaluating the psychological factors associated with problematic social media use and situations that may be risk factors and may contribute to the literature. It is thought that the findings can be supported by future studies and contribute to the literature.