Cyberstalking and well-being: mediating and moderating roles of problematic social media use and use patterns.
Objective: The internet's integration into daily life has reshaped interpersonal connections and exposed individuals to mental-health risks, including the growing psychosocial threat of cyberstalking. The present study investigated the relationship between cyberstalking, problematic social media use...
| Publicado en: | Australian Psychologist Vol. 61; no. 4; pp. 377 - 390 |
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| Autores principales: | , , , |
| Formato: | research tables/charts Journal Article |
| Publicado: |
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Aug2026
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| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=195471652&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ccm uiTerm: 195471652 longDbName: CINAHL Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: dissinfo: jinfo: jid: 00050067 05Z jtl: Australian Psychologist issn: 00050067 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Aug2026 vid: 61 iid: 4 pid: 377 pub: Taylor & Francis Ltd place: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania artinfo: ui: 195471652 192837636 195471652 195471652 10.1080/00050067.2026.2636263 195471652 ppf: 377 ppct: 13 formats: tig: atl: Cyberstalking and well-being: mediating and moderating roles of problematic social media use and use patterns. aug: au: Göçet-Tekin, Emine Taş, İbrahim Özsoy, Emrah Griffiths, Mark D. affil: Psychology Department, Sakarya University, Sakarya, Türkiye sug: subj: Stalking Evaluation Cyberbullying Evaluation Psychological Well-Being Evaluation Social Media Utilization Internet Addiction Evaluation Human Turkiye Male Female Adolescence Adult Students, College Psychosocial Factors Cross Sectional Studies Data Analysis Software Univariate Statistics Multivariate Analysis Descriptive Statistics Confidence Intervals Internal Consistency Scales Adolescent: 13-18 years Adult: 19-44 years Male Female ab: Objective: The internet's integration into daily life has reshaped interpersonal connections and exposed individuals to mental-health risks, including the growing psychosocial threat of cyberstalking. The present study investigated the relationship between cyberstalking, problematic social media use (PSMU), and general well-being, with a particular focus on the moderating roles of aimless internet browsing and the number of social media accounts. Method: The sample comprised 421 individuals and data were collected using a survey comprising validated scales assessing the variables under investigation (i.e. Cyberstalking Scale, General Well-Being Scale, and Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale). Results: The results showed that PSMU fully mediated the relationship between cyberstalking and general well-being. Aimless internet browsing significantly moderated the indirect effect, such that the indirect effect of cyberstalking on well-being through PSMU was stronger when aimless browsing was low, and weaker when aimless browsing was high. Moreover, the number of social media accounts moderated the relationship between aimless browsing and PSMU, enhancing the mediated effect of cyberstalking on well-being. Conclusion: The findings indicate that the effects of cyberstalking on PSMU and well-being vary depending on levels of aimless browsing and the number of social media accounts. Higher levels of aimless browsing and greater numbers of social media accounts appeared to attenuate the indirect effect, suggesting a more complex compensatory or regulatory mechanism. The results provide valuable insights for developing interventions aimed at reducing the adverse psychological effects of cyberstalking and PSMU, particularly among individuals who engage in excessive or aimless internet use. KEY POINTS: What is already known about this topic: Cyberstalking can negatively affect psychological well-being. Problematic social media use (PSMU) can both increase psychological stress and be a consequence of it. Aimless internet browsing can increase risky online behaviours. What this study adds: The relationship between cyberstalking and psychological well-being is fully mediated by problematic social media use. The effect of cyberstalking on well-being through PSMU varies depending on levels of aimless internet browsing, reflecting a conditional moderation pattern. The number of social media accounts moderates the interaction between aimless browsing and PSMU, indicating that a broader online presence shapes how browsing behaviour relates to well-being. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: research tables/charts Journal Article ougenre: Article language: English refInfo: holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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