Anxiety, depression, self-esteem, risk behaviors, and virtual communities: A comparative analysis between men and women

Abstract

With the increased use of digital media and the Internet, risk behaviors have moved from the physical to the virtual. Analyzing the issue from the social and individual sphere allows a broader understanding of the problem, finding discrepancies in what is reported by men and women. The objective of this research was to carry out a comparative analysis between men and women in anxiety, depression, self-esteem, risk behaviors and virtual communities. The non-probabilistic sample consisted of 712 male and female participants. Four instruments were applied: two inventories, Trait-State Anxiety (IDARE) and Beck’s depression, three scales, Rosenberg’s self-esteem, virtual communities, and risk and protection behaviors in virtual media. The results indicated that men present more Anxiety-State, and women more depression, in the cognitive-affective and somatic factors; likewise, it is men who engage in more cyberbullying behaviors, and women more cyberprotection and social support behaviors in virtual communities. Correlations were also obtained for the study variables in men and women. It is concluded that there are some differences between State Anxiety and Trait Anxiety, depression, self-esteem, risk behaviors and virtual communities in men and women. Research carried out thanks to the UNAM-PAPIIT IN306821 project.

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