Facing life problems through the Internet. The link between psychosocial malaise and problematic Internet use in an adolescent sample

Introduction: Scholars have highlighted the role of negative affect as key correlates of Problematic Internet Use (PIU). According to the assumption that Internet-related behaviours can be seen as mechanisms to cope with everyday life (Kardefelt-Winther, 2017), the present study aims to explore the relation between PIU and psychosocial malaise, expecting that adolescents with high levels of social anxiety, negative emotions, and loneliness are more likely to be associated to the problem group of internet users. Methods: Measures of PIU (GPIUS-2), social anxiety (IAS, negative affectivity (PANAS), and loneliness (ILS) were detected in a sample of 766 students attending yr. 9 - 11 (13-19 years old; 47% females) of public high schools in the territory of Lecce (Apulia –Italy). A sub-group of problematic internet users was identified (n=185) and a control group was selected (n=187). A logistic regression was applied in order to esteem the effect of psychosocial variables on the differentiation between problematic and control internet users. Results: Results of the present cross-sectional study show that a higher level of social anxiety, negative emotions, and loneliness increases the probability of belonging to the group of problematic internet users. Conclusions: The findings show that for a better understanding of PIU onset and maintenance among adolescents, it is important to take into account the life problems which may lead young people to overindulge in internet use.