Materialistic Values and Criminal Thinking among University Students: The Moderating Effects of Social Media Addiction and Self-Control

Abstract

This research examined the role of modern-day psychosocial factors like materialistic values, social media addiction, and self-control in directly and indirectly crafting criminal thinking in university students. While these variables are well researched in the context of well-being and behavioral outcomes, the present study seeks to expand the frame of previous studies by investigating how modern-day value orientations, digital engagement patterns, and self-regulatory capacities contribute to the criminogenic cognitions that may lead to a person having deviant or criminal behavior. Using a cross-sectional design, data were collected from 340 undergraduate students aged 18 to 25 years enrolled in the University of Peshawar, a public-sector university. Through convenient sampling, participants completed a questionnaire both online and offline, which included the standardized measures of materialistic values, criminal thinking, social media addiction, and self-control. According to the results of the correlational analysis, there exists a significant positive correlation between materialism values and criminal thinking. Moderation analysis further indicated that social media addiction had significantly strengthened the relationship between materialism and criminal thinking, showing up to 10% variance in enhancing the positive relationship. Likewise, self-control also showed a moderating effect of 10% variance in enhancing the positive relationship between materialism and criminal thinking. This study concluded that unrestricted focus on material wealth, paired with constant use of social media and reduced self-regulatory capacity, increases criminogenic cognitions. These findings highlight the importance of emphasizing value systems, digital habits, and self-control in interventions that are targeted towards preventing deviant thought patterns during emerging adulthood. Overall, this study focuses on the influential role of psychosocial and internal factors on cognitive risk processes, providing guidance for both educational and preventative strategies.