Understanding negative technological use from a self-regulation perspective

Abstract

ABSTRACT Effective ways of prevention of addictive behaviours such as IT addiction remain absent. This study fills this gap by developing a model that builds on the self-regulation theory. This model seeks to understand how addictive symptoms are affected by two-stage of self-regulation approaches and IT mindfulness. We conceptualise addictive symptoms as both urge and addiction. Self-regulation approaches entail self-regulation strategies and responses. This study theorises strategies as both personal self-regulation (PSR) and social self-regulation (SSR), and responses as both cognitive emotion preoccupation (CEP) and cognitive behavioural control (CBC). The proposed model is largely supported by the empirical data, showing that IT mindfulness exerts a significant impact on self-regulation strategies, which in turn affect self-regulation responses and subsequent addictive symptoms. Besides, the mediation test illustrates that CEP has a mediation effect on the relationship between CBC and addictive symptoms. This study contributes to the literature by theorising a nomological network of self-regulation for understanding the relationship between IT mindfulness, two-stage self-regulation approaches, and negative IT use. We provide implications for both theory and practice.