Mindfulness facets and problematic Internet use: A six-month longitudinal study

Abstract

IntroductionThe aim of this study was to study the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between mindfulness facets and problematic Internet use in adolescents. MethodsThe sample consisted of 609 adolescents (313 girls, 296 boys; Mean age=14.21years, SD=1.71; age range 11–18). Participants completed a measure of five facets of mindfulness (describing, observing, acting with awareness, non-judging and non-reacting) at the beginning of the year, and measures of several components of problematic Internet use (preference for online social interactions, the use of the Internet to regulate mood, deficient self-regulation and negative outcomes) at beginning of the year and six months later. ResultsFindings indicated that non-judging is the only dimension of mindfulness that predicts a decrease in preference for online social interactions over face-to-face relationships. Moreover, non-judging indirectly predicted reductions in the rest of the problematic Internet use components. The observing and acting with awareness dimensions of mindfulness directly predicted less deficient self-regulation of Internet use and indirectly predicted less negative outcomes through their impact on deficient self-regulation. Thus, these dimensions seem to act when the maladaptive use of the Internet is consolidated. ConclusionsThese findings suggest that interventions should include approaches to develop those mindfulness facets that protect against the development of problematic Internet use.