Effects of University Students' Social Comparison Orientation on Their SNS Addiction through Self-esteem

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to identify the mediating effects of self-esteem between social comparison orientation and social network service (SNS) addiction in university students. METHODS: Descriptive cross-sectional survey design was employed. The data were statistically analyzed by using the descriptive and inferential statistics. Sobel test and Bootstrap method, and Kappa squared mediation effect size measure were used to identify the mediator's significance. A convenience sample of 195 subjects was recruited from two universities in Korea. RESULTS: The mean age of the subjects was 22.58±1.81. The subjects showed relatively high levels of SNS addiction with a mean score of 14.33±4.80. The overall model significantly explained 37.0% of variances in the subjects' SNS addiction after controlling gender, age, grade, major, period of SNS using, time spent on SNS per day, and times accessed SNS per day. Of the predictors, time spent on SNS per day, social comparison orientation, and self-esteem were significantly associated with SNS addiction. Self-esteem was the mediator between social comparison orientation and SNS addiction. CONCLUSION: When developing strategies for preventing SNS addiction, interventions for reducing time spent on SNS per day, not having upward social comparison orientation, and improving the self-esteem should be considered. These findings might provide a theoretical basis for developing effective strategies for preventing SNS addiction in university students.