The relationship between women’s personality traits and addiction to social networking sites on the example of Facebook

K. Rachubińska, A.M. Cybulska, J. Owsianowska, M. Śniegocka, L. Zair, E. Grochans

Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland. anna.cybulska@pum.edu.pl

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• Psychology

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to generally assess the degree of women’s dependence on social networking sites on the example of Facebook, taking into account personality traits according to the five-factor model of personality, the so-called Big Five.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study included 556 women. This survey-based study was carried out using the questionnaire technique. The following research tools were used to analyze behavioral addictions in adult women: the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale (BFAS), the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO FFI) and the author’s questionnaire.

RESULTS: Among the surveyed women, 69.6% were average Facebook users, of whom 16.4% had scores indicating possible Facebook addiction, and 14.0% had scores indicating addiction. The higher the neuroticism, the more serious the Facebook addiction. A weak negative correlation was obtained for the agreeableness subscale. A weak negative correlation was also obtained for the subscale of conscientiousness. There was no statistically significant correlation between the log10 score obtained on the BFAS and the score on the NEO-FFI subscales of extraversion and openness to experience.

CONCLUSIONS: The personality types of the studied women indicated relationships in terms of behavioral addictions. Women characterized by neuroticism showed stronger addiction to Facebook. Women characterized by high conscientiousness were at lower risk of behavioral addictions, while agreeableness as a personality trait significantly protected the surveyed women against Facebook addiction.

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