Social media addiction and borderline personality disorder: a survey study

Background and aimsBorderline personality disorder (BPD) is a serious and difficult to treat psychiatric condition characterized by affective and interpersonal instability, impulsivity, and self-image disturbances. Although the relationship between BPD and substance use disorders has been well-estab...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Madison Collins, Jon E. Grant
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-01-01
Series:Frontiers in Psychiatry
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1459827/full
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1841554748767993856
author Madison Collins
Jon E. Grant
author_facet Madison Collins
Jon E. Grant
author_sort Madison Collins
collection DOAJ
description Background and aimsBorderline personality disorder (BPD) is a serious and difficult to treat psychiatric condition characterized by affective and interpersonal instability, impulsivity, and self-image disturbances. Although the relationship between BPD and substance use disorders has been well-established, there has been considerably less research regarding behavioral addictions in this population. The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of social media addiction (SMA) among individuals with BPD and to explore whether it is related to aspects of disorder symptomology.Methods300 adults completed an online survey via Prolific. Individuals completed the McLean Screening Instrument for BPD (MSI-BPD), along with the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS). Additionally, all participants reported how often they use social media for the following reasons: distraction from interpersonal problems, reassurance seeking, self-confidence issues, and anger/revenge.ResultsOf the 289 subjects that completed all measures, 38 (13.1%) screened positive for BPD. Individuals screening positive for BPD were more likely to meet criteria for SMA than controls, and they were more likely to report using social media for interpersonal distraction, reassurance seeking, self-confidence issues, and anger/revenge seeking than controls. Among individuals with BPD, SMA was positively associated with the frequency of each of these behaviors, except for anger/revenge seeking.Discussion and conclusionThe results of this study demonstrate that SMA is common among the BPD population and may be related to aspects of disorder symptomology. Whether SMA worsens BPD symptoms or whether addressing SMA could lead to improvements in the BPD remains to be seen and is an important area for future research.
format Article
id doaj-art-f660d1569e3f4974ba31d80406b4ae5c
institution Kabale University
issn 1664-0640
language English
publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
record_format Article
series Frontiers in Psychiatry
spelling doaj-art-f660d1569e3f4974ba31d80406b4ae5c2025-01-08T10:33:16ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychiatry1664-06402025-01-011510.3389/fpsyt.2024.14598271459827Social media addiction and borderline personality disorder: a survey studyMadison CollinsJon E. GrantBackground and aimsBorderline personality disorder (BPD) is a serious and difficult to treat psychiatric condition characterized by affective and interpersonal instability, impulsivity, and self-image disturbances. Although the relationship between BPD and substance use disorders has been well-established, there has been considerably less research regarding behavioral addictions in this population. The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of social media addiction (SMA) among individuals with BPD and to explore whether it is related to aspects of disorder symptomology.Methods300 adults completed an online survey via Prolific. Individuals completed the McLean Screening Instrument for BPD (MSI-BPD), along with the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS). Additionally, all participants reported how often they use social media for the following reasons: distraction from interpersonal problems, reassurance seeking, self-confidence issues, and anger/revenge.ResultsOf the 289 subjects that completed all measures, 38 (13.1%) screened positive for BPD. Individuals screening positive for BPD were more likely to meet criteria for SMA than controls, and they were more likely to report using social media for interpersonal distraction, reassurance seeking, self-confidence issues, and anger/revenge seeking than controls. Among individuals with BPD, SMA was positively associated with the frequency of each of these behaviors, except for anger/revenge seeking.Discussion and conclusionThe results of this study demonstrate that SMA is common among the BPD population and may be related to aspects of disorder symptomology. Whether SMA worsens BPD symptoms or whether addressing SMA could lead to improvements in the BPD remains to be seen and is an important area for future research.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1459827/fullsocial media addictionbehavioral addictionspersonalityborderline personalitycomorbidity
spellingShingle Madison Collins
Jon E. Grant
Social media addiction and borderline personality disorder: a survey study
Frontiers in Psychiatry
social media addiction
behavioral addictions
personality
borderline personality
comorbidity
title Social media addiction and borderline personality disorder: a survey study
title_full Social media addiction and borderline personality disorder: a survey study
title_fullStr Social media addiction and borderline personality disorder: a survey study
title_full_unstemmed Social media addiction and borderline personality disorder: a survey study
title_short Social media addiction and borderline personality disorder: a survey study
title_sort social media addiction and borderline personality disorder a survey study
topic social media addiction
behavioral addictions
personality
borderline personality
comorbidity
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1459827/full
work_keys_str_mv AT madisoncollins socialmediaaddictionandborderlinepersonalitydisorderasurveystudy
AT jonegrant socialmediaaddictionandborderlinepersonalitydisorderasurveystudy