Does Problematic Use of Social Network Mediate the Association between Bullying Victimization and Loneliness among Lebanese Adolescents?
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Study Design and Participants
2.2. Minimal Sample Size Calculation
2.3. Questionnaire
- The third section consisted:
- The Illinois Bully scale (IBS). The IBS, validated in Lebanon [51], is an eighteen-item scale consisting of two subscales: bullying perpetration (e.g., “I annoyed other students”) and bullying victimization (e.g., “Other students beat and pushed me”) [52]. Each item was scored as follows: 0 for never and 4 for up to seven or more times. The respective items are added up to obtain the subscale scores. Higher scores for victimization and perpetration of bullying indicated, respectively, greater victimization and greater perpetration of bullying [53]. In our study, we used only the bullying victimization subscale (α = 0.88).
- Problematic Use of SNs (PUS) Scale. The PUS is a self-report scale that examines the potential impact of social networking’s (SNs) use on addiction, with a focus on the way SNs are being used in a comparative manner, and evaluating problematic SN use without a specific focus on a particular social media network, and therefore can be generalized to various SNs [34]. The instrument is composed of 18 Likert-type items with five possible options (1 = completely disagree, 5 = completely agree). Items are divided into two subscales: 8 items for addictive consequences (e.g., using social networks, I lose track of time and ignore important tasks I have outstanding) and 10 items for negative social comparison (e.g., when I see content from influencers or celebrities, I feel inferior). Higher scores reflecting higher problematic use of SNs (α = 0.95 for negative social comparison and α = 0.90 for addictive consequences).
- Jong-Gierveld Loneliness Scale. In our study, we used the modified 5-item version of the Jong-Gierveld Loneliness Scale [54], this scale assesses subjective loneliness. (e.g., I experience a general sense of emptiness; I miss having people around). Items were rated according to a yes/no type of answer; one point was awarded for a positive response and no points for a negative response. Higher scores reflect greater loneliness (α = 0.76). This scale is validated in Lebanon [55].
2.4. Translation Procedure
2.5. Statistical Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Sociodemographic and Other Characteristics of the Participants
3.2. Bivariate Analysis
3.3. Indirect Effect Analysis
4. Discussion
4.1. BV and Loneliness: Direct Effect
4.2. BV and PUSN
4.3. PUSN and Loneliness
4.4. BV and Loneliness: The Indirect Role of PUSN
4.5. Clinical Implications
4.6. Limitations
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Variable | N (%) |
---|---|
Sex | |
Male | 133 (35.1%) |
Female | 246 (64.9%) |
Mean ± SD | |
Age (in years) [range: 13–17] | 16.07 ± 1.19 |
Physical activity index | 27.78 ± 20.15 |
Household crowding index (persons/room) | 1.26 ± 0.74 |
Body Mass Index (kg/m2) | 22.33 ± 3.79 |
Financial burden [range: 1–10] | 4.96 ± 2.80 |
Negative social comparison [range: 10–50] | 20.97 ± 9.73 |
Addictive consequences [range: 8–40] | 19.53 ± 7.46 |
Loneliness [range: 0–5] | 2.01 ± 1.73 |
Bullying victimization | 3.30 ± 5.01 |
Variable | L | NSC | AC | BV | Age | PAI | HCI | BMI | FB |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loneliness (L) | 1 | ||||||||
Negative social comparison (NSC) | 0.52 *** | 1 | |||||||
Addictive consequences (AC) | 0.42 *** | 0.72 *** | 1 | ||||||
Bullying victimization (BV) | 0.27 *** | 0.32 *** | 0.28 *** | 1 | |||||
Age | 0.14 ** | −0.05 | −0.01 | 0.07 | 1 | ||||
Physical activity index (PAI) | −0.06 | −0.14 ** | −0.16 ** | 0.09 | 0.02 | 1 | |||
Household crowding index (HCI) | 0.003 | −0.09 | −0.09 | 0.003 | 0.02 | −0.06 | 1 | ||
Body Mass Index (BMI) | 0.03 | 0.15 ** | 0.11 * | 0.03 | 0.02 | 0.03 | −0.15 ** | 1 | |
Financial burden (FB) | 0.25 *** | 0.20 *** | 0.17 ** | 0.25 *** | 0.14 ** | −0.15 ** | 0.20 *** | 0.11 * | 1 |
Direct Effect | Indirect Effect | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Beta | SE | p | Beta | Boot SE | Boot CI | |
Negative social comparison | 0.10 | 0.02 | <0.001 | 0.04 | 0.02 | 0.01–0.07 * |
Addictive consequences | 0.06 | 0.02 | <0.001 | 0.03 | 0.01 | 0.02–0.05 * |
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Eid, E.; Fekih-Romdhane, F.; Sarray El Dine, A.; Malaeb, D.; Hallit, S.; Obeid, S. Does Problematic Use of Social Network Mediate the Association between Bullying Victimization and Loneliness among Lebanese Adolescents? Children 2023, 10, 599. https://doi.org/10.3390/children10030599
Eid E, Fekih-Romdhane F, Sarray El Dine A, Malaeb D, Hallit S, Obeid S. Does Problematic Use of Social Network Mediate the Association between Bullying Victimization and Loneliness among Lebanese Adolescents? Children. 2023; 10(3):599. https://doi.org/10.3390/children10030599
Chicago/Turabian StyleEid, Elia, Feten Fekih-Romdhane, Abir Sarray El Dine, Diana Malaeb, Souheil Hallit, and Sahar Obeid. 2023. "Does Problematic Use of Social Network Mediate the Association between Bullying Victimization and Loneliness among Lebanese Adolescents?" Children 10, no. 3: 599. https://doi.org/10.3390/children10030599