Adolescent Internet Addiction: Testing the Association Between Self-Esteem, the Perception of Internet Attributes, and Preference for Online Social Interactions

Abstract

There is a general consensus that Internet addiction (IA) is mainly related to social aspects of the Web, especially among adolescents. The empirical link between poor social skills and IA is well documented; however, theoretical explanations for this relationship are less developed. One possibility is that people with poor social skills are especially prone to develop a preference for online social interaction (POSI), which, in turn, predicts problematic usage. This hypothesis has been tested for loneliness and social anxiety, but not for self-esteem (SE; one of the main antecedents of IA). Furthermore, the mediating role of the perceived relevance of some Internet features (e.g., anonymity) in the relationship between SE and POSI has never been investigated. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 257 adolescents. Using mediation analyses, we found evidence among females for the mediating role of (a) POSI in the relationship between SE and IA, and (b) the subjective relevance of some Internet features in the association between SE and POSI. No significant effects were found for males.

14. Generalized Problematic Internet Use Scale 2: update on the psychometric properties among Italian young adults

“…Recent studies have produced empirical evidence supporting the claim that compulsive use is a central component of PIU (e.g., Caplan, 2005;Kim et al, 2009;van den Eijnden, Meerkerk, Vermulst, Spijkerman, & Engels, 2008). POSI has been found to be predictive of this compulsive use (Caplan, 2010;Fioravanti, Dèttore, & Casale, 2012) and mood regulation was a significant cognitive predictor of negative outcomes associated with Internet use (Caplan, 2002;Gámez-Guadix, Villa-George, & Calvete, 2012). Caplan and High (2007) found that the association between compulsive Internet use and negative outcomes is more pronounced when cognitive preoccupation is present.…”

“…In comparison to the Internet Addiction Test (IAT; Young, 1998), the most used instrument for assessing PIU, the GPIUS2 is specifically focused on problematic use that arises due to the unique communicative context of the Internet. For these reasons, both the first and the second version of the GPIUS have been used recently in a variety of contexts for the assessment of GPIU (e.g., Ang, Chong, Chye, & Huan, 2012;Casale & Fioravanti, 2011;Casale, Tella, & Fioravanti, 2013;Chittaro & Vianello, 2013;Fioravanti et al, 2012;Fioravanti, Primi, & Casale, 2013;Gámez-Guadix et al, 2012) with the aim of reporting the properties of the scale across various cultures. Among Mexican adolescents, the GPIUS2 has demonstrated adequate psychometric qualities, including construct validity, convergent validity, and internal consistency (Gámez-Guadix et al, 2012).…”

Uso y abuso de sustancias psicotrópicas e internet, psicopatología e ideación suicida en adolescentes

“…En 2014 el porcentaje de jóvenes que había consumido sustancias psicoactivas en el último año fue: alcohol un 76,8%; tabaco un 31,4%; cannabis un 25,4%; cocaína 2,8% y menos de un 1% otros tipos de drogas ilegales (ESTUDES 2014). Dentro del capí-tulo de las conductas que pueden llegar a la consideración de adicciones no relacionadas con sustancias (adicciones comportamentales), el uso excesivo de internet es un fenó-meno creciente de nuestro tiempo que se da, sobre todo, en los grupos de gente joven (Fioravanti, Dettore y Casale, 2012;Seybert, 2012;Smahel, Blinka y Ledabyl, 2008).…”

The moderating role of psychosocial well-being on the relationship between escapism and excessive online gaming

“…In other words, psychosocial well-being may be considered an underlying cause for motivations for play, and in some cases this interplay may lead to negative outcomes (2014a). While previous research on excessive online gaming has focused either on the direct effect of motivations for play on negative outcomes (e.g., Caplan et al, 2009;Kuss et al, 2012) or the direct effect of psychosocial well-being on negative outcomes (e.g., Kim et al, 2006;Young & de Abreu, 2011;Lemmens et al, 2011;Van Rooij, 2011;Kim, LaRose, & Peng, 2009;Fioravanti, Dèttore, & Casale, 2012), this study will explore how psychosocial well-being and motivations for play interact in predicting negative outcomes. While the theory is applicable across different internet activities and platforms, this paper seeks to test the theory in the context of online gaming.…”

“…Several studies found an association between low selfesteem and internet addiction (e.g., Ko et al, 2005;Kim & Davis, 2009;Fioravanti, Dèttore & Casale, 2012). Douglas, Mills and Niang (2008) suggested that being online removes physical and interpersonal hindrances which allows those with low self-esteem to engage in social interactions, but may also lead to overuse of the internet.…”