ArticleJournal of behavioral addictions2018
The dark side of internet: Preliminary evidence for the associations of dark personality traits with specific online activities and problematic internet use.
Article in Journal of behavioral addictions, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- I tweet, therefore I am: a systematic review on social media use and disorders of the social brain.BMC psychiatry · 2025Pooled it
- Understanding Emerging Adult Workers' Problematic Internet Use Before and During the Coronavirus Pandemic: Roles of Personality Traits, Online Activities, and Mental Health Symptoms.The Psychiatric quarterly · 2026Article
- Latent profile analysis of depressive symptoms and its associations with problematic social media use and demographic characteristics among Chinese college students.BMC psychology · 2026Article
- From triple-mode network to triple-layered model - novel insights in social cognition.Indian journal of psychiatry · 2025Article
- Effects of Machiavellianism on Cyberbullying Perpetration: Serial Mediating Role of Perceived Social Support and Problematic Internet Use Among University Students.Psychology in Russia : state of the art · 2025Article
- Personality traits and digital challenges in Honduran adults: exploring the Dark and Light Triads' influence on internet gaming disorder and technology-related conflicts.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- The differential effect of psychopathy on active and bystander trolling behaviors: the role of dark tetrad traits and lower agreeableness.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Personality Traits and Internet Addiction among Adolescent Students: The Moderating Role of Family Functioning.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Article
- Procrastination Mediates the Relationship between Problematic TikTok Use and Depression among Young Adults.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- The demand for online grocery shopping: COVID-induced changes in grocery shopping behavior of Canadian consumers.PloS one · 2024Article
- Dark Personality Traits and Online Behaviors: Portuguese Versions of Cyberstalking, Online Harassment, Flaming and Trolling Scales.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- How the Dark Triad associated with internet gaming disorder? The serial mediation of basic psychological needs satisfaction and negative coping styles.Current psychology (New Brunswick, N.J.) · 2022Article
- Psychometric Assessment of the Motives for Online Gaming Questionnaire Among Iranian Gamers.Psychiatry investigation · 2022Article
- Internet Addiction, Symptoms of Anxiety, Depressive Symptoms, Stress Among Higher Education Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic.Frontiers in public health · 2022Article
- Loneliness and problematic internet use: testing the role of interpersonal problems and motivation for internet use.BMC psychiatry · 2021Article
- The Dark Triad of Personality in the Context of Health Behaviors: Ally or Enemy?International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Markers of Prenatal Androgen Exposure Correlate With Online Sexual Compulsivity and Erectile Function in Young Men.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2021Article
- Selfitis Behavior: Assessing the Italian Version of the Selfitis Behavior Scale and Its Mediating Role in the Relationship of Dark Traits with Social Media Addiction.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Article
- The interplay of gaming disorder, gaming motivations, and the dark triad.Journal of behavioral addictions · 2020Article
- The relationship between narcissism, intensity of Facebook use, Facebook flow and Facebook addiction.Addictive behaviors reports · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
aimsResearch has shown that personality traits play an important role in problematic internet use (PIU). However, the relationship between dark personality traits (i.e., Machiavellianism, psychopathy, narcissism, sadism, and spitefulness) and PIU has yet to be investigated. Consequently, the objectives of this study were to investigate the relationships of dark traits with specific online activities (i.e., social media, gaming, gambling, shopping, and sex) and PIU.
methodsA total of 772 university students completed a self-report survey, including the Dark Triad Dirty Dozen Scale, Short Sadistic Impulse Scale, Spitefulness Scale, and an adapted version of the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale.
resultsHierarchical regression analysis and a multiple mediation model indicated that being male was positively associated with higher online gaming, online sex, and online gambling, and negatively associated with social media and online shopping. Narcissism was related to higher social media use; Machiavellianism was related to higher online gaming, online sex, and online gambling; sadism was related to online sex; and spitefulness was associated with online sex, online gambling, and online shopping. Finally, Machiavellianism and spitefulness were directly and indirectly associated with PIU via online gambling, online gaming, and online shopping, and narcissism was indirectly associated with PIU through social media use. DISCUSSION: Findings of this preliminary study show that individuals high in dark personality traits may be more vulnerable in developing problematic online use and that further research is warranted to examine the associations of dark personality traits with specific types of problematic online activities.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.