Pathological Personality Traits and Time Spent on Selected Online Activities in a Group of Adults

OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to examine the relationships between pathological personality traits, as defined by the alternative DSM-5 model for personality disorder (Negative Affectivity, Detachment, Disinhibition, Antagonism, and Psychoticism), and the time spent on various online activities (gaming, online communities, pornography, online humor, online shopping, e-books, video streaming, live video streaming, podcasts, and online music). METHODS: The study included 224 participants (55.36% women) aged 18 to 59 years (M = 29.86; SD = 9.09). The Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5) was used, along with a self-constructed questionnaire regarding the time spent on selected online activities. RESULTS: The findings indicated that men and women differ in the time spent on specific online activities, such as gaming, pornography, online shopping, and online music. Additionally, several weak to moderate positive correlations were observed between pathological personality traits and time spent on gaming, pornography, and online communities among men. Among women, weak to moderate positive correlations were particularly noted between pathological personality traits and time spent on online humor. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that men and women may be driven by different pathological personality traits when engaging in specific online activities. It also appears that various online activities may serve a regulatory function for different affective states associated with the configuration of specific personality traits.