The mediating role of doomscrolling in the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and social media addiction

Objective: When faced with uncertain life events, individuals may develop an addiction to social media as they seek information through it without realizing how time passes. For this reason, it is considered important to examine the role of doomscrolling in this relationship. Therefore, the aim of this study is to examine the mediating role of doomscrolling in the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and social media addiction. Materials and Methods: The sample of this correlational study consists of 614 emerging adults. Data were collected using a Personal Information Form, the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale, Doomscrolling Scale, and the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test the hypothetical model constructed using the variables intolerance of uncertainty, doomscrolling, and social media addiction. Bootstrapping analysis was conducted to test the significance of the mediating effect. Results: The findings obtained from the research have revealed that intolerance to uncertainty positively and significantly predicts social media addiction and doomscrolling, and doomscrolling positively and significantly predicts social media addiction. When the mediating role of doomscrolling was examined, it was found that the indirect effect was significant, and doomscrolling mediated the relationship between intolerance to uncertainty and social media addiction. Conclusion: The findings from the research enhance comprehension of the factors that lead to social media addiction and provide significant insights for future prevention and intervention studies in this area. The findings were discussed in light of studies in the literature, and recommendations were presented for practitioners and researchers. Keywords: Doomscrolling, Emerging adults, Intolerance of uncertainty, Social media addiction.