Gender as a moderator of the relationship between Facebook ® addiction and self-efficacy for learning in a college sample: the mediating effect of deliberative belief

The present study explores the mediating role of deliberative belief and the moderating role of gender on the relationships between Facebook® addiction and self-efficacy for learning among 690 college students. Self-administered questionnaires, including a Facebook® Addiction Scale, a Deliberative Belief Scale and a Self-efficacy for Learning Scale were utilized to collect the data. The results indicated that there was a negatively significant relationship between Facebook® addiction and deliberative belief (β = − 0.25, p < .001) and a positively significant relationship between deliberative belief and self-efficacy for learning (β = + 0.53, p < .001). A multigroup analysis using structure equation modeling also demonstrated that gender moderated the relationship between Facebook® addiction and deliberative belief. The findings revealed that high Facebook® addiction was associated with decreased deliberative belief, which was further associated with decreased self-efficacy for learning. Moreover, Facebook® addiction tends to significantly reduce the self-efficacy for learning for male students but not for female students.