Maladaptive personality traits and their relations with online behavior: an instagram-based study

Abstract

Abstract Background The widespread use of social media has exposed individuals to harmful online behaviors. Previous studies on personality traits associated with these behaviors have mainly focused on normative traits from the Five-Factor Model (FFM), overlooking maladaptive variants of these traits. To address this gap, the current study explored the relationships between maladaptive personality traits and cybercrime, cyberabuse, sadfishing, social media addiction, and activity metrics (i.e., daily usage, posting frequency, selfie-sharing) on Instagram. Methods 490 university students (aged 18 to 46 years, M = 23.92, SD = 7.16, 76.32% female) in Tabriz, Iran, participated in this study by completing an online, cross-sectional survey. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlations and multiple regression analyses. Results Correlation and multiple regression analyses revealed that Antagonism and Disinhibition were significant positive correlates of various harmful online behaviors (e.g., cyberbullying, trolling, and catfishing) while Anankastia was a significant negative correlate of these behaviors. Antagonism and Disinhibition were also significantly related to sadfishing, while Negative Affectivity, Antagonism, and Disinhibition were linked to Instagram addiction. In addition, maladaptive traits showed varied relationships with Instagram activity metrics, with Antagonism emerging as the sole significant correlate of selfie-sharing. Conclusions Findings highlight differentiated associations between maladaptive personality traits and different forms of online behavior, emphasizing the need for a nuanced understanding of these relationships.