Exploring Latent Profiles of Problematic Social Media Use and Their Relationship with Distress, FoMO, and Self-Esteem: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Turkish Adult Population

This study explored problematic social media use (PSMU) among a sample of 1,338 Turkish adults (67.1% female, 32.9% male) aged 17–68 years (M = 24.18, SD = 8.15), representing 65 provinces in Türkiye. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was conducted based on item-level responses to the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), and multinomial logistic regression analyses were performed to examine associations between profile membership and psychological distress (Depression Anxiety Stress Scales–21; DASS-21), fear of missing out (FoMO), and self-esteem (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale; RSE). A latent profile analysis identified four distinct profiles of PSMU: Minimal Users (32.81%), Habitual Users (22.65%), Engaged Users (28.33%), and Heavy Addicts (16.22%). The 4-class model outperformed alternative solutions based on fit indices and classification accuracy (entropy = 0.73). Minimal Users exhibited infrequent social media use with no signs of addiction. Habitual Users integrated social media into their daily lives and reported negative experiences when attempting to reduce usage. Engaged Users displayed high social media engagement with controlled addictive tendencies, while Heavy Addicts demonstrated severe addiction with substantial life disruptions. Logistic regression analyses indicated that age was associated with a higher likelihood of membership in the Minimal User profile, whereas higher levels of depression, stress, and FoMO were associated with membership in more problematic profiles. Higher self-esteem was associated with a greater likelihood of belonging to the Minimal User profile compared to more engaged profiles. These findings underscore the heterogeneity of PSMU and highlight the psychological and demographic variables associated with profile membership. The study’s findings suggest that young adults with high levels of psychological distress, fear of missing out, and low self-esteem could be a priority group in future preventive and intervention efforts targeting problematic social media use.