engleski

Social media and substance use among the youth: a test of two mediation mechanisms

This paper is aimed at testing the direct and indirect connections of social media use with substance abuse (smoking and drinking alcohol) in Croatia. It was hypothesized two mediation mechanisms existed: social comparison (perception of financial deprivation) mechanism and hedonistic behaviour. The hypotheses were tested on a survey sample of youth in Croatia (N = 481) in 2020 as part of a European Social Fund project. The proposed models were analysed by means of structural equations modelling. Social media use was neither directly connected to substance use (smoking and drinking) nor indirectly connected through financial deprivation, but was indirectly connected through hedonistic use of leisure time. Financial deprivation was also directly connected to substance use, while gender was indirectly connected through the hedonistic use of leisure time.

Social media, smoking, alcohol drinking, social comparison, hedonistic values

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