The absorption-addiction model of celebrity worship: in search of a broader theoretical foundation.

BACKGROUND: A large body of evidence suggests that some people have a strong, obsessive attachment to a favorite celebrity. The absorption-addiction model attempts to account for this extreme attachment, sometimes labeled "celebrity worship." According to the model, a small portion of celebrity admirers ("celebrity worshipers") become absorbed in the personal lives of celebrities to compensate for perceived personal or social deficiencies. The purpose of this study is to examine how the absorption-addiction model relates to broader psychological theories that include non-celebrity contexts. Specifically, we examine how the absorption-addiction model relates to three theories: empty-self theory, extremism theory, and the dualistic model of passion. METHODS: Participants (N = 399; 77.94% women, Mage = 19.91 years, SD = 3.24) completed an online questionnaire measuring attraction to favorite celebrities. Constructs representing the three broader theories were compared to a measure of attraction to one's favorite celebrity. RESULTS: Sense of emptiness, obsessive passion, and extremism were positively associated with celebrity attraction. The strongest association was found with extremism, though the effect was moderate. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that extremism theory is the best fit of the three broader theories explaining celebrity worship, although its contribution to understanding celebrity worship is modest.

Downloading appetite? Investigating the role of parasocial relationship with favorite social media food influencer in followers' disordered eating behaviors.

PURPOSE: Although a number of investigations have been carried out on the marketing outcomes of parasocial relationships (PSR) with food influencers on social media, little attention has been paid to the potential contribution of these one-sided emotional bonds to followers' eating attitudes and habits. Drawing on the Parasocial Theory, the role of parasocial attachment with food influencers was investigated in predicting eating disorders, food addiction, and grazing. To increase the accuracy of PSR measurement, a brief self-report scale was developed to gauge social media users' feelings of mutual awareness, attention, and adjustment with their favorite food influencer at a distance through social media. METHODS: Participants were a convenience sample of 405 Iranian social media users (231women; Mage = 28.16, SDage = 9.40), who followed a favorite food influencer on social media. RESULTS: The 8-item Parasocial Relationship with Favorite Food Influencer Scale (PSRFFIS) revealed a unidimensional structure with excellent content and construct validity and internal consistency. Regarding gender differences, men showed stronger parasocial attachment to their favorite food influencers. Adjusting age, gender, and subjective social status as control variables, PSR with favorite food influencers partially contributed to the explanation of eating disorder symptom severity, food addiction, and grazing. CONCLUSION: These findings show that PSR with favorite food influencers appears to be associated with followers' craving for food, which, in turn, may contribute to maladaptive eating habits. This highlights media-related factors, such as PSR with food influencers, as potential drivers of dysfunctional eating habits in the digital age, particularly in countries like Iran where disordered eating is prevalent. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level V-based on cross-sectional data (correlational study; scale development).

Prevalence of celebrity worship: Development and application of the short version of the Celebrity Attitude Scale (CAS-7) on a large-scale representative sample.

Background and aims: Celebrity worship, defined as an excessive admiration towards celebrities, has generated considerable research and public interest. A widely used assessment instrument to measure celebrity worship is the 23-item Celebrity Attitude Scale. However, concerns have been raised regarding the measurement, including the inconsistent factor structure and lack of a cut-off point to identify "celebrity worshipers". The present study aims to address these concerns by testing the psychometric appropriateness of a short, 7-item version of the CAS (i.e., CAS-7) and estimating the prevalence of individuals with high-level celebrity admiration using a representative sample of Hungarian adults (between 18 and 64 years of age) according to gender, age, geographic location, and size of residence. Methods: The total sample comprised 2028 respondents, of which 769 valid responses were administered from participants who reported having a favorite celebrity (51.11% men, Mage = 36.38 years, SD = 13.36). Results: Results indicated an excellent model fit for the two-factor and bifactor model of the CAS-7. Based on the suggested cut-off score of 26, the prevalence of high-level celebrity admiration is 4.53% in the Hungarian adult population (18-64 years of age) and 8.51% among young adults (18-34 years of age). Individuals with this high level of admiration towards a favorite celebrity reported more symptoms of problematic Internet use, depression, anxiety, and stress than individuals with general celebrity admiration levels. Discussion and conclusions: The CAS-7 demonstrated sound psychometric properties, confirming its applicability in research and practice.

Social media-related nightmare - a potential explanation for poor sleep quality and low affective well-being in the social media era?

Research has posited that social media use during the day may be reflected in nighttime dreams. Nevertheless, no prior studies have explored frightening, unpleasant dreams arising from social media use. This study introduces the construct of the social media-related nightmare by (a) developing and validating a scale capturing negative-valenced dreams with themes of helplessness, loss of control, inhibition, victimization, and making mistakes in social media, and (b) examining relationships between social media use, social media-related nightmares, sleep quality, and affective well-being. A convenience sample of 595 Iranian adult social media users (Mage = 27.45, SDage = 11.42) reported on social media-related nightmare, social media use integration, anxiety, peace of mind, sleep quality, and nightmare distress. The Social Media-Related Nightmare Scale (SMNS) demonstrated a unidimensional structure with sound psychometric properties. The most common nightmares involved the inability to log in to social media and the disruption of relationships with other users. Social media use intensity predicted frequency of social media-related nightmares. These nightmares were correlated with increased anxiety, lower peace of mind, poor sleep quality, and nightmare distress. Importantly, social media-related nightmares mediated the relationship between social media use intensity and low affective well-being (i.e., anxiety and peace of mind), poor sleeping, and nightmare distress. The findings suggest that social media-related nightmares could be a potential pathway through which social media engagement may lead to affective distress and sleep difficulties.

Quality of life, social support, and adherence in female patients with thyroid disorders.

BACKGROUND: According to the 2010 European Health Interview Survey, 51% of women in Hungary have a chronic disease, and is among the poorest quartile in the EU countries. Thyroid diseases affected more than 650,000 women in 2021 based on a recent report by the Hungarian Central Statistical Office. Despite the high prevalence rates, quality of life in these patients is scarcely researched in Hungary. To fill this gap, this study aims to explore the associations of the quality of life of thyroid patients in Hungary with social support and adherence. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted via an online questionnaire. Data from 885 female Hungarian thyroid patients with pharmacological treatment (M = 35.6 years, SD = 10.7, age range: 18-73 years) were analyzed. Participants were divided into two patient groups based on the type of thyroid disorder: hypothyroidism (n = 824; 93.1%) and hyperthyroidism (n = 61; 6.9%). Group comparisons, correlations, and a mediation model were performed to explore differences between thyroid patients. RESULTS: No differences were found between patients with different types of thyroid disorders in quality of life, adherence, and social support. Consistent, weak associations were found between quality of life and social support in both patient groups. Higher perceived social support partially explained the relationship between adherence and life quality in thyroid patients.  CONCLUSIONS: No substantial differences were found between patients with different types of thyroid disease in mental well-being indicators. These patients are psychologically more vulnerable and need a socially supportive environment to recover, because higher adherence is associated with a better quality of life, and social support can facilitate this process.

Adolescent sadfishing on social media: anxiety, depression, attention seeking, and lack of perceived social support as potential contributors.

BACKGROUND: Sympathy-seeking negative online self-disclosure, or "sadfishing," has proliferated in social media. This study investigates sadfishing by developing and validating a brief self-report questionnaire of the construct and exploring potential psychological correlates. METHODS: A total of 345 Iranian adolescent social media users (Mage = 16.29, SDage = 1.52) participated in the study. Participants completed the newly constructed Social Media Sadfishing Questionnaire, in addition to measures of anxiety, depression, attention seeking, perceived social support, and social media use integration. RESULTS: Factor analyses revealed a unidimensional structure of the 5-item Social Media Sadfishing Questionnaire. The questionnaire yielded sound construct validity and internal consistency. Anxiety, depression, and attention seeking were positively associated with sadfishing, while perceived social support from family and friends was negatively associated with sadfishing. Negative online reactions to sadfishing were rare. Boys reported higher sadfishing tendencies than girls at age 12; however, sadfishing in boys declined at a higher rate than in girls with age. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that negative affect and attention seeking, combined with feelings of low social support, can be associated with adolescent sadfishing on social media. The quantitative results shed new light on the contribution of psychosocial factors to sadfishing.

Conservatism, anti-vaccination attitudes, and intellectual humility: examining their associations through a social judgment theory framework.

Previous research has consistently found that more political conservatism is related to higher anti-vaccination attitudes. However, little work has investigated how intellectual humility could potentially contribute to this relationship. Employing the social judgment theory of attitude change, we examined whether conservatism could mediate the association between intellectual humility and anti-vaccination attitudes. Participants (N = 1,293; 40.1% female; Mage = 38.23 years, SDage = 11.61, range of age was 18-78) completed a multifaceted measure of intellectual humility, an assessment of four types of anti-vaccination attitudes, and a measure of political orientation. Results from structural equation modeling revealed that decreased levels of most aspects of intellectual humility (i.e., independence of intellect and ego, openness to revising one's viewpoint, and lack of intellectual overconfidence) are associated with more conservative political views, which in turn is associated with stronger anti-vaccination attitudes, particularly worries about unforeseen future effects, concerns about commercial profiteering, and preference for natural immunity. These findings suggest that intellectual humility could reflect one's latitude widths, thereby predicting their openness to vaccine massaging, and thus may play an important role in addressing anti-vaccination attitudes, especially when politics is involved.

Pros & cons: impacts of social media on mental health.

The use of social media significantly impacts mental health. It can enhance connection, increase self-esteem, and improve a sense of belonging. But it can also lead to tremendous stress, pressure to compare oneself to others, and increased sadness and isolation. Mindful use is essential to social media consumption.

Non-green influencers promoting sustainable consumption: Dynamic norms enhance the credibility of authentic pro-environmental posts.

Social media influencers can raise awareness for sustainability, and establish norms related to a more sustainable lifestyle. Although non-green influencers can reach a wider audience, they might face credibility issues when communicating about sustainable consumption. In the present 2×2 online mixed method experiment (N = 386), we explored the effect of two credibility-enhancing strategies (authenticity vs. referring to experts) and the presence (vs. lack of) of dynamic norms (information about how other people's behavior is changing over time) on the perceived credibility of the post. Results indicated that referring to expert opinion enhanced perceived post credibility. However, if an authentic message was combined with dynamic norms, it reduced the frequency of mentions of the lack of credibility. Both credibility measures were positively associated with the persuasiveness of the message. These findings can contribute to the growing literature of credibility-enhancing strategies and dynamic norms. The study also provides practical suggestions for non-green influencers on effective communication of sustainable consumption.

Psychosocial Predictors of Intention to Vaccinate Against the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc across the world. Public health efforts to combat the disease and return life to normalcy largely rests upon COVID-19 vaccination distribution and uptake. Thus, it is critical to examine factors that predict people's intentions to vaccinate. This study explored predictors of intention to vaccinate against COVID-19 among demographic and personal factors, health behaviors and beliefs, COVID-19-specific beliefs, and trust in physicians, using a sample of U.S. adults. We employed bivariate correlations and hierarchical regression to analyze the data. We found that the strongest predictors are political orientation, trust in physicians, subjective norms, and prior flu shot uptake. These associations suggest that individuals who held more liberal political views, expressed higher levels of trust in their primary care provider, perceived stronger social pressure to vaccinate against COVID-19, and received a flu shot during the previous flu season, had a stronger intention to vaccinate against COVID-19. Based on our results, we suggest that public health efforts to increase vaccination uptake for COVID-19 vaccines focus on addressing political orientation (conservatism), involve primary care providers, emphasize vaccination as the norm (and not the exception), and use information about previous flu vaccinations to target vaccination campaigns.

Minority Stressors and Attitudes Toward Intimate Partner Violence Among Lesbian and Gay Individuals.

Sexual minority individuals experience more intimate partner violence (IPV) than those in heterosexual relationships. Issues of mistrust, stigma, and anticipation of abuse contribute to these rates. Lesbian and gay IPV victims have distinct experiences from their abuses with exposure to homophobia, heterosexism, discrimination, and threats of sexual disclosure, among others. These unique and additive minority stressors can lead to adverse health concerns, increase vulnerability to victimization, and elevate abuse perpetration. This study aimed to investigate whether experiences of minority stressors are associated with attitudes toward intimate partner violence among a sample of 240 lesbian and gay Filipinos (155 lesbian and 85 gay participants) aged 20 to 40. Through convenience sampling, lesbian and gay Filipinos completed the Sexual Minority Stress Scale (SMSS) and Intimate Partner Violence Attitude Scale-Revised (IPVAS-Revised). Comparing the minority stressors levels among the participants, lesbians expressed higher expectations of rejection, while gay men experienced more sexual minority adverse events. Lesbians also reported higher satisfaction with outness. Regarding IPV, gay men expressed slightly more favorable attitudes toward abuse, which could make them at risk of becoming victims or perpetrators. Internalized homophobia was associated with more favorable attitudes toward abuse and control, indicating its contribution to more favorable IPV attitudes, although the explanatory power was modest.

COVID-19 messages in sponsored social media posts: The positive impact of influencer-brand fit and prior parasocial interaction.

This study explores the dissemination potential of a COVID-19 message embedded in a sponsored social media post. The moderating role of prior parasocial interaction and influencer-brand fit were considered. 365 respondents participated in the study. A 3 (control, congruent, incongruent brand) × 2 (control, COVID-19 message) between-subject online experiment was designed and executed. Data were analyzed using a mediated moderation model. Results indicated that the three-way interaction of the COVID-19 message, brand presence and prior parasocial interaction affected the perceived influencer credibility, attitudes towards the social media post, and the behavioral engagement with the post. When the COVID-19 message was included in the post, increased prior parasocial interaction intensified the positive effect of influencer-brand fit on influencer credibility, which in turn resulted in a more positive attitude towards the post, and a higher behavioral engagement. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed.

Oversharing on Social Media: Anxiety, Attention-Seeking, and Social Media Addiction Predict the Breadth and Depth of Sharing.

Oversharing on social media by adolescents is a considerable problem in the digital age, and has the potential to instigate online shaming, cyberbullying, identity theft, and other security risks. To date, oversharing has not been comprehensively studied and there is scarce understanding of the possible psychological conditions that may underlie this maladaptive online behavior. This study aimed to measure online oversharing and its potential psychological correlates among adolescents. Data were collected from 352 Iranian adolescent social media users (270 girls and 82 boys; Mage = 16.38, SD = 1.71). The Online Oversharing Inventory, developed for this study, demonstrated unidimensionality and excellent internal consistency. Further results showed that boys overshared significantly more on social media than girls did. Anxiety, attention-seeking, and social media addiction were significantly associated with elevated levels of online oversharing. Results show that the Online Oversharing Inventory is a brief and robust tool for the assessment of high frequency self-disclosure on social media. The findings suggest that anxiety, attention-seeking, and problematic use of social media may predispose adolescents to overshare personal information online.

Social Networking Use Across Gender: Its Association with Social Connectedness and Happiness Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic.

With the increasing popularity of social networking platforms, it serves a greater purpose that is no longer contained simply as a means of social leisure. Social networking sites (SNSs) form and maintain social interactions. Various phenomena revolve around how this usage is associated with certain behaviors, such as keeping social ties online and affecting well-being. It is vital to understand how SNSs may affect users differently during this time, viewing this in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines. Moreover, studies have also suggested that gender plays a role in these behaviors. The present study investigated SNS use and showed evidence of its association with social connectedness and happiness across gender during the COVID-19 pandemic. We empirically examined the association of social networking use with the sense of social connectedness and state of happiness among 420 Generation Z Filipinos (31.4% male) aged 18 to 27. We found that social networking use is not associated with either social connectedness or happiness. Multiple-sample path analysis was performed to investigate further the association between social networking site use, social connectedness, and happiness across gender. SNS use for male participants during stress-related periods predicted decreased social connectedness and happiness levels. General motives for use, or reasons people are likely to use SNSs, also predicted reduced happiness levels among males. Overall, the findings suggest that SNS use by itself may not be sufficient to influence substantial change in social connectedness and happiness and that gender alter the ways of SNS use, given its importance as a crucial channel for communication at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Toxic behaviors in online multiplayer games: Prevalence, perception, risk factors of victimization, and psychological consequences.

The rapid proliferation of online multiplayer games has opened a new avenue for aggressive behaviors such as hostile communication, sabotaging, and griefing. The present investigation explores the prevalence, perception, risk factors, and consequences of victimization in toxic behaviors. A total of 2097 Hungarian gamers (88.5% male, Mage = 26.2 years, SD = 6.8) completed an online questionnaire. Most (66%) were victims of such incidents in the past year, and gamers considered the problem of toxic behaviors as severe. Younger gamers who spent more time playing competitive videogames (especially multiplayer online battle arena and shooter games) were more likely to experience toxic behaviors from others. Repeatedly victimized gamers reported more symptoms of depression and problematic videogame use, while victim/perpetrators expressed higher anxiety and anger rumination. These results highlight the importance of cultivating prosocial group norms in gamers to improve safety of online multiplayer environments.

Is Loneliness Associated With Celebrity Attraction in LGBT+ Persons?

The present study is a conceptual replication of the functional alternative hypothesis, which states that when it is difficult for some persons to form satisfactory interpersonal relationships they turn to parasocial relationships as a functional alternative. In this study, the Celebrity Attitude Scale (CAS), a one-item measure of interest in celebrities in general, the Five-item Adaptation of the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale (FALS), and the Receiving Emotional Support Subscale (RESS) were administered to 222 self-identified LGBT+ and 436 self-identified heterosexual persons from the Philippines aged 18 to 77 years old. We hypothesized that sexual orientation would moderate the relationship between loneliness and celebrity worship, such that the association between loneliness and celebrity worship would be stronger among LGBT+ individuals than among heterosexual individuals. This hypothesis was confirmed when the target person was one's favorite celebrity. Second, we hypothesized that lower levels of perceived social support among LGBT+ Filipinos would be associated with a stronger correlation between loneliness and celebrity worship as compared to LGBT+ Filipinos with a higher level of social support. Third, we hypothesized that younger LGBT+ persons would have a stronger association between loneliness and celebrity worship as compared to older LGBT+ persons. Results failed to confirm the social support and age hypotheses. The findings and limitations were discussed, and suggestions for further research were noted.

Celebrity worship and cognitive skills revisited: applying Cattell's two-factor theory of intelligence in a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Almost two decades of research produced mixed findings on the relationship between celebrity worship and cognitive skills. Several studies demonstrated that cognitive performance slightly decreases with higher levels of celebrity worship, while other studies found no association between these constructs. This study has two aims: (1) to extend previous research on the association between celebrity worship and cognitive skills by applying the two-factor theory of intelligence by Cattell on a relatively large sample of Hungarian adults, and (2) to investigate the explanatory power of celebrity worship and other relevant variables in cognitive performance. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was used. Applying an online survey, a total of 1763 Hungarian adults (66.42% male, Mage = 37.22 years, SD = 11.38) completed two intelligence subtests designed to measure ability in vocabulary (Vocabulary Test) and digit symbol (Short Digit Symbol Test). Participants also completed the Celebrity Attitude Scale and the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale. Subjective material wealth, current family income and general sociodemographics were also reported by participants. RESULTS: Linear regression models indicated that celebrity worship was associated with lower performance on the cognitive tests even after controlling for demographic variables, material wealth and self-esteem, although the explanatory power was limited. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that there is a direct association between celebrity worship and poorer performance on the cognitive tests that cannot be accounted for by demographic and socioeconomic factors.

Individual Differences in the Association Between Celebrity Worship and Subjective Well-Being: The Moderating Role of Gender and Age.

The association of celebrity worship with mental health concerns has been extensively studied in the past two decades. However, there is a lack of research on basic demographic characteristics that can potentially alter the link between celebrity admiration and different aspects of mental health. The present study investigates the possible moderating role of gender, age, and opposite/same-gender celebrity selection on the association of celebrity worship with general well-being, self-esteem and perceived daytime sleepiness. A total of 1763 Hungarian adults (66.42% men, M age = 37.2 years, SD = 11.4) completed an online survey focusing on attitudes and behaviors relating to celebrities and mental well-being. The moderation analysis showed that (i) the negative association between celebrity worship and self-esteem was slightly stronger for women than for men, and (ii) the association between celebrity worship and perceived daytime sleepiness was slightly stronger for younger individuals than for older ones. Although both gender and age were particularly weak moderators, these results draw the attention to some potential individual differences when interpreting links between celebrity worship and different aspects of mental health.

The Moderating Role of Coping Mechanisms and Being an e-Sport Player Between Psychiatric Symptoms and Gaming Disorder: Online Survey.

BACKGROUND: The emerging popularity of playing video games (gaming) as a hobby and as a professional sport raises awareness about both the benefits and possible downsides of the activity. Although a healthy and passionate hobby for most, a minority of gamers experience addiction-like symptoms and are considered to have gaming disorder (GD). GD has previously been found to be related to aversive conditions, such as depression or anxiety, as well as putatively maladaptive coping strategies. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is twofold: to explore the moderating effect of different coping strategies and type of video game usage (professional [e-sport] or recreational) on the relationship between psychiatric symptoms and GD. METHODS: A sample of 3476 gamers (n=3133, 90.13% males; mean age 23.20, SD 6.48 years) was recruited via the website and social networking site of the most popular gaming magazine in Hungary (GameStar). RESULTS: The main effect of psychiatric symptoms was moderate to large in all models, whereas the moderation effects were significant (P<.001) for 4 out of 8 coping strategies (ie, self-blame/self-distraction, denial, emotional/social support, and active coping). However, the explained variance of the models only increased negligibly (from 0.3% to 0.5%) owing to the moderation effect. The direction of the moderations was as expected (ie, putatively maladaptive strategies were associated with more GD symptoms when the level of psychiatric symptoms was high, while putatively adaptive strategies were associated with less). Furthermore, no considerable moderation effect of the player type (recreational vs professional players) was found on the association between psychiatric symptoms and GD (ß=.04; P=.02; 0.1% change in the explained variance). CONCLUSIONS: Future studies should be designed to better understand coping-related mechanisms in the context of video gaming and GD.

A lethal imitation game? Exploring links among psychoactive substance use, self-harming behaviors and celebrity worship.

Recently, psychoactive substance use and suicidal behaviors have become general themes in popular culture, raising concerns that celebrity admirers may have become more affected in such health-risk behaviors. This study aimed to provide a more nuanced understanding of the role of celebrity worship in psychoactive substance use and self-harming behaviors. An online questionnaire was used recruiting 1,763 Hungarian adult participants (66.42% male, Mage  = 37.2 years, SD = 11.4). Linear and binary logistic regressions were performed to investigate the contribution of celebrity worship to psychoactive substance use and self-harming behaviors for males and females. It was found that higher celebrity worship levels consistently predicted intentional self-injury and suicide attempts for both genders. Generally high levels of celebrity worship also predicted drunkenness and the use of illicit drugs and sedatives or tranquilizers for nonmedical purpose among males, while these behaviors were predicted only by excessive levels of celebrity worship among females. However, the explanatory power of celebrity worship for psychoactive substance use and self-harming behaviors was small for both genders (below 5%), indicating that these health-risk behaviors are largely independent of celebrity admiration. The present findings also suggest that individuals with excessive celebrity worship are more likely to encounter severe, potentially life-threatening excesses than more benign forms of maladaptive behaviors relating to substance use.