© 2020 IJRAR June 2020, Volume 7, Issue 2 www.ijrar.

org (E-ISSN 2348-1269, P- ISSN 2349-5138)

Examining the Relationship between Self-

Compassion and Social Media Addiction among
undergraduate students
1
Madhura Sampath, 2*Deepika Nambiar
1
Research Scholar,
Post- Graduate Department of Psychology,
Bishop Cotton Women’s Christian College,
Bangalore, Karnataka, India
2*
Assistant Professor,
Post-Graduate department of Psychology,
Bishop Cotton Women’s Christian College,
Bangalore, Karnataka, India

Abstract
Social media has become one of the most widely used means for communication as it connects individuals
worldwide. However, over use of social media may have a negative impact on the individual’s life. Self-
compassion is an attitude which is found to be a powerful coping mechanism when dealing with the
difficulties of life. It is the ability to comfort o neself when one is stressed, hurting emotionally and
in need of care and solace. Studies have shown that individuals use of social media often increases
when they are going through negative and stressful life experiences. The need to seek reassurance
and compassion from others increases when an individual is feeling low or negative. Most of the
time, people tend to seek compassion and validation from external sources rather than being self-
compassionate and the easiest way in today’s fast paced, technological world is to seek this support
through social media. Thus, the aim of the study was to assess the relationship between self-
compassion and social media addiction. To understand, if acts of self- compassion has any significant
relationship with social media addiction. The study was done on undergraduate students of private
colleges from Bangalore city in the age range of 18 -21 yrs. Two questionnaires, namely: Self
compassion scale by Dr. Neff and Social media addiction scale by Tutgun-Unal were used. Results
of Pearson’s correlation showed that there was no significant relationship between self -compassion
and social media addiction. Independent t -test showed no significant gender difference in self -
compassion and social- media addiction.

Key words: Self – Compassion; Social Media Addiction; Undergraduate students

IJRAR2002379 International Journal of Research and Analytical Reviews (IJRAR) www.ijrar.org 1

© 2020 IJRAR June 2020, Volume 7, Issue 2 www.ijrar.org (E-ISSN 2348-1269, P- ISSN 2349-5138)

INTRODUCTION
Internet is a global network that helps to connects people all across the world. It is widely used as
a means to form new friends, or to get in touch with old friends and relatives who are separated by
distance. Today, the rapid boom in the communication and social media sector has helped in bring ing
people together irrespective of the distance and geographical boundaries. Distance is no longer
considered to be a barrier. Social media network has not just helped individuals to overcome
communication barriers rather it has helped in numerous other w ays like spreading information,
creating opportunities to establish social network and as a medium for sharing of knowledge and
awareness. In today’s technological world rarely is there any individual who is away from social
media. Whether it be platforms like twitter, WhatsApp, Facebook, tiktok, social media has been
successful in entering every age group and every strata of the society. The use of social media is
especially found to have risen in the age group of young adults or college going students. The usage
of social media by the students has impacted the way they function as well as socialize. Whether it
be posting pictures online, chatting with friends, socializing, making videos or gaining information,
students have been active users of social medi a since the genesis of it. Studies on the use of social
media among students has reported both positive and negative impact of social media sites on the
performance of student’s academic activities (Gilbert et.al,2018). When we talk about the positive
factors related to social media, one aspect is that students can connect with various educational
groups associated with their field of study on social media and access all the important information
and knowledge shared by others enhancing their overall development and learning.

Yiwei Chen & Anna Persson (2002) in their study found that excessive internet use resulted in lack of time
management, neglect of basic self - care activities like eating, sleep disturbances, increased
emotional disturbances and pathological use of social media ends up affecting all areas of an
individual’s life be it personal, social, occupational. When it comes to college population excessive
use of social media has been related to poor academic performance and increased emotional
disturbances. College students have increased risk for social media addiction due to reasons like,
having unstructured life, availability of free and unlimited access to internet services at universities,
lack of monitoring by parents, getting introduced to the whole new phase of college life wherein
they meet individual with different personality who tends to have an influ ence on them. Relationship
and interpersonal factors, social life are areas that college students are preoccupied with. The need
to find companionship and to seek validation often due to various stressful situations as well as lack
of support results in students resorting to the use of different social media applications to socialize
and meet new people (Takeshi Sato, 2006). Social networking addiction or social media addiction
is a term used to refer to a situation when a person tends to spend long hours on social media
networks to the extent that he/she starts neglecting their daily duties or obligations. This impacts an
individual’s life by creating a disconnect with people who are present with them (Steward Z,2004).
Turne & Serenko (2012) came up with different models to explain the process or rather factors
contributing to the formation of social network addiction. These models include the classic
cognitive-behavioural model according to which pathological social media use results from
nonadaptive cognitions and gets magnified due to different environmental factors finally leading to
addictive or compulsive use of social media. The next in line is the social skill model according to
which individuals who lack social skills , self-presentation skills and feel more comfortable in virtual
communication compared to face to face communication have higher chances of getting addicted to
social media. Learning theory emphasizes the positive reinforcing effects of internet use as a cause
for addictive behaviour. Use of social media, especially when one is feeling low may induce feelings
of positivity, well- being and at times excitement and euphoria within the user (Murali and George,
2007). Social media addiction often causes dysregulation in mood, cognition, results in
psychological issues like stress, anxiety and depression. Social media addiction was found to be
associated with depression in high school students (Pantic et.al,2012) as well as young adults (Lin
et al., 2016).

Compassion as a concept involves being understanding and sensitive to the experience of

suffering, and the need to reduce that feeling of suffering (Goertz, Keltner, & Simon- Thomas,
2010). Self- compassion refers to the act of being compassionate and empathetic tow ards oneself.
Barnard and Curry (2011) in their study found that self- compassion was an important component
of happiness and psychological well - being. Self- compassion is an attitude that can be learnt by an
IJRAR2002379 International Journal of Research and Analytical Reviews (IJRAR) www.ijrar.org 2
© 2020 IJRAR June 2020, Volume 7, Issue 2 www.ijrar.org (E-ISSN 2348-1269, P- ISSN 2349-5138)

individual and it serves as a powerful copin g mechanism when faced with challenging situations. It
involves the act of comforting ourselves when we’re hurting and in need of care. Neff (2003)
conceptualized self- compassion to be consisting of three main components. These components were
self- kindness which refers to a tendency to be supportive and sympathetic towards ourselves when
we fall short of achieving our goals. It refers to being understanding towards oneself rather than
being self- critical. The next component is called common humanity whi ch talks about understanding
and having a generalized view rather than trying to personalize each experience as if it was only
happening to us. The need to accept and understand that all humans are imperfect, having their own
vulnerabilities, feeling of loss and inadequacy. Lastly, there is something called mindfulness which
forms the third component of self- compassion and involves being open to experiences, being in the
present moment, making ourselves aware of whatever thoughts and emotion we experience without
being judgemental about it or trying to avoid it or repressing it (Bishop et. al, 2004) . Studies have
shown that self-compassion is related to psychological well - being (Daye, Webb & Jafari,2014;
Kelly, Vimalakanthan & Miller 2014). Self-compassionate individuals are interpersonally well
functioning, more accepting of themselves, being more aware about their emotional resources and
having more control over their negative thoughts and cognitions (Neff & Beretvas, 2013). The study
also showed that self-compassionate people felt more satisfied with themselves and experienced less
frustration when resolving relationship conflicts, and reported a greater sense of well -being in their
relationships. Finally, self-compassion has been found to facilitate harmony within relationships and
increases an individual’s resilience by moderating their reaction to negative events (Kristin D. Neff
& Andrew P. Costigan 2014).

Self-compassion has also been used as an intervention. Paul Gilbert (2010) developed a therapeutic
approach known as Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) that help individuals to develop a self-
compassionate mind, to overcome the negative self- relational style used by individuals which
consists of self- criticality, self- blame and self- attack. The rationale of CFT is to motivate people
to be considerate about their own well-being, to become sensitive to their needs, and distress, and
to increase warmth and understanding towards themselves. This is currently use d to treat eating
disorders, addiction, anxiety disorders, psychosis, (Braehler et al., 2013; Gilbert, 2010; Goss &
Allan, 2014; Kelly, Zuroff, Foa & Gilbert, 2010). Thus, gazing at the positive effects of self-
compassion and review of literature showing that cognitive- behavioural factors tend to play an
important role in increasing ones vulnerability to social media addiction , the present study aims to
understand if acts of self-compassion i.e. does being loving and caring towards oneself when one is
facing challenging situations, protect a person from getting addicted to social media, which is often
used as a means by individuals to overcome stress and low mood.
METHODOLOGY
The present study adopted a purposive sampling technique to gather data from undergraduate students, studying in
private colleges of Bengaluru city. Sample consisted of 300 undergraduate students (150 females and 150 males).
The study attempted to assess the relationship between self-compassion and social media addiction
among undergraduate students in the age range of 18 -21 yrs. (mean age 19.9 yr., SD .83). A pilot
study with 20 students was conducted to check the usability of the two scales on the current
population, after which the tools were finalised. After seeking permission of Principals of three
private colleges of Bangalore city, data collection was initiated. Data collection was done on specific
days after taking prior appointment from the respective professors. The administration procedure
took around 30 min for both the questionnaire to be filled by the participants and was done in a
group setting.

Ethical Consideration
The study followed the ethical guidelines for research on human subjects. Ethical approval for the study
was obtained from the Research Ethics Committee of the Post- Graduate Department of Psychology, Bishop Cotton
College, Bangalore. It was made sure that all the participants were given the details of the study prior to
administration of the tools. Participants were asked to sign a consent form if they were willing to participate in the
study. Anonymity of participants responses were assured before taking their consent.

IJRAR2002379 International Journal of Research and Analytical Reviews (IJRAR) www.ijrar.org 3

© 2020 IJRAR June 2020, Volume 7, Issue 2 www.ijrar.org (E-ISSN 2348-1269, P- ISSN 2349-5138)

Measures
Two validated tools were used for the present research, namely the Self- compassion scale by Neff
and Social media addiction scale by Tutgun and Unal.

Self-compassion scale (SCS) by Dr. Neff K.N

SCS is a 26-item scale that measures an individual’s thoughts, emotions, and behaviours associated
with self-compassion and includes items that measure how often people respond to feelings of
inadequacy or suffering. The scale consists of six components, namely: self-kindness vs. self-
judgment, common humanity vs. isolation and mindfulness vs. over-identification. It is a likert scale
where the response ranges from 1 (almost never) to 5 (almost always). Coding Key is used to score
each item and find out the total self - compassion score. Items under the area of self - judgement,
isolation and over- identification are reverse scored. The scale has a high validity coefficient for
each of the subscale ranging between 0.87-0.94 and also high reliability coefficients in each of the
subscale ranging between 0.56-0.67.

Social Media Addiction Scale by Tutgun -Unal

It is 29 item scale that measures the level of social media addiction across 4 dimensions namely:
virtual tolerance, virtual communication, virtual problem and virtual informati on. It’s a 5-point
Likert scale All the items on the scale are positive. The higher the scores the more the individual
perceives himself as a “social media addict”. The scale has an internal consiste ncy coefficient of
0.93 for the whole scale and at values ranging from 0.81 to 0.86 for the sub -factors. Test-retest
coefficient is 0.94.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data gathered. Parametric statistical
techniques were employed to analyse the data. Independent t- test and Pearson Correlation
Technique were applied to analyse the data obtained. Frequency distribution in the sample for the
socio- demographic variable of age showed that 1 (0.3% of the total sample) student was of the age
of 18 years, 116(38.7 %) were of the age of 19years, 90(30 %) were of the age of 20 years and 93(31
%) of the students were of the age of 21 years. The frequency distribution for the level of self-
compassion showed that 28 students (9.3% of the sample) reported low self -compassion, 187
students (62.1 % of the sample) reported moderate self -compassion and 85 students (28.2% of the
sample) of them reported high self -compassion. The frequency distribution for level of social media
addiction showed that 87 students (28.9 % of the sample) reported low social media addiction, 167
students (55.5 % of the sample) reported moderate social media addiction and 46 students (15.3 %
of the sample) of them reported high social media addiction. The results of independent- t test as
seen in table1 showed that there was no significant gender difference in the level of self-compassion
and social media addiction.

Table 1 showing the independent- t test results for gender differences in self- compassion and social media
addiction
Dimension N Mean SD Sig 2 tailed
test
Self-Compassion 300 3.22 0.621 0.207
Social Media 300 76.11 0.621 0.111
Addiction

The primary objective of the study was to find out whether self - compassion was related to social
media addiction. Pearson’s correlation was used to determine if there is any significant relationship
between the variables. Results of Pearson’s correlation as s een in table 2 shows that the correlation
value was found to be –0.020 and the sig. 2 tailed value was 0.72 which indicates that although self -
compassion and social media addiction are negatively correlated but this correlation is not
significant.

IJRAR2002379 International Journal of Research and Analytical Reviews (IJRAR) www.ijrar.org 4

© 2020 IJRAR June 2020, Volume 7, Issue 2 www.ijrar.org (E-ISSN 2348-1269, P- ISSN 2349-5138)

Table 2: showing results for Pearson’s correlation

Self-compassion Social media addiction

Pearson’s Correlation -0.020

Sig. (2-tailed) 0.725

N 300

The findings of the current study are contrary to the previous study that explored the relationship
between the variable of self- compassion and internet or social media addiction which had found
that self-criticisms or negative mood states can increase an individual’s vulnerability towards getting addicted to
internet or social media, whereas self- compassion can reduce the vulnerability. According to a previous study which
explored these two variables in a Turkish population, self-compassion had a direct impact on internet addiction.
Students high in self-judgment, isolation, and over-identification components of self -compassion were found to
be more likely to be vulnerable to internet (Ahmet Akin and Murat Iskender, 2011). However, in the current study
which was done in Indian context it has been found that these two variables do not have a significant relationship.
One reason for this could be that students use of social media is no longer attributable just to situations
wherein they are feeling low and negative , wherein they use social media to improve their mood and
as an escape from reality. People who show self - kindness, are mindful about their life and are
positive and caring towards themselves can also be equally vulnerable to get addicted to social
media. Studies have shown that social media serves as an effective tool for relationship building
and for supporting social integration (Agosto DE, Abbas J., 2010). Individual use of social media
has been found to offer benefits in terms of an individual’s physical health (for example, in reducing
stress), improving psychological wellbeing (Nabi RL, Prestin A, So J, 2013) and subjective
wellbeing (Kim J, Lee J-ER, 2011). Thus, social media use can impact psychological wellbeing
positively as well, by providing both social support and by enhancing self -esteem (Lee H, Choi J.,
2014). Social media websites can also provide educational support, helping students t o gain extra
resources for their studies which in turn helps in improving their performance in studies.
Papacharissi and Rubin (2000) in their study found that students use of social media were motivated
due to five main reasons. These reasons were: interpersonal utility (to stay connected and to
socialize), pass time (to use as an escape from boredom), information seeking (to utilize it for
gathering resources and knowledge), convenience, and entertainment. Roy (2009) in his study found
out that internet users reported feelings of self- development as it provided people with wide range
of exposure as well as means for relaxation and leisure. Internet and social media promote global
exchange of information and views which helps to increase awareness and makes the individual open
to novel information. Negative components such as being self- critical and finding validation online
from strangers is no longer the only reason for people to get drawn towards social media or internet.
However, as the study did show a negative correlation between the two variables even though it was
not significant enough and as indicated by previous research that self-compassion interventions may
be useful additions to interventions that target psychological health in university students (Mele
Fong and Natasha M Loi, 2016) we can still use self- compassion as one of the components of
intervention helping students who are showing addiction to social media or internet as self-
compassion has also been linked with a wide range of psychological health indices, including less
anxiety, depression and self-consciousness; greater feelings of social connectedness and life
satisfaction; increased mastery goal orientation and positive health behaviours; an d improved
interpersonal relationships.
CONCLUSION
The present study findings were contrary to previous studies exploring the relation between these
two constructs and hence, it shows that student’s addiction to social media is no longer restricted to
negative aspects such as low mood, pessimism, etc. The explosion in technology industry led to a
rapid increase in social media users out of which the majority were found to be students. Despite
the negative aspects of social media use it also tends to have s ome positive dimensions to it like for
e.g. it helps students to share educational and informative knowledge with each other, helps them
to stay connected with friends and family, especially if they are away from family and staying in
hostels. Students use of social media nowadays is also coloured by their interest to showcase their

IJRAR2002379 International Journal of Research and Analytical Reviews (IJRAR) www.ijrar.org 5

© 2020 IJRAR June 2020, Volume 7, Issue 2 www.ijrar.org (E-ISSN 2348-1269, P- ISSN 2349-5138)

talent and share their hobbies, such as their art works or writings, to promote their social and
voluntary works. Social media connects students with a world of ideas and a wo rld of possibilities.
Students can make productive use of social media to conduct research, surveys, to reach out to
experts and gain knowledge. Hence, we can conclude that as student’s usage of social media is also
impacted by their positive perception of its usefulness, therefore negative components are no longer
the only reason for people to get addicted to social media or internet. Research investigating the
relationships between self-compassion, internet addiction, and other psychological co mponents are
needed, to get deeper understanding and clarity about this area. It is also important to note that
research on self-compassion is still in its initial phases, especially in Indian context and hence, more
research will need to be done before an y significant implications can be drawn.
Limitations
The study had its limitations. Firstly, t he sample selected for the study was not diverse and was
relatively small. The sample was restricted to just 3 colleges and was selected using purposive
sampling technique. Hence, this effects generalizability. Secondly, representation of different age
groups was unequal. Hence, age as a factor influencing both variables could not be studied. Sample
size was less. As correlational statistics were utilized, no defin itive conclusion can be reached about
causality. Lastly, the data reported here for self-compassion and social media are limited to self -
reported data. Hence, respondents test taking attitude might also have had an influence in their
pattern of responding.

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication
of this article.

Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research and/or authorship of this article.

Reference
1. Ajit Kumar Dash, (2011). “Use of online social networking sites by college students & its
implications for marketing: A case study in Tripura” in Indian Journal of Marketing.

2. Albertson, E. R., Neff, K. D., & Dill -Shackleford, K. E. (2014). Self-compassion and body
dissatisfaction in women: a randomized controlled trial of a brief meditation intervention.
Mindfulness, 6(3), 444-454.

3. Allen, A. B., Goldwasser, E. R., & Leary, M. R. (2012). Self-compassion and well-being among older
adults. Self and Identity, 11(4), 428 -453.

4. Barnard, L. K., & Curry, J. F. (2011). Self-compassion: Conceptualizations, correlates, &

interventions. Review of General Psychology, 15(4), 289–303.

5. Best, P., Manktelow, R., & Taylor, B. (2014). Online communication, social media and adolescent
wellbeing: A systematic narrative review. Children and Youth Services Review, 41, 27 –36.

6. Breines, J. G., & Chen, S. (2012). Self-compassion increases self-improvement motivation.

Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 38(9), 1133 -1143.

7. Chou, C., & Hsiao, M. C. (2000). Internet addiction, usage, and gratifications the Taiwan’s college students’ case.
Computers & Education, 35, 65–80.

8. Diedrich, A., Grant, M., Hofmann, S. G., Hiller, W., & Berking, M. (2014). Self-compassion as an
emotion regulation strategy in major depressive disorder. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 58, 43 -
51.

9. Germer, C. K., & Neff, K. D. (2013). Self-compassion in clinical practice. Journal Of Clinical
Psychology, 69(8), 856 -867.
IJRAR2002379 International Journal of Research and Analytical Reviews (IJRAR) www.ijrar.org 6
© 2020 IJRAR June 2020, Volume 7, Issue 2 www.ijrar.org (E-ISSN 2348-1269, P- ISSN 2349-5138)

10. Gitanjali Kalia Chitkara University, Punjab. (March 2013) A Research Paper on Social media: An
Innovative Educational Tool, Issues and Ideas in Education Vol. 1 pp. 43–5.

11. Gurusamy, M. P. (2014). A study on the influence of social networking sites on the interpersonal
relationships of college students in Chennai and Coimbatore cities of India. International Journal of
World Research, XI, 48-56.

12. Iskender, M., Akin, A, (2011). “Self- compassion and Internet addiction”. The Turkish Online
Journal of Educational Technology Vol.10 Issue 3

13. Kalpidou, M., Costin, D., & Morris, J. (2011). The relationship between Facebook and the well -
being of undergraduate college students . Cyberpsychology, Behaviour, and Social N etworking, 14,
183–189.

14. Loureiro, Y. K., & Solnet, D. (2013). Understanding generation y and their use of social media: A
review and research agenda. Journal of Service Management, 24(3), 245 -267. doi:
10.1108/09564231311326987.

15. M. Devmane, N. Rana, (2015) “Usability Trends and Access of Online Social Network by Indian
population and its analysis,” in International Conference on Nascent Technologies in the
Engineering Field (ICNTE’15), IEEE.

16. Neff, K. D. & Pommier, E. (2013). The relationship between self-compassion and other-focused
concern among college undergraduates, community adults, and practicing meditators. Self and
Identity, 12(2), 160-176.
17. Neff, K. D. (2003b). The development and validation of a scale to measure self-compassion. Self and Identity, 2(3),
223−250

18. Neff, K. D., & Rude, S. S., & Kirkpatrick, K. (2007). An examination of self-compassion in relation
to positive psychological functioning and personality traits. Journal of Research in Personality, 41,
908-916.

19. Neff, K. D., Hseih, Y., & Dejitthirat, K. (2005). Self-compassion, achievement goals, and coping
with academic failure. Self and Identity, 4, 263-287.

20. Tariq, W., Mehboob, M., Asf, M., & Khan, Y. (2012). The Impact of social media and social networks
on education and students of Pakistan International Journal of Computer Science Issues, 9, 407-411.

21. The International Journal of Indian Psychology, 3 (8), 13-17. [5] Siddiqui, S., & Singh, T. (2016).
Social Media its Impact with Positive and Negative Aspects. International Journal of Computer
Applications Technology and Research, 5(2), 071-075.

22. Valkenburg, P. M., & Peter, J. (2009). Social consequences of the Internet for adolescents: A decade
of research. Current directions in psychological science, 18(1), 1-5.

23. Wallace, P. (2014). Internet addiction disorder and youth, EMBO Reports, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 12-16.

24. Whang, L. S., Lee, S., & Chang, G. (2003). Internet over-user’s psychological profiles: A behavior
sampling analysis on Internet addiction. Cyberpsychology & Behavior, 6, 143–150.

25. Young, K. S. (1996). Internet addiction: The emergence of a new clinical disorder. Cyberpsychology
and Behavior, vol. 1, 237-244.

26. Zessin, U., Dickhauser, O., & Garbade, S. (2015). The relationship between self-compassion and
well-being: A meta-analysis. Applied Psychology: Health and Well -Being. doi:10.1111/aphw.12051.

IJRAR2002379 International Journal of Research and Analytical Reviews (IJRAR) www.ijrar.org 7