Psychological well-being, self-esteem, and K-pop idols fanaticism among Thai early adulthood fan club
Keywords:
early adulthood, fan club, idols fanaticism, psychological well-being, self-esteemAbstract
Objective: To study the associations among psychological well-being, self-esteem, idols fanaticism, and related factors among Thai young adult fans of K-pop idols.
Methods: An online cross-sectional study was conducted among followers of K-pop idols Facebook fan pages, aged 20 - 40 years, selected through cluster sampling. The questionnaire included general and fandom-related information, the Behavior toward Idols Fanaticism Scale, the Self-Esteem Inventory and the General Well-Being Schedule. Data were analyzed using independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and stepwise multiple linear regression.
Results: A total of 241 participants with an average age of 28.6 years (SD = 5.60), 80.5% female, completed the questionnaire. The psychological well-being scores were significantly different among those with different ages, incomes, occupations, physical illnesses, reasons for becoming a fan, and fandom-related activities attendance. Self-esteem was significantly and positively correlated with psychological well-being (r = .77, p < .001), while correlation between psychological well-being and fanaticism level was not observed. The stepwise multiple linear regression shows that self-esteem (ß = .72, 95% CI = .63, .81) and becoming a fan to avoid problems (ß = -.11, 95% CI = -.20, -.02) predicted psychological well-being, accounting for 57% of its variance.
Conclusion: Self-esteem and becoming a fan to avoid problems could predict psychological well-being among Thai young adult fans of K-pop idols. This study emphasized that self-esteem, social skills, and adaptive coping strategies should be promoted to enhance psychological well-being of this population.
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