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The objective of this study was to explore the psychometric properties of the French version of the Bergen Facebook addiction scale (BFAS) and to compare a one- and two-factors models. A sample of 687 students (Mage = 20.28; SD = 3.74; min = 17; max = 57) with 17.5% of male and 82.5% of women completed the study. Participants completed online the French version of the BFAS, as well as questionnaires assessing the intensity, frequency of Facebook use, and emotional engagement with Facebook and emotional symptoms (depression and anxiety). In order to assess test–retest reliability, a sub-sample of 183 participants completed all questionnaires again 6 months later. Factorial analyses suggested that both the one- and the two-factor models fit the data well. Concurrent validity was supported. A good internal consistency and a high correlation index between the two waves have been displayed. We suggest that more research should explore the two-factor model of addiction, with larger samples, due to the risk of overestimation of people with problematic Facebook use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social media use, and specifically Facebook use, has become increasingly popular over the past decade. Despite the many benefits of social networking, a small minority of individuals appear to develop issues surrounding social media use, and more specifically Facebook use. It has, therefore, led some scholars to describe such problematic activity as a behavioral addiction. Such problematic behaviors have been reported in many countries including Italy. The present study validated and examined the reliability and validity of the Italian version of the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale (BFAS) by conducting a psychometric examination among an Italian sample of adults (n = 217; aged 18 to 68 years). Internal reliability was examined using various indicators, including Cronbach's α, which was excellent (α = 0.94). Results indicated that Facebook addiction was significantly correlated with social media addiction, smartphone addiction, narcissism, depression, and self-esteem. The results of the present study support the use of the Italian version of the BFAS in research and confirms the uni-dimensional nature of the single factor proposed by the original authors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since there is currently no specific instrument for measuring addiction to Social Network Systems (SNSs), in the Iranian adolescent users, the present study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale (BFAS) in Iranian students. After translating the long-form English version of the BFAS (18 items) into the Persian language (Farsi) and backward translation into English and comparing them, the Persian version was prepared for administration. A total of 345 students (14–18 years of age) constituted the research sample. The Random Cluster Sampling was employed. Data were analyzed using SPSS and package lavaan, in the R system for statistical computing. The results of the Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) using the Principal Factor Analysis (PFA) and Promax Rotation showed that the questionnaire was composed of five factors, namely withdrawal, relapse, salience, conflict, and mood modification. These factors explained more than 63.09% of the total variance. The internal consistency of the items of the questionnaire using Cronbach's Alpha method was 0.75. The correlation of each item with the total score of the test showed acceptable reliability. The test-retest reliability after 2 weeks of administrating the test was 0.86. The Farsi-BFAS is confirmed in Iranian youth due to good reliability and validity and is applicable for screening and investigating SNSs in the Iranian adolescent users. Additional studies are needed in cases of sensitivity and specificity when compared with other similar instruments for addiction as well as in different populations and circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Does social media addiction impair the well-being of non-clinical individuals? Despite the Internet being able to be considered as a promoting factor for individual empowerment, previous literature suggests that the current massive availability of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) may be dangerous for users’ well-being. This article discusses the relationship between the most used social media addiction measures (i.e., the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale—BFAS, the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale—BSMAS) and well-being. A systematic review considering all the publications indexed by PsycInfo, PsycArticles, PubMed, Science Direct, Sociological Abstracts, Academic Search Complete, and Google Scholar databases was performed to collect the data. Ten of 635 studies were included in the qualitative synthesis. Overall, most of the included works captured a negative but small relationship between BFAS/BSMAS and well-being, across multiple definitions and measurement.

Previous research on Social Networking Sites (SNSs) addiction have suggest the need to improve assessment of this behavioral addiction. The present study aimed at validating a Portuguese version of the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale (BFAS), a widely used instrument to assess addiction to Facebook. A study was conducted in a sample of 509 Portuguese adolescent using an online survey. The psychometric properties (construct validity, criterion validity, and reliability) of the Portuguese BFAS was scrutinized. The results from the psychometric analyses suggested that the new validated instrument had excellent psychometric properties. The CFA confirmed the original one-factor solution of the BFAS and criterion validity was warranted. The reliability of the BFAS was supported by satisfactory levels of internal consistency as measured by the Cronbach's alpha (α = .83), composite reliability (CR = .82), and factor determinacy (FD = .91). Overall, the results provided empirical support for the validity and reliability of the Portuguese BFAS. Moreover, the results were highly comparable with the findings of the original development study of the BFAS and cross-cultural support for the scale was obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite increasing concerns of maladaptive cognitive responses associated with social media, estimates of its prevalence are lacking in the literature. Further, existing studies have disproportionately focused on Facebook, while ignoring the penetration of TikTok and concerns of associated maladaptive behaviors. This study aims to 1) validate scale measures for problematic Facebook and TikTok use (PFU and PTTU) 2) comparatively assess the underlying cognitive pathways of the PFU and PTTU among a sample of university students, 3) determine the cut-off score of the PTTU assessment scale using Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) and 4) evaluate the contribution of specific criteria in the diagnosis of PTTU. The scales used to assess PFU and PTTU were found to have appropriate psychometric properties. The scores between the PFU and PTTU scales were found to be strongly associated, however, the relationship was stronger in the group of Facebook users than in the group of TikTok users. Further, the manifestation of problematic use was not consistent between TikTok and Facebook. Loneliness was positively associated with both PFU and PTTU, while self-esteem was negatively associated with PFU only. The optimal cut-off score of the PTTU scale was determined to be 21, giving 8.7% as the estimated prevalence of PTTU. The criteria with the highest predictive power in the diagnosis of addiction among university students were "withdrawal" and "relapse". The study concludes that while the underlying addiction pathways are similar between platforms the manifestation of maladaptive behavior and the drivers for usage intensity and problematic use are unique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Does social media addiction impair the well-being of non-clinical individuals? Despite the Internet being able to be considered as a promoting factor for individual empowerment, previous literature suggests that the current massive availability of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) may be dangerous for users' well-being. This article discusses the relationship between the most used social media addiction measures (i.e., the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale—BFAS, the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale—BSMAS) and well-being. A systematic review considering all the publications indexed by PsycInfo, PsycArticles, PubMed, Science Direct, Sociological Abstracts, Academic Search Complete, and Google Scholar databases was performed to collect the data. Ten of 635 studies were included in the qualitative synthesis. Overall, most of the included works captured a negative but small relationship between BFAS/BSMAS and well-being, across multiple definitions and measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]