Internalizing symptoms, rumination, and problematic social networking site use: A cross national examination among young adults in seven countries

Background: As daily engagement with social networking sites (SNS) increases globally, identifying and understanding the risk factors associated with problematic SNS use is of utmost importance. Researchers are interested in understanding internalizing symptoms as both a risk factor and a negative consequence of problematic SNS use. Prior research has proposed rumination alongside internalizing symptoms as a risk factor, though limited research has examined these associations across different cultures. Objective: The present study examined the indirect associations between internalizing symptoms (specifically depressive and social anxiety symptoms) and problematic SNS use via rumination among a cross-cultural sample. Method: Participants were 8,912 (70.8 % female; Mean age = 20.25, SD = 3.95) college students recruited across seven countries (U.S., Canada, Spain, England, Argentina, Uruguay, and South Africa) who completed measures of internalizing symptoms, rumination, weekly SNS use, and problematic SNS use. Results: We found that higher internalizing symptoms were associated with more problematic SNS use via higher ruminative thinking. Specifically, problem-focused thoughts (a rumination subtype) uniquely accounted for 22.89% and 28.15% of the total effect of depressive and social anxiety symptoms on problematic SNS use, respectively. Other rumination subtypes (i.e., anticipatory thoughts and repetitive thinking) also demonstrated significant indirect effects, though weaker effects than for problem-focused thoughts. Findings were invariant across countries. Conclusions: These findings provide support for further exploring the role rumination plays in determining and comparing problematic SNS use cross-culturally in longitudinal and experimental work.

Automated summary

This study examines the indirect associations between internalizing symptoms (specifically depressive and social anxiety symptoms) and problematic social networking sites (SNS) use via rumination among a cross-cultural sample. The results show that higher internalizing symptoms are associated with more problematic SNS use through higher ruminative thinking. Problem-focused thoughts have a significant impact on the relationship between depressive and social anxiety symptoms and problematic SNS use. The findings suggest the importance of exploring the role of rumination in determining and comparing problematic SNS use cross-culturally in further longitudinal and experimental work.