The Moderating Effect of Gender on the Predictive Role of Self-Esteem in Problematic Facebook Usage: A Quantitative Exploration among Undergraduates from Universities in the Colombo District, Sri Lanka

Abstract

The advancement of technology has transformed face-to-face communicati on by transferring interacti ons to virtual spaces such as Facebook, which are heavily used by undergraduates and might be negati ve to their mental health. The present quanti tati ve study examined the predicti ve role of self-esteem in the problemati c use of Facebook among undergraduates from universiti es in the Colombo District, Sri Lanka, and how gender moderates the connecti on. The study was conducted using a cross-secti onal design, and an online survey with 372 undergraduates. Bergen’s Facebook addicti on scale was used to measure the outcome variable, problemati c usage of Facebook, while the Rosenberg self-esteem scale was used to test the predictor variable, self-esteem. In the analysis, gender was evaluated as a moderator variable. Data was analyzed using Simple linear regression and logisti c regression analysis via SPSS and the Process Macro tool. Every phase of the research process included a careful integrati on of ethical considerati ons. Results show that higher self-esteem is associated with higher problemati c Facebook uti lizati on; however, this relati onship is stati sti cally signifi cant (F (1, 370) = 26.230, p<.05), and it only accounts for a small percentage of the variance (R² =.066) in problemati c use of Facebook among young individuals in Sri Lanka with no gender-based moderati on. A variety of psychosocial factors signifi cantly infl uence the selfesteem and problemati c usage of Facebook of young individuals in Sri Lanka, and this effect is consistent for both gender categories, male and female. More research on the psychological and environmental problems linked to youth utilization of social media is desperately needed in Sri Lanka.