The effect of childhood harshness and unpredictability on Internet addiction among college students: The mediating effect of self-control

Abstract

College students are inevitably online and at risk of becoming addicted. Life history theory provides an explanatory framework for individual differences in Internet addiction, and childhood harshness and unpredictability may be important antecedents. However, it is unclear whether and how childhood harshness and/or unpredictability affect Internet addiction during college. In this study, we recruited 483 Chinese college students and assessed their childhood harshness, unpredictability, self-control, and Internet addiction. The results of path analysis showed that childhood unpredictability was positively associated with Internet addiction among college students and was partially mediated by self-control. The effect of harshness on Internet addiction showed a suppression effect, i.e., the direct effect of harshness on Internet addiction was negative and the indirect effect through self-control was positive. This suggests that the high risk of Internet addiction stems from harshness and unpredictability in childhood, but that the effects of these factors are independent and distinct. Self-control plays an important role in this process, but many internal mechanisms remain to be tested in future research.