Are depression and social anxiety the missing link between Facebook addiction and life satisfaction? The interactive effect of needs and self-regulation

Abstract

Concern about the addictive use of Facebook has caused numerous studies to examine the causes of such addiction as well as its consequences. The objective of this study was to examine the impacts of individuals’ needs on Facebook addiction (FA) by considering the moderating effect of self-regulation. Furthermore, it investigated the indirect effect of FA on life satisfaction through social anxiety and depression. A total of 358 Malaysian Facebook users took part in this crosssectional study via an online survey. The hypothesized model was tested using the Partial Least Squares technique. The results revealed that the effects of recognition and entertainment needs on FA were significant, while information and social needs had no effect on FA. The results also indicated that self-regulation moderates negatively the relationship between entertainment needs and FA. The results provided evidence of indirect effects of FA on life satisfaction, mediated by social anxiety and depression. These findings contribute to the literature by providing an explanation for the relationship between FA and life satisfaction. Moreover, the current study is the first known attempt to investigate the moderating effect of self-regulation on the relationship between social and psychological needs and FA.