Investigating the Relationship Between the Use of Problematic Social Networks and Emotional Intelligence in a Sample of Lebanese Adults

Abstract

Objective: To show the impact of problematic social media use (PSMU) on the 4 domains of emotional intelligence (emotional management, emotional awareness, social emotional awareness, and relationship management) among the Lebanese population.

Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled 466 adults (January-May 2019). The Social Media Disorder Scale and Quick Emotional Intelligence Self-Assessment were used to assess problematic social media use and emotional intelligence, respectively.

Results: Higher PSMU was significantly associated with lower emotional management scores (β = -0.13), but not emotional awareness, social emotional awareness, relationship management, or total emotional intelligence scores. Female sex and older age were associated with higher social emotional awareness (β = 2.63 and β = 0.10, respectively) and relationship management (β = 2.12 and β = 0.13, respectively) scores.

Conclusions: This study showed that higher PSMU was related to lower emotional intelligence. Future prospective studies are needed to gain an understanding of the relationship between PSMU and each component of emotional intelligence, as well as the mediating factors in such associations.