For the love of being liked: a moderated mediation model of attachment, likes-seeking behaviors, and problematic Facebook use

Abstract

Introduction: Some Facebook users have difficulty regulating the amount of time they spend online, and some Facebook features, such as likes, promote habitual use. Theoretically, attachment insecurities could be related to problematic Facebook use, but the findings of past studies were mixed with limited knowledge about potential moderators and mediators of the association between adult attachment and problematic use of Facebook.

Aims: The present study used adult attachment theory to explore a moderated mediation model that examined the interaction of the two attachment dimensions of attachment anxiety and avoidance as well as the mediation role of likes-seeking behaviors.

Method: A total of 2758 adolescents and young adults completed self-report questionnaires.

Results: Results showed a significant interaction between the attachment dimensions, such that attachment anxiety and avoidance were each related to problematic Facebook use when the level of the other attachment dimension was low. The relations between the attachment dimensions and problematic Facebook use were mediated by likes-seeking behaviors.

Conclusions: Our findings highlight the interplay between the attachment dimensions and the mediation of behaviors related to one specific Facebook feature as important risk factors of problematic Facebook use.

Keywords:

• Attachment
• likes-seeking behavior
• problematic Facebook use
• Facebook addiction
• social networking site addiction

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) to YL, a postdoctoral fellowship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) to M-PV-M, and a postdoctoral fellowship from the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Société et culture (FRQSC) to M-ÈD.