Abstract
BackgroundThis study estimated the prevalence of generalized problematic Internet use (PIU) in a sample of college-aged young adults resident in the United Arab Emirates. It also assessed associations between PIU, Internet use, and two psychological outcomes, depression and explicit self-esteem. MethodologyThe study was cross-sectional. A sample of 706 participants (M = 20.71, SD = 2.13) completed measures of generalized PIU, depression, explicit self-esteem, and a range of demographic variables. ResultsPIU was common in this sample, so too was depression, and low self-esteem. PIU did not differ as a result of age, sex, level of education, or marital status. PIU and its factors were consistently predicted by elevated depressive symptoms, increasing duration of daily online time, and diminished ratings of self-esteem. ConclusionThis study serves as the very first estimation of generalized PIU in a sample of young adults resident in this region of the world.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
