Psychosocial Variables Related to Problematic Internet Use Among Adolescents.

Problematic Internet use is a major health issue among adolescents, underscoring the need for further research on the variables related to this dysfunctional usage pattern. This study examined the predictive capacity of four indicators of psychosocial adjustment (depressed mood, perceived stress, lo...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:Adolescents (2673-7051) Vol. 6; no. 1; pp. 12 - 28
Autores principales: Fernández-García, Esther, Buelga, Sofía, Cava, María-Jesús
Formato: research tables/charts Journal Article
Publicado: MDPI Feb2026
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
fields @attributes:
  recordID: 1
pdfLink:
plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=192098562&site=ehost-live
header:
  @attributes:
    shortDbName: ccm
    uiTerm: 192098562
    longDbName: CINAHL Complete
    uiTag: AN
  controlInfo:
    bkinfo:
    dissinfo:
    jinfo:
      jid:
        26737051
        N5G1
      jtl: Adolescents (2673-7051)
      issn: 26737051
      maglogo: N
    pubinfo:
      dt: Feb2026
      vid: 6
      iid: 1
      pid: 97109
      pub: MDPI
    artinfo:
      ui:
        192098562
        192098562
        192098562
        10.3390/adolescents6010012
        192098562
      ppf: 12
      ppct: 16
      formats:
      tig:
        atl: Psychosocial Variables Related to Problematic Internet Use Among Adolescents.
      aug:
        au:
          Fernández-García, Esther
          Buelga, Sofía
          Cava, María-Jesús
        affil: Department of Social Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Valencia, Avda. Blasco Ibáñez 21, 46010 Valencia, Spain
      sug:
        subj:
          Internet Addiction Evaluation
          Internet Addiction Psychosocial Factors
          Adaptation, Psychological
          Depression
          Stress, Psychological
          Loneliness
          Personal Satisfaction
          Self Regulation
          Human
          Female
          Male
          Adolescence
          Spain
          Cross Sectional Studies
          Survey Research
          Scales
          Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale
          Questionnaires
          Spanish Persons Psychosocial Factors
          Sex Factors
          Convenience Sample
          Schools, Secondary
          Pearson's Correlation Coefficient
          Bivariate Statistics
          Analysis of Variance
          Multiple Linear Regression
          Data Analysis Software
          Descriptive Statistics
          Adolescent: 13-18 years
          Female
          Male
      ab: Problematic Internet use is a major health issue among adolescents, underscoring the need for further research on the variables related to this dysfunctional usage pattern. This study examined the predictive capacity of four indicators of psychosocial adjustment (depressed mood, perceived stress, loneliness, and life satisfaction) for different dimensions of problematic Internet use (preference for online social interaction, Internet use for mood regulation, deficient self-regulation of Internet use, and negative consequences) in male and female adolescents. A sample of 628 adolescents, aged 12 to 18 years (M age = 14.11; SD = 1.52), participated. The results indicated that all dimensions of problematic Internet use were positively correlated with depressive mood, perceived stress, and loneliness, and negatively correlated with life satisfaction. However, notable differences emerged in how these psychosocial variables related to the four PIU dimensions. Loneliness and life satisfaction showed the strongest and most consistent associations. Loneliness predicted Internet use for mood regulation in both males and females and, additionally, predicted preference for online social interaction and negative consequences among males. Life satisfaction was a significant negative predictor of three PIU dimensions among females. Perceived stress stood out as the only predictor of deficient self-regulation in males and females. Finally, depressive mood predicted only the Internet-use-for-mood-regulation dimension among males. These findings may be useful for developing intervention programs aimed at reducing problematic Internet use among adolescents.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        research
        tables/charts
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
    refInfo:
    holdings:
      @attributes:
        islocal: N