Facebook Addiction and Its Associations with Active and Passive Use Patterns, Facebook Use Intensity, and Depressive Symptoms among Algerian Adolescents.

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to examine the relationships between Facebook addiction, active and passive Facebook use, Facebook intensity, and depressive symptoms among Algerian adolescents. It also sought to investigate the indirect association between Facebook addiction and depressive symptoms through Facebook intensity and passive Facebook use.

Methods: A descriptive correlational design was employed, involving a sample of 314 male and female adolescents recruited from middle and secondary schools in Sidi Bel Abbès, Algeria. Data were collected using the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale (BFAS), the Facebook Intensity Scale (FIS), the Passive and Active Use Measure (PAUM), and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Data were analysed using correlation coefficients, between-group comparisons, and path analysis.

Results: The findings revealed significant positive correlations between Facebook addiction and Facebook intensity (r = .806, p < .001), passive Facebook use (r = .237, p < .001), and depressive symptoms (r = .160, p = .004). Passive Facebook use was also significantly and positively associated with depressive symptoms (r = .210, p < .001), whereas active Facebook use showed no statistically significant association with depressive symptoms (r = −.044, p > .05). Furthermore, statistically significant differences were observed between middle and late adolescents in Facebook addiction, Facebook intensity, passive Facebook use, and depressive symptoms, with higher mean scores among late adolescents. Path analysis also revealed a statistically significant overall indirect association between Facebook addiction and depressive symptoms through Facebook intensity and passive Facebook use (B = 0.049, 95% CI [0.020, 0.080], p = .001).

Conclusion:These findings highlight the importance of distinguishing between Facebook intensity and active and passive patterns of Facebook use when examining the relationship between Facebook engagement and adolescent mental health. They also suggest that the association between Facebook addiction and depressive symptoms may involve indirect pathways through Facebook intensity and passive Facebook use. However, given the cross-sectional correlational design of the study, these findings should not be interpreted as evidence of causal relationships between the variables.