Unraveling complexity of celebrity worship and its associations with mental health among emerging adults in China
Abstract The digital media and the celebrity-making industry have drastically fueled celebrity worship, an evolving and complex human behavior. However, existing studies seem to oversimplify celebrity worship as a continuum ranging from normal to pathological. This study addresses this gap by develo...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Springer Nature
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Humanities & Social Sciences Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-04296-4 |
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| author | Dannuo Wei Yu-Te Huang |
| author_facet | Dannuo Wei Yu-Te Huang |
| author_sort | Dannuo Wei |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The digital media and the celebrity-making industry have drastically fueled celebrity worship, an evolving and complex human behavior. However, existing studies seem to oversimplify celebrity worship as a continuum ranging from normal to pathological. This study addresses this gap by developing a framework to classify distinct fan types and validate them with empirical data. A nationwide online survey was conducted with 806 Chinese emerging adults who acknowledged having a favorite celebrity. Six fan profiles were identified through Latent Profile Analysis. We then compared our classification with the widely used Celebrity Attitude Scale (CAS) to predict mental health outcomes among all participants and by gender. Results revealed significant differences across fan types on anxiety and the psychological well-being sub-dimension. The CAS score was not significantly associated with anxiety or depressive symptoms. Associations between fan types and mental health outcomes varied by gender. These findings highlight the complex nature of celebrity worship. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4dd2aa01ef5244cd82b7cd6410055788 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2662-9992 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Springer Nature |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Humanities & Social Sciences Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-4dd2aa01ef5244cd82b7cd64100557882025-08-20T02:43:35ZengSpringer NatureHumanities & Social Sciences Communications2662-99922024-12-0111111410.1057/s41599-024-04296-4Unraveling complexity of celebrity worship and its associations with mental health among emerging adults in ChinaDannuo Wei0Yu-Te Huang1Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong KongDepartment of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong KongAbstract The digital media and the celebrity-making industry have drastically fueled celebrity worship, an evolving and complex human behavior. However, existing studies seem to oversimplify celebrity worship as a continuum ranging from normal to pathological. This study addresses this gap by developing a framework to classify distinct fan types and validate them with empirical data. A nationwide online survey was conducted with 806 Chinese emerging adults who acknowledged having a favorite celebrity. Six fan profiles were identified through Latent Profile Analysis. We then compared our classification with the widely used Celebrity Attitude Scale (CAS) to predict mental health outcomes among all participants and by gender. Results revealed significant differences across fan types on anxiety and the psychological well-being sub-dimension. The CAS score was not significantly associated with anxiety or depressive symptoms. Associations between fan types and mental health outcomes varied by gender. These findings highlight the complex nature of celebrity worship.https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-04296-4 |
| spellingShingle | Dannuo Wei Yu-Te Huang Unraveling complexity of celebrity worship and its associations with mental health among emerging adults in China Humanities & Social Sciences Communications |
| title | Unraveling complexity of celebrity worship and its associations with mental health among emerging adults in China |
| title_full | Unraveling complexity of celebrity worship and its associations with mental health among emerging adults in China |
| title_fullStr | Unraveling complexity of celebrity worship and its associations with mental health among emerging adults in China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Unraveling complexity of celebrity worship and its associations with mental health among emerging adults in China |
| title_short | Unraveling complexity of celebrity worship and its associations with mental health among emerging adults in China |
| title_sort | unraveling complexity of celebrity worship and its associations with mental health among emerging adults in china |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-04296-4 |
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