The Relationship Between Attachment Style, Eating Behavior, Emotion Regulation, and Social Media Addiction During COVID-19 Pandemic

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Özmen E., Güzel H. Ş.

Neuropsychiatric Investigation , vol.60, no.3, pp.78-84, 2022 (Scopus)

• Publication Type: Article / Article
• Volume: 60 Issue: 3
• Publication Date: 2022
• Doi Number: 10.5152/neuropsychiatricinvest.2022.22011
• Journal Name: Neuropsychiatric Investigation
• Journal Indexes: Scopus
• Page Numbers: pp.78-84
• Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

azıt University, Faculty of Human and Social Science, Ankara, Turkey

Corresponding author:

Ecem Özmen

E-mail:

ecemozmenn@gmail.com

Received: May 21, 2022

Accepted: August 19, 2022

Publication Date: September 14, 2022

10.5152/NeuropsychiatricInvest.2022.22011

Cite this article as: Özmen E, Şenay Güzel H. The relationship between attachment style, eating behavior, emotion

regulation, and social media addiction during COVID-19 pandemic. Neuropsychiatr Invest. 2022;60(3):78-84.

ABSTRACT

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic affected the usage of social media and other attitudes, such as eating

routines. In the present study, the relationship between social media addiction and attachment, eating

behavior, and emotion regulation was analyzed in individuals who had an experience of online education

or working online during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: This study consists of 194 participants who experienced online working or education in Turkey

during the COVID-19 pandemic. Demographic form, Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale, Inventory

of Experiences in Close Relationships, The Emotion Regulation Difficulty Scale Brief Form, and Eating

Attitudes Test-Short Form were used to collect related information. According to demographic information,

the present study consists of 141 female and 44 male participants.

Results: Anxious attachment, eating behavior and its 2 subscales which were social pressure and preoccupation

with eating, emotion dysregulation, and its all subscales were found positively correlated with

social media addiction. Regression analyses revealed that only anxious attachment (t = 8.01, P < .001)

and “goals” that is subscale of emotion dysregulation were found as a predictor of social media addiction

(t = 4.96, P < .05). In addition, a statistically significant relationship was found between the increase in the

frequency of social media usage during the pandemic and social media addiction.

Conclusion: According to the results of the study, the usage of social media has increased during the

pandemic period, and this increase has brought up the risk of social media addiction. As a result, it was

emphasized that the relationship between attachment types and emotion regulation should be considered

in future studies about social media addiction.

Keywords: Social media addiction, attachment style, emotion regulation, eating behavior