Abstract
Internet addiction (IA) has mostly been investigated with the fear of missing out and difficulties in emotional regulation. The present study examined the link between IA and variables related to problematic social media use (i.e., fear of missing out, social media addiction), together with emotional (dys)regulation and personality traits, providing new insights and an integrated assessment of IA. In total, 397 participants, aged 18–35 years (M = 22.00; SD = 3.83), were administered a set of questionnaires pertaining to IA, problematic social media use, emotional (dys)regulation, and personality traits. Pearson’s correlations showed significant associations between IA and the investigated variables, and the tested mediation model highlighted the crucial role played by emotional (dys)regulation in the fear of missing out and problematic use of social networks. Overall, the findings provide support for a new integrated model for understanding the features, predictors, and risk factors of IA.
Highlights
Introduction published maps and institutional affilInternet addiction (IA), known as problematic internet use, has been defined as problematic and compulsive use of the internet, resulting in significant impairments to daily life functioning
Plausible mediation pathways were tested, based on theoretical models and research suggesting that emotionalregulation could mediate the development of addictive behaviors
The results suggest that emotionalregulation could be conceptualized as an independent factor and direct predictor of both IA and variables related to problematic social media use
Summary
Introduction published maps and institutional affilInternet addiction (IA), known as problematic internet use, has been defined as problematic and compulsive use of the internet, resulting in significant impairments to daily life functioning. IA is an addictive disorder characterized by intensive and obsessive use of the internet, including social networking, video, and online gaming sites [1,2]. Social network overuse can be considered as one form of IA, where individuals exhibit a compulsion to use social media [3,4] leading to the possible onset of pathological behaviors. Individuals with social media addiction exhibit an uncontrollable urge to “log in” and to use social media [5]. Studies on adolescent populations found out correlations between frequency in the use of social networks (SNs) and diagnostic criteria for IA [6,7,8]
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