I am a quantitative researcher with eight years of experience, doing research in multiple settings, ranging from governmental to non-governmental and academic areas. I work with different types of data (cross-sectional, longitudinal, secondary) and use various statistical tools and methods to tackle the research questions, including multivariate regression analysis, SEM, and multilevel modelling.
As of now, I am a postdoctoral researcher at Maastricht University. My research focuses on digital communication technology usage and its impact on mental health. I am also a (self-taught) Rstats enthusiast and an unconventional sci-fi geek.
PhD in Psychology, 2023
Maastricht University & University of Tartu [Double degree]
M.Sc.in Psychological Counseling, 2014
Tbilisi State University
BA in Psychology, 2012
Tbilisi State University
A mediation analysis revealed that problematic Facebook use fully mediates the relationship between Facebook use intensity and depressive symptoms. Moreover, a moderated mediation analysis demonstrated that this indirect relationship is especially strong among young users and users scoring high on neuroticism.
Neuroticism was found to be predictive of increased levels of problematic SNS use. Moreover, neuroticism was associated with both increased levels of fear of missing out and decreased levels of self- control. However, only fear of missing out was found to robustly mediate the rela- tionship between neuroticism and problematic use of SNS. These findings suggest that fear of missing out could be an intervention target to prevent people scoring high on neuroticism from engaging in problematic SNS use.
The extended active-passive model of SNS use provides a nuanced understanding of the relationship between SNS use and well-being by highlighting that active use of SNSs is not always beneficial and passive use is not always detrimental.
In this paper, we review research on (a) the antecedents of social comparisons on SNSs, (b) the consequences of social comparisons on SNSs for SWB and, (c) social comparison as a mechanism explaining (mediator) or affecting (moderator) the relationship between SNSs and SWB.
We found that two specific dimensions of PSU were significant mediators of the relationship between FoMO and decreased emotional well-being: Cyberspace-oriented Relations and Physical Symptoms. This suggests that the negative relationship between FoMO and decreased emotional well-being is due to FoMO stimulating (a) online relationships at the cost of offline interactions and (b) Physical symptoms associated with excessive smartphone use.