Depressive affect, stress, and compulsive Facebook use: examination in an Arabic-speaking sample

ABSTRACT This study assessed the psychometric properties of an Arabic-translated version of the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale (BFAS) using a confirmatory factor analysis with maximum likelihood estimation. It also examined the associations between depression, stress, and compulsive Facebook use (CFU) measured by the newly created BFAS in a sample of young adults from the United Arab Emirates. Participants (n = 484) completed the BFAS and measures of stress and depression. The BFAS produced a unidimensional factor structure and the data adhered to some, but not all, indices of acceptable model fit, providing preliminary evidence of its validity and reliability. A total of 17.4% of the sample reached the polythetic threshold while 4.9% scored above the monothetic cut-off score indicative of CFU. CFU was positively associated with stress and depression. Depression significantly moderated this association of stress with CFU. The Arabic BFAS holds promise as a valid and reliable measure of CFU, but this determination should be considered preliminary. Moderation results also suggest that Facebook use may serve as a means of mood modification for individuals who experience stress, and this appears to occur uniformly across varying levels of depression.