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Exploring the Relationship between Problematic Internet Use and Well-Being among Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Resilience, Self-control, Negative Mood, and Loneliness

Dorit Olenik-Shemesh

The increase in the massive use of the internet use in recent years, especially among youth, has led to an increase in the phenomenon called Problematic Internet Use (PIU). Problematic internet use is defined as an excessive and disproportionate use of the internet, which may result in psychological, social, academic, and professional difficulties in one's life. PIU relates to an individual’s inability to control internet use, which in turn leads to feelings of distress, anguish, and difficulties in daily activities. The problematic usage of the internet among adolescents has become an emerging mental health issue, and little is known about the nexus of relationships between problematic usage of the internet and the sense of well-being among youth. Thus, the current study aimed at examining the mediating role of four social-emotional variables in these relationships: resilience, self-control, negative mood, and loneliness. Data of 433 adolescents high school students (aged between 12 to 17, 219 [50.6%] boys and 214 [49.4%] girls) were analyzed using a Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The analysis have revealed the following significant results: Among adolescents, low levels of resilience and high levels of negative mood (together), as well as low levels of self-control and high levels of negative mood (together) and low levels of resilience and high levels of loneliness, mediate these relationships. The findings indicate that high levels of PIU predict low levels of well-being. Girls were found to be higher in PIU, have more computer skills, and have more resilience than boys. The study results expose specific implications for intervention programs for adolescents in the context of PIU.