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The influence of self-esteem and emotional intelligence on addiction to social networks in Peruvian university students
Author(s)
Eveling Vargas-Guerrero
Elita Goya-Diaz
Jackeline Morón-Sifuentes
Sanny Huanca-Lopez
Date Issued
3 de julio de 2025
Type
Preprint
Volume
14
Start Page
647
End Page
647
Abstract
Abstract* Background The digital age has brought numerous technological advances that have transformed our way of living and relating. Among them, Social media have revolutionized how we communicate and share information. However, there is a silent danger behind this seemingly harmless tool: Social media addiction. For this reason, the objective of this re-search was to determine if emotional intelligence and self-esteem predict addiction to Social media in Peruvian university students. Methods Therefore, a cross-sectional predictive design study was developed, in which 289 Peruvian university students participated voluntarily, whose ages fluctuated between 23.61 years with a standard deviation of 5.88 years, of which 54.06% were female and 45.94% were male. In addition, to measure the variables, the Wong-Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale – EAR, and the Social media addiction questionnaire (ARS) were used. Results Linear regression results show that self-esteem (SELF) is the strongest predictor across all models, with beta coefficients of -0.293 for Social Media Obsession (SMO), -0.225 for Lack of Control, and -0.153 (LAU) for Excessive Social Media Use (USO). Regarding the emotional intelligence dimensions, it is observed that Appraisal of Own Emo-tions (SEA) and Use of Own Emotions (UEO) have weak negative effects on SMO addiction, with beta coefficients ranging from -0.072 to -0.136. Conclusions It is concluded that the models explain 17.2% of the variance in SMO, 14.8% in LAU, and 9.2% in USO. These values suggest that, while self-esteem and emotional intelligence influence SMO addiction, other additional factors may also play an important role.
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