Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41634785›Full record

ArticleBMC psychology2026

When fandom becomes a problem: Development of the Problematic Celebrity Fanship Scale using a representative adult sample.

Ágnes Zsila, Lynn E McCutcheon, Reza Shabahang, Mara S Aruguete, Róbert Urbán, Ágnes Buvár, Rita Horváth, Zsolt Demetrovics

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Article in BMC psychology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Ágnes ZsilaInstitute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary. zsila.agnes@ppk.elte.hu.
Lynn E McCutcheonNorth American Journal of Psychology, Winter Garden, FL, USA.
Reza ShabahangFlinders University Institute for Mental Health and Wellbeing, College of Education, Psychology and Social Work, Flinders University, Bedford Park, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
Mara S ArugueteLincoln University, Missouri, MO, USA.
Róbert UrbánInstitute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.
Ágnes BuvárInstitute of People-Environment Transaction, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.
Rita HorváthInstitute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.
Zsolt DemetrovicsInstitute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThere has been considerable research interest in the personality characteristics and mental health of individuals showing excessive levels of celebrity admiration. However, the conceptualization and measurement of potentially problematic levels of engagement with celebrities remain unclear. This study introduces and operationalizes the concept of problematic celebrity fanship within the theoretical framework of behavioral addictions. The main aim is to develop a measurement instrument to assess problematic celebrity fanship.

methodsParticipants were 755 individuals with a favorite celebrity (51.4% men, M

resultsThe 8-item unidimensional Problematic Celebrity Fanship Scale (PCFS) demonstrated sound psychometric properties across factor structure, measurement invariance, reliability, and validity. Based on latent profile analysis, a cutoff score of 26 was suggested. Prevalence rate for problematic celebrity fanship was 1.4% (adults aged 18-64 years); however, young adults (aged 18-34 years) showed a higher, 2.3% prevalence. Problematic celebrity fanship severity was moderately associated with psychological distress, lower self-concept clarity, problematic Internet use, and celebrity worship.

conclusionsThe PCFS can assist in the recognition and assessment of problematic celebrity fanship in research and practice by identifying individuals experiencing mental health difficulties in relation to their excessive engagement with a celebrity.

Indexed as

Behavior, AddictiveFamous PersonsFantasyAdolescentAdultFemaleHumansHungaryMaleMiddle AgedPsychometricsReproducibility of ResultsSelf ConceptYoung AdultBehavioral addictionCelebrity worshipProblematic celebrity fanshipScale development

Identifiers

PMID41634785
PMCPMC12964916

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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.