Previous evidence links psychosocial difficulties to social media (SM) use patterns in young adulthood. This study investigated differences between young adults’ profiles based on loneliness and social isolation across different SM use patterns, including problematic SM use (PSMU), active and passive SM use, as well as online social anxiety, adult attachment orientations (anxiety and avoidance), and childhood trauma, through a person-centred approach. A total of 1487 young adults completed self-report measures. Latent profile analysis identified five profiles: Socially Connected (low social isolation, low loneliness), Lonely Alone (high social isolation, high loneliness), Mildly Solitary (moderate social isolation, moderate loneliness), Unlonely Alone (high social isolation, low loneliness), and Lonely Together (low social isolation, high loneliness). Profiles with moderate or high loneliness exhibited the highest levels of attachment anxiety, childhood trauma, and PSMU. Lonely Alone displayed higher levels of these variables than Lonely Together, greater attachment avoidance than Socially Connected, and the highest online social anxiety. These findings suggest that PSMU might act as a compensatory mechanism for both loneliness and social isolation, linked to childhood trauma and insecure adult attachment. Promoting secure attachment through responsive parenting could mitigate the effects of childhood trauma, reduce the risk of loneliness, social isolation, and PSMU in young adulthood.

Research showed that psychological vulnerabilities may underlie the problematic use of social networking sites, including TikTok. This study aimed to investigate the interrelationships between attachment attitudes, self-esteem, motives and behaviors related to TikTok use, and symptoms of problematic TikTok use among adolescents and young adults from China, Italy, and Spain. The sample comprised 3,313 TikTok users, who completed self-report measures. A network analysis was conducted to examine the interrelationships among the variables for the entire sample. Differences between the network structures of the Chinese, Italian, and Spanish groups were assessed using a network comparison test. Active TikTok usage behaviors were associated with symptoms of addictive engagement, whereas low self-esteem, high levels of attachment anxiety, and escapism motives were linked to TikTok use as compensatory strategy. Few differences were observed between the network structures. These findings may help professionals create culturally sensitive interventions to promote healthier TikTok usage behaviors.

Social networking sites (SNS) use is associated with a range of positive outcomes, but a minority of vulnerable individuals experience problematic social networking site use (PSNSU). The relationship between PSNSU, sleep habits, and psychological distress remains insufficiently studied, particularly among older adults. As longer life expectancies and socioeconomic development contribute to the rising prevalence of PSNSU in this population, further research is required. This study aims to profile SNS users aged 60 and above, based on sleep quality, chronotype, psychological distress symptoms, motivations for SNS use, and PSNSU symptoms. The study involved 4962 SNS users (mean age = 66.81 ± 6.6 years; 57.9% female) who completed self-report questionnaires. Latent profile analysis identified five distinct profiles, interpreted as ‘Highly distressed very poor sleepers’ (7.0%), ‘Moderately distressed users’ (21.2%), ‘Mildly distressed socially involved users’ (20.3%), ‘Highly distressed very poor sleepers at risk for PSNSU’ (9.6%), and ‘Healthy users’ (42.0%). These profiles revealed different patterns of SNS-related variables, sleep quality, chronotype, and psychological distress. The findings suggest these variables are intertwined among older adults, yet exhibit distinct gradients and configurations requiring attention and tailored interventions. The findings of this study might have significant implications for understanding and addressing PSNSU in the older population.

Problematic gaming (PG) refers to a dysfunctional pattern of online gaming behaviour that negatively affects individual functioning. The present study adopted a network analysis approach to investigate the patterns of reciprocal associations between PG, defense mechanisms, and psychopathological symptoms. Participants were 1,036 adult Italian online video game players (Mage = 29.94, SD = 8.85; females = 388) who completed self-report questionnaires. We used a regularised partial correlation network analysis (EBICglasso) to investigate the network structure of the relationships among PG, defense mechanisms, and psychopathological symptoms. Centrality measures were computed. The highly influential nodes in the network concerned both psychological symptoms (anxiety and obsessive-compulsive symptoms) and defense mechanisms (projection and autistic fantasy). Furthermore, the escapism feature of PG was detected as a prominent bridge symptom in the network. Our findings suggest that negative affect and immature defense mechanisms might play a pivotal role in PG, and that withdrawal in the virtual world may also exacerbate psychological symptoms. Therefore, better understanding the role of escapism and related immature defenses in PG might have important implications for theory and clinical practice.