Problematic social media use in the covid-19 era: the role of personality and trait emotional intelligence

Abstract

According to previous research, social media use among students has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic due to lockdown and transition to distance learning. Many studies have demonstrated a link between personality traits and problematic social media use (PSMU). In addition to basic personality traits, trait emotional intelligence (EI) has shown to be a protective factor against various behavioral problems: higher trait EI is likely to be related to decreased PSMU. The present study explored the role of basic personality traits and trait EI in predicting PSMU during the pandemic. Subjects in this online research were female students (N = 259) from the University of Belgrade who completed: (1) Bergen Social Media Scale (BSMAS), measuring problematic social media use according to the core components of addiction (salience, mood modification, tolerance, withdraw symptoms, conflict, and relapse), (2) HEXACO Personality Inventory Revised comprising traits Honesty-Humility, Emotionality, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness and Openness to experience, and (3) the TEIQue, examining trait EI factors - Well-Being, Self-control, Emotionality, and Sociability. Hierarchical regression model comprised of the HEXACO personality traits (entered 1st) and trait EI factors (entered 2nd) as predictors, and PSMU as a criterion variable was tested. HEXACO personality traits explained almost 23% of variance (F(6, 252) = 13.682, Adj. R2 = .228, p < .001) with Honesty- Humility (β = -.289, p < .001), Emotionality (β = .190, p < .001), Extraversion (β = -.116, p < .05), Conscientiousness (β = -.275, p < .001) and Openness to experience (β = -.116, p < .05) as significant predictors. In the second step, PSMU was predicted (F(10, 248) = 8.990, Adj. R2 = .236, p < .001) negatively by HEXACO Honesty- Humility (β = -.287, p < .001), Conscientiousness (β = -.171, p < .05) and by trait EI factor Self-control (β = -.202, p < .05). Trait EI factors offered no incremental increase in predicting PSMU. The current data confirmed relations between PSMU and most of HEXACO personality traits. The results also indicate significant role of Self-control as a trait EI factor in predicting PSMU in the COVID era.