Psychometric analysis of the Italian Doomscrolling Scale: Associations with problematic social media use, psychological distress, and mental well-being

Abstract

Doomscrolling is a fairly new concept in mental health research which has attracted significant attention in recent years. Doomscrolling involves individuals spending excessive time online reading unpleasant news, and leading to negative emotional states (e.g., sadness, anxiety, anger, etc.). Several studies have found that doomscrolling is associated with lower quality of life, poorer mental well-being, and problematic technology use. In Italy, there is a lack of instruments to assess this construct. Therefore, the main objective of the present study was to validate both the 15-item and four-item Doomscrolling Scale (DSS) to fill this gap. The sample comprised 300 Italians (70.7% females), with a mean age of 38.02 years (SD = +/- 13.08). Participants completed an online survey comprising the DSS, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21), Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS), Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), and Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS). The results of confirmatory factor analysis supported a first-order one-factor scale, with satisfactory fit indices. The DSS showed good internal consistencies (Cronbach alpha = 0.96 and McDonald omega = 0.96). Additionally, the DSS score was positively associated with scores on the BSMAS and DASS-21, and negatively associated with scores on the WEMWBS and SWLS. The short version of the DSS also demonstrated very good psychometric characteristics. The findings indicate that the both versions of the DSS are psychometrically reliable and valid measures for assessing doomscrolling activity among Italian adults. The study expands the literature regarding factors related to doomscrolling behavior.