Abstract:There might be an association between Internet addiction (IA) and loneliness; however, inconsistent evidence suggests that the severity of this association remains unclear. This study was conducted to assess the association between IA and loneliness. A systematic literature search was conducted in four online databases, including PubMed (MESH terms), Web of Science, Scopus, and Embase. Observational studies measuring the association between IA and loneliness were screened and included in this review. A meta-an… Show more
“…Should these adolescents persist in an escapist coping strategy, favoring an addiction to the Internet while being unable to create social ties online, they will get caught in a vicious circle, increasing their feeling of loneliness and the risk of developing suicidal ideation. This concurs with the observation made in the literature between the degree of addiction to the Internet and the feeling of loneliness, which is a linear association [ 43 ].…”
The Internet has become an essential tool for adolescents. It is part of their social integration within peers and supports their identity construction. The Internet can also become a source of addiction, especially when used as a coping strategy towards unpleasant life situations. Addiction to the Internet is often linked with an increase in the feeling of loneliness. The feeling of loneliness is an emotion present during adolescence. However, in excess, it can lead to suicidal ideation. Addiction to the Internet is also linked to an increased suicide risk. We questioned ourselves on the impact of the feeling of loneliness on the link between an excessive use of the Internet by adolescents and the risks of suicidal ideation. We attempted to find an answer to this question by performing a systematic review of the literature. We found no result matching our search criteria. We noted the absence of studies with regards to the interaction between the feeling of loneliness, addiction to the Internet and the risk of suicidal ideation amongst adolescents. We established a theoretical model which could be used as a lead for future research. We insist on the importance that studies need to be conducted in this domain, in order to enable us to establish efficient preventive measures for the risks of suicidal ideation amongst adolescents.
“…Should these adolescents persist in an escapist coping strategy, favoring an addiction to the Internet while being unable to create social ties online, they will get caught in a vicious circle, increasing their feeling of loneliness and the risk of developing suicidal ideation. This concurs with the observation made in the literature between the degree of addiction to the Internet and the feeling of loneliness, which is a linear association [ 43 ].…”
The Internet has become an essential tool for adolescents. It is part of their social integration within peers and supports their identity construction. The Internet can also become a source of addiction, especially when used as a coping strategy towards unpleasant life situations. Addiction to the Internet is often linked with an increase in the feeling of loneliness. The feeling of loneliness is an emotion present during adolescence. However, in excess, it can lead to suicidal ideation. Addiction to the Internet is also linked to an increased suicide risk. We questioned ourselves on the impact of the feeling of loneliness on the link between an excessive use of the Internet by adolescents and the risks of suicidal ideation. We attempted to find an answer to this question by performing a systematic review of the literature. We found no result matching our search criteria. We noted the absence of studies with regards to the interaction between the feeling of loneliness, addiction to the Internet and the risk of suicidal ideation amongst adolescents. We established a theoretical model which could be used as a lead for future research. We insist on the importance that studies need to be conducted in this domain, in order to enable us to establish efficient preventive measures for the risks of suicidal ideation amongst adolescents.
“…Differences in terms of occupation and family structure in the included populations might be another factor potentially explaining the higher prevalence of IA among Africans in our study. Indeed, IA has been associated with detached family relationship and loneliness ( Hassan, Alam, Wahab, & Hawlader, 2020 ; Mozafar Saadati, Mirzaei, Okhovat, & Khodamoradi, 2021 ; Shek, Zhu, & Dou, 2019 ), patterns possibly encountered among university students in Africa (84% of our meta-analysis population), especially those who move from rural areas to study in urban settings ( Bozoglan, Demirer, & Sahin, 2013 ; Le Roux, 2004 ). However, our higher prevalence does not seem to be parallel to the internet penetration rate.…”
Background and aim
In the last two decades, the proportion of internet users has greatly increased worldwide. Data regarding internet addiction (IA) are lacking in Africa compared to other continents. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the pooled prevalence of IA in African countries.
Methods
We systematically sought relevant articles in PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO and Cochrane database published before September 25, 2021. The risk of bias was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute tool, and we estimated the pooled prevalence of IA using a random-effects meta-analytic model. We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines.
Results
We included 22 studies (13,365 participants), and collected data from Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Tunisia between 2013 and 2021. The mean age of participants ranged from 14.8 to 26.1 years, and the most used tool for IA screening was the Young's 20-item Internet Addiction Test. The pooled prevalence rate of IA was 40.3% (95% CI: 32.2%–48.7%), with substantial heterogeneity. The pooled prevalence for Northern Africa was 44.6% (95% CI: 32.9%–56.7%), significantly higher than the prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa, which was 31.0% (95% CI: 25.2%–37.1%). The risk of bias was moderate for most studies, the certainty was very low, and we found no publication bias.
Discussion and conclusions
Four in every ten individuals was considered to have IA in Africa. Further research with methodological optimization seems needed, especially for IA screening tools and the representativity of some subregions.
“…These findings supported the past evidence on the key role exerted by insecure attachment to parents on the development of IA during young adulthood [ 132 ], as well as among university students. Coherently, a young adult university student who perceived their relationship with their parents as characterized by a lack of closeness, warmth, and emotional availability may tend to excessively use the internet to seek emotional and social support in online relationships [ 72 , 74 , 133 ]. On the other hand, the results of our study showed that the quality of the relationships with mothers and fathers exerted a different and peculiar influence on the young adult university students’ level of IA during the COVID-19 pandemic.…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…A recent study by Trumello et al [ 71 ] showed that there were also significant associations between attachment insecurity and IA during the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, this body of research suggests that young adult university students may excessively use the internet as a strategy to cope with the distress resulting from insecure relationships with their attachment figures [ 72 , 73 ] and to seek social support from the virtual world [ 74 ]. Interestingly, the possible mediation role played by the young adults’ psychopathological symptoms on the relationship between the quality of their relationships with parents and peers and the IA levels has recently been suggested [ 46 , 48 , 75 ].…”
The literature focused on the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on young adult university students’ mental health shows a significant increase in psychopathological symptoms and Internet Addiction (IA). The key role played by attachment and alexithymia has also been suggested, but no study has explored the possible dynamic relationship between these variables. We recruited a sample of n = 410 young adult university students online. We assessed the attachment to parents and peers (through IPPA), alexithymia (through TAS-20), peritraumatic distress symptoms due to COVID-19 (through CPDI), and IA (through IAT). The results showed that the relationship between the attachment to mothers and IA was partially mediated by alexithymia and by the serial mediation of alexithymia and peritraumatic distress, whereas the influence of the attachment to fathers on IA was fully mediated by peritraumatic distress. The direct effects of the attachment to peers on alexithymia, peritraumatic distress, and IA were all significant, as were the indirect paths via the simple mediation of both alexithymia and peritraumatic distress and the multiple serial mediation of alexithymia and peritraumatic distress. Our findings suggested that the relationship between attachment, alexithymia, and psychopathological risk is dynamic in predicting IA during the pandemic among young adult university students and that the different attachment figures exert a peculiar contribution to these processes.
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