Ability to initiate relationships and sense of loneliness mediate the relationship between low self-esteem and excessive internet use

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to identify possible mechanisms underlying the relationship between low self-esteem and excessive Internet use in a non-clinical sample of young adults. Basing on the theoretical framework and results of existing studies we hypothesized that the association between self-esteem and excessive Internet use will be serially mediated by the ability to initiate contact with others and sense of loneliness. The study sample consisted of 506 participants (60% women) aged between 18 and 35 years (mean = 19). The following questionnaires were administered: the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the UCLA Loneliness Scale, the Interpersonal Competence Questionnaire and the Excessive Internet Use Scale. The last measure was prepared by authors for the purpose of the study. Serial mediation analysis was conducted. In line with our hypotheses the link between low self-esteem and excessive Internet use was found to be sequentially mediated by the capability to initiate social contacts and chronic loneliness. Difficulty in engaging in social interaction leading to the sense of loneliness may explain the link between low self-esteem and excessive Internet use. These results may help to design early intervention programs.

Shared Destiny in the Digital Era: Sensation Seeking, Loneliness, and Excessive Internet Use among Middle-Aged and Older Adults in Mainland China

“…For example, a study found that the quality of social relationships is a strong predictor of excessive internet use and that loneliness partially mediates the association between the quality of social relationships and excessive internet use [ 44 ]. Furthermore, the ability to initiate social relationships and loneliness sequentially mediate the relationship between low self-esteem and excessive internet use [ 45 ]. The adaptation of social relationships and problematic internet use, such as excessive internet use, are also mediated by loneliness [ 46 ].…”

A call for better research and resources for understanding and combatting youth loneliness: integrating the perspectives of young people and researchers

“…Empirical research studies have tried to operationalise “chronic loneliness’ more but across studies, these are homogenous and arbitrary, very often depending on which measures have been used and how many time-points have been used. For example, some studies [ 12 ] simply defined chronic loneliness as receiving a high score on loneliness questionnaires that assess loneliness items in terms of frequency (never to always). Other studies elaborate a bit more on this same definition but categorise those scoring one standard deviation above the mean as being chronically lonely—and those above the mean but less than one standard deviation as being “situationally” lonely—with both groups differing to those falling below the mean who are “non-lonely” [ 13 ].…”

Social competence and self-esteem: a systematic review

“…These works have shown that those who perceive themselves as having greater competence in the social sphere also have a better self-concept, i.e., they have higher self-esteem and greater resilience due to the high number of positive social relationships (Childs et al, 2001;Libório & Ungar, 2014). Similarly, perceived good social competence has a significant effect on self-esteem (Bedard et al, 2020) as it is influenced by positive experiences with others (Williams, 2009); therefore, it would be logical to think that those with lower social coping skills present lower self-esteem (Dembi ska et al, 2020a).…”