Internet Addiction among Young Adult University Students: The Complex Interplay between Family Functioning, Impulsivity, Depression, and Anxiety.

Eleonora Marzilli,Giulia Ballarotto,Silvia Cimino,Luca Cerniglia

doi:10.3390/ijerph17218231

Abstract

International research has underlined that both interpersonal, self-regulation, and comorbid variables can lead to a higher risk of developing internet addiction (IA) among young adults. To date, no studies have explored the interplay between young adults’ family functioning, impulsivity, and psychopathological difficulties. In a community sample of 244 young adult university students, this study aims to assess the relationship between young adults’ IA and young adults’ gender, the perception of their family functioning, impulsivity level, and depressive and anxiety symptoms, considering the possible interplay between these variables. The presence and the severity of IA were addressed through the Internet Addiction Test (IAT). Moreover, young adults filled out self-reporting questionnaires, assessing their perception of family functioning and their impulsivity levels and psychopathological symptoms. Results showed no significant association between the youth’s gender and IA. However, moderately addicted young adults were more likely to report poorer quality of family affective involvement and higher attentional impulsivity and depressive problems than other groups. Moreover, young adults’ attentional impulsivity mediated the relationship between family affective involvement and IA. This study provides new evidence on the complex interaction between individuals and interpersonal risk factors involved in IA among young adults, with important implications for the planning of intervention treatments.

Highlights

Over the last twenty years, the diffusion of the internet has quickly increased, becoming an integral part of daily life worldwide
Based on the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) cutoff of Italian validation [64], for Aims 1 and 2 of this study, the total sample was divided into three groups: (1) Normative Users, composed of young adults who use the internet in an adaptive way, with complete control (45/244, 18.4%); (2) Mildly
We have chosen to explore these relationships in a sample of university students because international research has shown that many young adults suffer from subthreshold levels of internet addiction (IA) [72,73], which may lead to maladjustment to their living environment [74]

Summary

Introduction

Over the last twenty years, the diffusion of the internet has quickly increased, becoming an integral part of daily life worldwide. From a developmental point of view, young adults have to undertake a series of evolutionary tasks to make a successful transition to adulthood (e.g., the redefinition of relationships with family, peer groups, and society; the assumption of identity, autonomy, and intimacy), and some authors have posited that internet use could help these young adults to face these important challenges [6,7,8,9]. There is evidence that some young adults, especially university students, tend to make problematic use of the internet [10,11,12] or are even addicted to the use of the worldwide web [13]. Clinicians and researchers have shown increasing attention to internet addiction (IA) in terms of an emergent disorder [14]. Epidemiological studies on IA among young adults have reported rates from 6%

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