A study of emerging adults in Italy found that both men and women who experienced emotional abuse as children, and who exhibited higher levels of vulnerable narcissism and emotion dysregulation, were more likely to engage in binge-watching. The paper was published in the European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education.
Childhood emotional abuse involves non-physical behaviors by a caregiver or authority figure that harm a child’s emotional well-being and sense of self-worth. It can include constant criticism, humiliation, rejection, or exposure to overly harsh or neglectful parenting practices. Children experiencing emotional abuse often feel unloved and inadequate and may struggle to trust others or form healthy relationships. Unlike physical abuse, emotional abuse leaves no visible marks, making it more challenging to identify and address. Over time, the impact of emotional abuse can lead to lasting mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem, as well as the use of maladaptive strategies for coping with stress.
One such maladaptive strategy is binge-watching, which involves consuming numerous episodes or an entire season of a television series in a single sitting. Binge-watching is increasingly recognized as a form of escapism and emotional regulation. Individuals who struggle with emotional distress may use binge-watching to disengage from real-world problems by immersing themselves in fictional worlds.
Study author Valeria Verrastro and her colleagues sought to explore the association between childhood emotional abuse, vulnerable narcissism, emotion dysregulation, and binge-watching. Vulnerable narcissism is a form of narcissism characterized by insecurity, hypersensitivity to criticism, and a deep need for validation, often masked by feelings of shame and inadequacy. Emotion dysregulation refers to difficulties in managing or responding to emotional experiences in a controlled and adaptive way, often leading to intense emotional reactions and impulsive behaviors.
The study included 1,082 young adults residing in Italy, of whom 541 were female. Participants’ ages ranged from 18 to 25 years. They completed an online survey assessing childhood emotional abuse (using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire – Short Form), vulnerable narcissism (using the Hypersensitive Narcissism Scale), emotion dysregulation (using the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale), and binge-watching (using the Binge-Watching Addiction Questionnaire).
Results showed moderate associations between binge-watching and the three examined psychological characteristics. Participants reporting higher levels of childhood emotional abuse tended to have higher scores in vulnerable narcissism and emotion dysregulation and also reported more frequent binge-watching.
The study authors tested a statistical model proposing that childhood emotional abuse experiences increase vulnerable narcissism, which in turn increases emotion dysregulation, ultimately leading to binge-watching tendencies. Results indicated that this pattern of relationships between these characteristics is possible. However, childhood emotional abuse could also have a direct effect on binge-watching that is not mediated by these two psychological characteristics.
“These findings highlight the importance of the early identification of CEA [childhood emotional abuse], the implementation of targeted interventions, and the provision of trauma-informed care to address the negative consequences of CEA and mitigate the development of binge-watching behaviors. Moreover, the results emphasize the need for tailored prevention and intervention programs that address vulnerable narcissism and emotion dysregulation as potential pathways to inform effective therapeutic strategies,” the study authors concluded.
The study sheds light on the possible nature of the links between childhood emotional abuse experiences and binge-watching. However, it should be noted that data about childhood emotional abuse experiences were based on participants’ memories rather than objective reports. Additionally, all the data came from self-reports, leaving room for reporting bias to affect the results.
The paper, “Vulnerable Narcissism and Emotion Dysregulation as Mediators in the Link between Childhood Emotional Abuse and Binge Watching,” was authored by Valeria Verrastro, Danilo Calaresi, Fiorenza Giordano, and Valeria Saladino.
