Great Escape or Path to Self-Expression?: Development and Validation of a Scale of Motivations for Text Messaging

Abstract

The Messaging Motivations Questionnaire (MMQ) is a concise 8-item measure, which consists of two subscales capturing people’s typical motivations to text. The MMQ was developed through focus groups and item analysis based on a pilot study, followed by a larger validation study involving a sample of 982 young adults. Factor analyses supported a 2-factor structure, yielding highly reliable scale scores: Escape, characterized by the wish to escape or avoid internal or external stimuli when texting; and Express, characterized by the use of text messaging over richer forms of communication media to facilitate self-expression. Criterion validity of the MMQ scores was established using measures of problematic smartphone use, social anxiety, self-esteem, and the Big Five dimensions of personality. Women exhibited slightly higher scores on both subscales. There were no race/ethnicity-related MMQ score differences, and marginal age-related differences. The MMQ is a promising tool for counselors to better understand and discuss their young adult clients’ texting behaviors, as well as for future research focused on texting behavior and its consequences.

Keywords:

• Messaging
• personality
• preference for texting
• social anxiety
• shyness
• texting motivations

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Jonathan O’Hadi for his efforts in preparing this manuscript. Thanks to Jeremy Richards, Ana Lomidze, Alyson Curtis, and Jonathan O’Hadi and for their work in creating and analyzing items for the MMQ, and Krystin Biscardi for assisting in background research.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Leora Trub

Leora Trub, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the Clinical/School Psychology PsyD program at Pace University.

Baptiste Barbot

Baptiste Barbot is Francqui Docent Professor of Adolescence Psychology at the University of Louvain, Belgium.