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The Relationship Between Emotional Dependence on Facebook and Psychological Well-Being in Adolescents Aged 13–16

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Abstract

In most countries, Facebook is one of the top social networking sites among children and adolescents. Several studies have investigated the effect of Facebook dependency on individuals’ psychological well-being. However, inadequate studies have examined the impacts of Facebook in eudaimonic well-being. The current study explores how emotional dependence on Facebook relates to psychological well-being in eudaimonic approach. A total of 401, 13 to 16 yearsold who studied at an upper secondary school in Malaysia participated in this study. We expected a negative association between emotional dependence on Facebook and psychological wellbeing. The moderation effect of self-efficacy was examined in the current research. The results of structural equation modeling revealed that emotional dependence on Facebook negatively effects adolescents’ overall psychological well-being. The influence was more pronounced on autonomy, purpose in life, and positive relationship with others. The results also demonstrated that high self-efficacy did not reduce negative impacts of Facebook emotional dependence on adolescents’ psychological well-being.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Modern Languages and Communication, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400, Selangor, Malaysia

    Somayyeh Naeemi & Ezhar Tamam

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  1. Somayyeh Naeemi
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  2. Ezhar Tamam
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Correspondence to Somayyeh Naeemi.

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Naeemi, S., Tamam, E. The Relationship Between Emotional Dependence on Facebook and Psychological Well-Being in Adolescents Aged 13–16. Child Ind Res 10, 1095–1106 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-016-9438-3

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