Cross-cultural validity of the psycho-social aspects of Facebook use (PSAFU) scale

Abstract

The Psycho-Social Aspects of Facebook Use (PSAFU) scale was developed by Bodroža and Jovanović (2016) to comprehensively measure psychological and social aspects of the users’ Facebook (FB) experiences i.e. compensatory use of FB, self-presentation on FB, socializing and seeking sexual partners through FB, FB addiction, and FB profile as the virtual self. The scale was previously validated on two Serbian samples. The aim of this research was to validate the PSAFU scale cross-culturally, i.e. develop a version of the scale that would be suitable for the cross-cultural study of FB behaviors. The sample consisted of 1,632 respondents from Croatia, Italy, Iran, Serbia, and UK. Administered questionnaires consisted of the PSAFU scale (Bodroža & Jovanović, 2016), the Big Five Inventory (BFI; John et al., 1991), the Narcissistic Personality Inventory 16 (NPI-16; Ames et al., 2006), and socio-demographic and FB use questions (e.g., time spent on FB on a daily basis, frequency of posting and number of FB friends). After some modifications and exclusion of the virtual self scale, the results of multigroup confirmatory factor analysis show that the PSAFU scale is cross-culturally invariant and suitable for use internationally. The remaining dimensions of revised PSAFU scale (PSAFU-R) have statistically significant relationships with measured personality traits and with indicators of FB use, although considerable cross-cultural variations were obtained.