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Addictive Behaviors

(PS1-18) Is the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale a unidimensional construct? Evidence favoring the peripheral-core distinction in problematic social media use

Friday, November 21, 2025
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM CST
Location: Elite Hall A, Level 1

    Author(s)

  • VC

    Víctor Ciudad-Fernández, Ph.D.

    PhD
    Department of Personality, Evaluation, and Psychological Treatments, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain;Polibienestar Institute, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
    Valencia, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain

    • Co-Author(s)

  • Tamara Escrivá-Martínez, Ph.D.

    Assistant Professor
    University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain; CIBER Pathophysiology of Obesity and Nutrition (CIBEROBN), Carlos III Health Institute, Madrid, Spain; Polibienestar Institute, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
    Valencia, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain

  • RH

    Rocío Herrero, Ph.D.

    Principal Investigator
    Universitat de Valencia
    Valencia, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain

  • RB

    Rosa M. Baños, Ph.D.

    Full Professor
    Department of Personality, Evaluation and Psychological Treatment, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain; Polibienestar Research Institute, Valencia, Spain; CIBER of Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition (CIBEROBN), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
    Valencia, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain

Abstract Text: Problematic social media use (PSMU) has traditionally been conceptualized as a unidimensional construct, with the six-item Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS; Andreassen et al., 2016) being its most widely used measure. However, Billieux et al. (2019) argued that diagnostic criteria such as salience and tolerance do not necessarily differentiate between high engagement and genuinely problematic behavior in gaming disorder. More recently, Fournier et al. (2023) based on findings in an Italian sample proposed a two-factor structure for the BSMAS, in which salience and tolerance form a peripheral (i.e., high engagement) factor, while relapse, withdrawal, conflict, and mood modification constitute a core (i.e., truly problematic). The present study aims to assess whether this two-factor configuration provides a better fit than the traditional unidimensional model in a sample of Spanish adolescents.
A total of 2,761 adolescents (M = 14.80 years, SD = 1.91) participated in this cross-sectional study, completing the BSMAS. BSMAS comprises the following items: salience, tolerance, relapse, withdrawal, conflict and mood modification. Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted using R version 4.4.0.
The one-factor model yielded χ²(9) = 155.86, p < .001, CFI = .961, TLI = .935, RMSEA = .077, and SRMR = .033, whereas the two-factor model yielded χ²(8) = 45.00, p < .001, CFI = .990, TLI = .982, RMSEA = .041, and SRMR = .019. A chi-square difference test indicated a significant improvement in model fit, Δχ²(1) = 113.37, p < .001 in the two factor model compared to the one factor model.
These findings suggest that the distinction proposed by Fournier et al. (2023) is replicated in Spanish adolescents, which may have significant implications for the cut-off points currently used in the scientific literature. Furthermore, conflating peripheral and core items may contribute to overpathologization and artificially inflated prevalence rates of PSMU.