Investigation of the relationship between risk of Internet addiction, food addiction, and self-esteem in high school students

Abstract

Objective: Increasing Internet addiction and food addiction in the 21st century have become a focal point for researchers. There is strong evidence that low self-esteem is a risk factor for behavioral and chemical addictions. Our aim in this study is to examine the relationship between risk of Internet addiction, food addiction, and self-esteem in students at a high school. Method: Participants were 378 high school students, who completed a package of psychological instruments, including the Internet Addiction Test (IAT), Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS), and Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (CSEI). Study data were evaluated using linear regression analysis to examine the risk factors that were significant in univariate analyses. Results: Participants with high risk of Internet addiction had a significantly higher food addiction score (t=5.81; p<0.001) and lower self-esteem scores (t=-5.89; p<0.001) than participants who do not meet Internet addiction criteria according to the IAT. Also, the lineer regression model demonstrated that food addiction (ß=1.43; p<0.001) and low self-esteem (ß=-0.21; p<0.001) significantly contributed to Internet addiction risk. Conclusion: Our study revealed the relationship between risk of Internet addiction and food addiction, and low self-esteem is a risk factor according to the concept of overlapping addiction.