Proceedings of the Positive Psychology 2.0 International Conference 2025 (PP 2.0 2025)

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Significance Matters: Examining the Association between Perceived Helplessness and Problematic Social Media Usage

Authors
Chi Fan Ho1, Iris Rongwei Sun1, Mega M. Leung2, Po Fai Jonah Li3, Alex Chi-Keung Chan1, *
1Tung Wah College, HKSAR, China
2Ontario, Canada
3University of Washington Tacoma, Tacoma, WA, United States
*Corresponding author. Email: alexchan@twc.edu.hk
Corresponding Author
Alex Chi-Keung Chan
Available Online 29 December 2025.
DOI
10.2991/978-94-6463-954-4_19How to use a DOI?
Keywords
Problematic Social Media Use; Meaning in Life; Perceived Helplessness; 3DM
Abstract

Previous studies have shown a positive association between problematic social media usage and negative affect among young adults. However, few studies have examined how this relationship relates to the three dimensions (3DM) of meaning in life: significance, coherence, and purpose. This study aims to examine the indirect effects of 3DM on the association between perceived helplessness and problematic social media usage. We recruited 427 Hong Kong college students (Mean age = 21.58 years old, Range = 18 to 35 years old) and used structural equation modeling to test the indirect effect. Findings support the indirect effect of perceived helplessness on problematic social media usage via significance, but no significant indirect effects for coherence and purpose. Significance, which reflects “one’s perceived value of their life to oneself”, demonstrated as a protective factor to buffer the association between perceived helplessness and problematic social media usage. This suggests future interventions should focus on enhancing one’s sense of significance.

Copyright
© 2025 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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Volume Title
Proceedings of the Positive Psychology 2.0 International Conference 2025 (PP 2.0 2025)
Series
Atlantis Highlights in Social Sciences, Education and Humanities
Publication Date
29 December 2025
ISBN
978-94-6463-954-4
ISSN
2667-128X
DOI
10.2991/978-94-6463-954-4_19How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2025 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Cite this article

risenwbib
TY  - CONF
AU  - Chi Fan Ho
AU  - Iris Rongwei Sun
AU  - Mega M. Leung
AU  - Po Fai Jonah Li
AU  - Alex Chi-Keung Chan
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/12/29
TI  - Significance Matters: Examining the Association between Perceived Helplessness and Problematic Social Media Usage
BT  - Proceedings of the Positive Psychology 2.0 International Conference 2025 (PP 2.0 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 250
EP  - 261
SN  - 2667-128X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-954-4_19
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-954-4_19
ID  - Ho2025
ER  -