Study addiction and ‘dark’ personality traits: a cross-sectional survey study among emerging adults

Figures & data

Table 1. Mean scores, standard deviations, skewness-kurtosis values, and Pearson’s correlations of the study variables (N = 716).

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11
1. Study addiction	–
2. Extroversion	–.07	–
3. Neuroticism	.14***	–.29***	–
4. Agreeableness	.10**	–.11**	.06	–
5. Openness	.07	.11**	–.02	.33***	–
6. Conscientiousness	.28***	.10**	–.09*	.21***	.37***	–
7. Narcissism	.10**	–.18***	.25***	–.13***	–.11***	–.06	–
8. Machiavellianism	.13**	–.17***	.18***	–.13**	–.18***	–.14***	.57***	–
9. Psychopathy	.09*	–.25***	.21***	–.17***	–.24***	–.12**	.48***	.60***	–
10. Sadism	.15***	−.27***	.13**	–.16***	–.28***	–.12**	.48***	.58***	.82***	–
11. Spitefulness	.13**	–.22***	.24***	–.19***	–.26***	–.17***	.46***	.50***	.65***	.67***	–
12. Men	–.15***	–.05	–.14***	–.10**	.04	–.14***	.05	.10**	.17***	.14***	.12**
M	18.86	5.18	3.61	4.75	5.37	4.73	2.52	2.05	1.85	1.63	2.17
SD	6.11	1.75	1.93	1.71	1.61	1.73	1.67	1.60	1.53	1.44	1.68
Skewness	.22	–.68	.26	–.59	–.95	–.41	1.00	1.56	1.90	2.43	1.47
Kurtosis	–.23	–.57	–1.03	–.42	.28	–.66	.13	1.58	2.82	5.05	1.30

* p < .05, **p < .01, ***p < .001.

Table 2. Comparison of the scores of study variables between males and females.

	Males (N = 302)	Females (N = 414)	t-test	Cohen’s d
Study addiction	17.80 ± 6.00	19.63 ± 6.08	–3.99***	.30
Extroversion	5.09 ± 1.77	5.26 ± 1.73	–1.28	.10
Neuroticism	3.30 ± 1.88	3.83 ± 1.95	–3.64***	.28
Agreeableness	4.55 ± 1.82	4.90 ± 1.61	–2.73**	.20
Openness	5.45 ± 1.62	5.31 ± 1.60	1.15	.09
Conscientiousness	4.45 ± 1.84	4.94 ± 1.61	–3.84***	.28
Narcissism	2.62 ± 1.73	2.45 ± 1.63	1.30	.10
Machiavellianism	2.23 ± 1.68	1.92 ± 1.53	2.63**	.19
Psychopathy	2.15 ± 1.65	1.63 ± 1.39	4.61***	.34
Sadism	1.85 ± 1.63	1.46 ± 1.26	3.65***	.27
Spitefulness	2.41 ± 1.85	2.00 ± 1.53	3.19***	.24

* p < .05, **p < .01, ***p < .001.

Table 3. Summary of hierarchical regression analyses predicting study addiction.

		β(t)
		All (N = 716)	Males (N = 302)	Females (N = 414)
Block 1	Males	–.11(2.97**)
		R^2Adj = .02; F(1,714) = 15.91; p < .001
Block 2	Extroversion	–.01(–.26)	.01(.15)	–.01(–.11)
	Neuroticism	.12(3.14**)	.14(2.21*)	.10(2.00*)
	Agreeableness	.05(1.22)	.03(.50)	.05(.86)
	Openness	.02(.40)	.08(1.30)	–.02(–.37)
	Conscientiousness	.29(7.62***)	.23(3.89***)	.32(6.15***)
		R^2Adj = .11; F(6,709) = 15.50; p < .001	R^2Adj = .09; F(5,296) = 6.91; p < .001	R^2Adj = .09; F(5,408) = 9.14; p < .001
Block 3	Narcissism	–.40(–.91)	–.05(–.76)	–.03(–.45)
	Machiavellianism	.11(2.27*)	.19(2.61*)	.07(1.03)
	Psychopathy	–.15(–2.24*)	–.18(–1.84)	–.06(–.62)
	Sadism	.20(3.07**)	.35(3.69***)	.03(.26)
	Spitefulness	.10(1.91)	.06(.69)	.12(1.75)
		R^2Adj = .15; F(11,704) = 12.16; p < .001	R^2Adj = .19; F(10,291) = 7.81; p < .001	R^2Adj = .09; F(10,403) = 5.28; p < .001

Note. The values in the brackets depict t-values of the variables.

* p < .05; **p < .01; ***p < .001.