Influences of life stress, anxiety, self-efficacy and social support on social networking addiction among college students in China and the United States

Abstract

Objectives: Studies on the addictive nature of online social networking activities are emerging, as the usage of online social networking platforms has become increasingly popular. This study aimed to investigate the effects of demographic (age and gender), psychosocial (self-efficacy, social support and life stress), and affective (anxiety) factors on Online Social Networking (OSN) addiction among college students in China and the United States. Method: A convenience sample of 2160 college students (1026 males, 1133 females) aged between 18-25 years old were recruited from China (N = 1035) and the United States (N=1125). These students completed questionnaires on life stress, anxiety, self-efficacy, social support and online social networking activities. Results: Results showed that 24.5% of the college students in China and 12.1% in the United States were addicted to online social networking. For both countries, OSN addicts reported more life stress and higher anxiety than non-addicts. Only US addicts reported lower self-efficacy and less social support than non-addicts in US. Multivariate analyses also showed that OSN addiction was related to female gender, low self-efficacy, life stress and anxiety among college students in the United States. For college students in China, OSN addiction was associated with life stress and anxiety only. Conclusions: The present results indicate that country specific health education approaches and interventions regarding OSN addiction are warranted in order to maximize the efficiency of strategies.