Valeria de Palo

Social networking addiction, attachment style, and validation of the Italian version of the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale

Aim Research into social networking addiction has greatly increased over the last decade. However, the number of validated instruments assessing addiction to social networking sites (SNSs) remains few, and none have been validated in the Italian language. Consequently, this study tested the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), as well as providing empirical data concerning the relationship between attachment styles and SNS addiction. Methods A total of 769 participants were recruited to this study. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and multigroup analyses were applied to assess construct validity of the Italian version of the BSMAS. Reliability analyses comprised the average variance extracted, the standard error of measurement, and the factor determinacy coefficient. Results Indices obtained from the CFA showed the Italian version of the BSMAS to have an excellent fit of the model to the data, thus confirming the single-factor structure of the instrument. Measurement invariance was established at configural, metric, and strict invariances across age groups, and at configural and metric levels across gender groups. Internal consistency was supported by several indicators. In addition, the theoretical associations between SNS addiction and attachment styles were generally supported. Conclusion This study provides evidence that the Italian version of the BSMAS is a psychometrically robust tool that can be used in future Italian research into social networking addiction.

Validation of the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale – Short-Form (IGDS9-SF) in an Italian-speaking sample

Background and aims The inclusion of Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) in Section III of the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders has increased the interest of researchers in the development of new standardized psychometric tools for the assessment of such a disorder. To date, the nine-item Internet Gaming Disorder Scale – Short-Form (IGDS9-SF) has only been validated in English, Portuguese, and Slovenian languages. Therefore, the aim of this investigation was to examine the psychometric properties of the IGDS9-SF in an Italian-speaking sample. Methods A total of 757 participants were recruited to the present study. Confirmatory factor analysis and multi-group analyses were applied to assess the construct validity. Reliability analyses comprised the average variance extracted, the standard error of measurement, and the factor determinacy coefficient. Convergent and criterion validities were established through the associations with other related constructs. The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to determine an empirical cut-off point. Results Findings confirmed the single-factor structure of the instrument, its measurement invariance at the configural level, and the convergent and criterion validities. Satisfactory levels of reliability and a cut-off point of 21 were obtained. Discussion and conclusions The present study provides validity evidence for the use of the Italian version of the IGDS9-SF and may foster research into gaming addiction in the Italian context.

Exploring individual differences in online addictions: the role of identity and attachment

Research examining the development of online addictions has grown greatly over the last decade with many studies suggesting both risk factors and protective factors. In an attempt to integrate the theories of attachment and identity formation, the present study investigated the extent to which identity styles and attachment orientations account for three types of online addiction (i.e., internet addiction, online gaming addiction, and social media addiction). The sample comprised 712 Italian students (381 males and 331 females) recruited from schools and universities who completed an offline self-report questionnaire. The findings showed that addictions to the internet, online gaming, and social media were interrelated and were predicted by common underlying risk and protective factors. Among identity styles, ‘informational’ and ‘diffuse-avoidant’ styles were risk factors, whereas ‘normative’ style was a protective factor. Among attachment dimensions, the ‘secure’ attachment orientation negatively predicted the three online addictions, and a different pattern of causal relationships were observed between the styles underlying ‘anxious’ and ‘avoidant’ attachment orientations. Hierarchical multiple regressions demonstrated that identity styles explained between 21.2 and 30% of the variance in online addictions, whereas attachment styles incrementally explained between 9.2 and 14% of the variance in the scores on the three addiction scales. These findings highlight the important role played by identity formation in the development of online addictions.

Il ruolo dell’apprendimento autoregolato nella procrastinazione accademica

Tra le varie tipologie di procrastinazione quella accademica e una delle piu studiate a causa dei suoi effetti negativi sulle performance degli studenti. Considerata come forma di fallimento nell’autoregolazione, e stata indagata all’interno del modello teorico dell’apprendimento autoregolato. Al fine di fornire maggiore evidenza empirica del ruolo svolto dalle strategie di apprendimento autoregolato nell’influenzare la procrastinazione accademica, questo studio ha esaminato in un campione di studenti universitari se, oltre alla gestione del tempo, l’autoregolazione metacognitiva e il pensiero critico aggiungono varianza nel predire la procrastinazione. Il fattore maggiormente determinante e risultato la difficolta a gestire il tempo, seguita da quella dell’autoregolazione metacognitiva.

Credenze metacognitive, strategie di apprendimento e procrastinazione decisionale: un modello di mediazione

Affrontare un percorso formativo universitario in un contesto di scenari preoccupanti, che vanno dall’insicurezza per il futuro all’assenza dei contenitori affettivi e cognitivi, sta producendo effetti innegabili sugli studenti, bloccati in posizioni agnostiche di fronte alle scelte. Questo studio valuta un modello di path analysis in cui le strategie di apprendimento autoregolato mediano la relazione tra credenze metacognitive sulla procrastinazione e la procrastinazione decisionale. 297 studenti universitari hanno compilato un questionario volto a valutare le credenze metacognitive sulla procrastinazione, l’ansia, la gestione del tempo, l’elaborazione delle informazioni e la procrastinazione decisionale. I risultati evidenziano come solo la gestione del tempo e l’ansia mediano la relazione tra metacognizioni sulla procrastinazione e la procrastinazione decisionale.