A study on social media addiction in university students through the lens of attachment styles and personality traits

The current study, by taking the demographic variables into account, investigated the extent to which attachment styles and personality traits account for the prevalence of social media addiction among university students. The sample comprised 328 students who were actively engaged in social media, drawn from various universities in Turkey. Data were collected through a comprehensive survey consisting of four sections (Demographic Information Form, Social Media Addiction Scale, Basic Personality Traits Scale Developed in Turkish Culture and Relationship Scales Questionnaire), and the results were quantitatively analyzed. The analyses revealed that participants scored low on the Social Media Addiction Scale (SMAS), indicating a low level of addiction and that they exhibited a reduced dependency on mood regulation, relapse, and conflict subscales, while demonstrating a moderate level of addiction in the preoccupation subscale. The findings also indicated that one attachment style, preoccupied attachment, and the two personality traits, conscientiousness and openness to experience, positively predicted social media addiction, whereas another personality trait, extraversion, was negatively associated with it. As for the demographic characteristics of the participants, it was found that they did not have a significant influence on social media addiction. However, the length of time participants spent using social media over the years was found to be linked to the preoccupation subscale of the SMAS. Furthermore, a significant relationship was found between the time spent on social media on a daily basis and both the SMAS and all its subscales. Keywords: Social Media Addiction, Attachment Styles, Personality Traits, Demographic Characteristics, Grade Point Average.