Given that shyness has been consistently linked to Internet addiction in youth, an examination into the mediating effect of a desire to avoid loneliness on the shyness-Internet addiction link could offer potential insights into a possible explanatory mechanism as well as directions for Internet addiction prevention and intervention in young adulthood. Thus, the aim of this study is to investigate the mediating role of loneliness avoidance in the relationship between shyness and Internet addiction among 286 youth Internet users. Shyness was significantly and positively correlated with loneliness avoidance and Internet addiction. In addition, loneliness avoidance was significantly and positively correlated with Internet addiction. Most importantly, loneliness avoidance may predispose shy youth to become addicted to the Internet. Theoretical and practical implications of the research findings for youth wellness are addressed in this study.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00223980.2017.1399854DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

internet addiction
24
loneliness avoidance
20
internet
8
avoidance internet
8
positively correlated
8
addiction
7
avoidance
5
loneliness
5
shyness
4
shyness loneliness
4

Similar Publications

Background: Recent studies suggest that increased digital technology usage could be a factor in the rising occurrence and severity of headache episodes. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to determine whether the severity of primary headaches (migraine and tension-type headache) is associated with problematic internet use taking many covariates into account.

Methods: We conducted an online cross-sectional survey using a quantitative, descriptive questionnaire, targeting university students enrolled in correspondence courses, aged 18 to 65.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The lockdown measures during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic could have influenced drug consumption patterns of persons with drug use disorder, especially due to a reduced availability of drugs, an increased consumption of sedating substances as a coping strategy, or a shift to novel psychotropic substances (NPS) associated with an increased drug buying in the internet. In this study, the consumption patterns of people mainly with opioid use disorder entering inpatient drug detoxification treatment were investigated in the same hospitals with the same methods before and during the pandemic.

Methods: At admission, patients were interviewed regarding their consumption patterns using the EuropASI questionnaire.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: The hikikomori phenomenon has recently gained growing global interest, and evidences of its association with other psychopathological dimensions are slowly but steadily emerging. We aimed to evaluate the presence and correlates of hikikomori tendencies in an Italian University population, focusing on its relationships with autism spectrum, pathological computer gaming, and eating disorders. In particular, to our knowledge, no study has yet systematically evaluated the latter association, using psychometric instruments tailored to assess eating disorder symptoms.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

During the COVID-19 lockdown in China, the shift of family members' work and study to online platforms accelerated internet proliferation and led to a growing prominence of internet addiction among younger age groups, posing a threat to individual and societal health development. Previous research has primarily focused on upper-grade elementary students, with relatively less attention given to younger age groups, resulting in insufficient representativeness of the elementary student samples. Additionally, research exploring how parental addictive behaviors are associated with the mechanisms of internet addiction among elementary students has been limited, which affects the development of scientifically based and effective intervention measures for addressing internet addiction in this population.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Internet addiction - A silent scourge of public health concern.

J Family Med Prim Care

November 2024

Department of Public Health Dentistry, Indira Gandhi Institute of Dental Sciences, Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth University, Puducherry, India.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!