IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v16y2019i19p3537-d269520.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Internet Interpersonal Connection Mediates the Association between Personality and Internet Addiction

Author

Listed:
  • Yun-Hsuan Chang

    (Department of Psychology, College of Medical and Health Science, Asia University, Taichung 41354, Taiwan
    Department of Medical Research, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung 40447, Taiwan
    Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan)

  • Yun-Ting Lee

    (Department of Psychology, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan)

  • Shulan Hsieh

    (Department of Psychology, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan
    Institute of Allied Health Sciences; National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan
    Department and Institute of Public Health, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan)

Abstract

Backgrounds: The development of the Internet has changed interpersonal interactions, so that people no longer need to physically meet each other. However, some people are more vulnerable to becoming addicted to Internet activities, something to which the ease of Internet access and usage has contributed. In this study, we examined the association between personality traits and feelings about online interpersonal interactions to predict Internet addiction. This was accomplished using an online advertisement that asked participants to complete the questionnaires in the laboratory. Methods: Two hundred and twenty-three participants with a mean age of 22.50 years were recruited for this study and asked to complete the following questionnaires: the Beck Depressive Inventory (BDI), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), the Chen Internet Addiction Scale (CIAS), the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), the Internet Usage Questionnaire (IUQ) and the Feelings of Internet Interpersonal Interaction Questionnaire (FIIIQ). Results: The results showed that people with a neurotic personality and anxious feelings about Internet interpersonal interactions are more likely to become addicted to the Internet. In addition, people with neuroticism and who are more anxious about Internet interpersonal relationships are more likely to develop Internet addiction. Conclusions: People who tend to develop new interpersonal relationships via the Internet and be anxious about online interpersonal relationships are more vulnerable to becoming addicted to the Internet. The individuals who are more anxious about Internet interpersonal interaction and tend to develop new interpersonal relationships via the Internet are more likely to develop Internet addiction.

Suggested Citation

  • Yun-Hsuan Chang & Yun-Ting Lee & Shulan Hsieh, 2019. "Internet Interpersonal Connection Mediates the Association between Personality and Internet Addiction," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(19), pages 1-11, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:16:y:2019:i:19:p:3537-:d:269520
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/19/3537/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/19/3537/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Tony Durkee & Vladimir Carli & Birgitta Floderus & Camilla Wasserman & Marco Sarchiapone & Alan Apter & Judit A. Balazs & Julio Bobes & Romuald Brunner & Paul Corcoran & Doina Cosman & Christian Harin, 2016. "Pathological Internet Use and Risk-Behaviors among European Adolescents," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-17, March.
    2. Daria J. Kuss & Mark D. Griffiths, 2011. "Online Social Networking and Addiction—A Review of the Psychological Literature," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 8(9), pages 1-25, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Hsien-Yuan Lane & Chin-Jui Chang & Chieh-Liang Huang & Yun-Hsuan Chang, 2021. "An Investigation into Smartphone Addiction with Personality and Sleep Quality among University Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(14), pages 1-14, July.
    2. Jui-Kang Tsai & Wei-Hsin Lu & Ray C. Hsiao & Huei-Fan Hu & Cheng-Fang Yen, 2020. "Relationship between Difficulty in Emotion Regulation and Internet Addiction in College Students: A One-Year Prospective Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(13), pages 1-11, July.
    3. Katarzyna Tomaszek & Agnieszka Muchacka-Cymerman, 2019. "Sex Differences in the Relationship between Student School Burnout and Problematic Internet Use among Adolescents," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(21), pages 1-14, October.
    4. Phoenix K. H. Mo & Juliet Honglei Chen & Joseph T. F. Lau & Anise M. S. Wu, 2020. "Internet-Related Addictions: From Measurements to Interventions," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-4, April.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Majid Altuwairiqi & Nan Jiang & Raian Ali, 2019. "Problematic Attachment to Social Media: Five Behavioural Archetypes," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(12), pages 1-36, June.
    2. Fangmin Gong & Zhaowen Lei & Zhuliu Gong & Hewei Min & Pu Ge & Yi Guo & Wai-Kit Ming & Xinying Sun & Yibo Wu, 2022. "The Role of Family Health in Mediating the Association between Smartphone Use and Health Risk Behaviors among Chinese Adolescent Students: A National Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-16, October.
    3. Alexis M. McCarroll & Bree E. Holtz & Dar Meshi, 2021. "Searching for Social Media Addiction: A Content Analysis of Top Websites Found through Online Search Engines," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(19), pages 1-15, September.
    4. Lingling Gao & Yiqun Gan & Amanda Whittal & Sonia Lippke, 2020. "Problematic Internet Use and Perceived Quality of Life: Findings from a Cross-Sectional Study Investigating Work-Time and Leisure-Time Internet Use," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-15, June.
    5. Sergey Tereshchenko & Edward Kasparov & Nadezhda Semenova & Margarita Shubina & Nina Gorbacheva & Ivan Novitckii & Olga Moskalenko & Ludmila Lapteva, 2022. "Generalized and Specific Problematic Internet Use in Central Siberia Adolescents: A School-Based Study of Prevalence, Age–Sex Depending Content Structure, and Comorbidity with Psychosocial Problems," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(13), pages 1-19, June.
    6. Élodie Verseillié & Stéphanie Laconi & Henri Chabrol, 2020. "Pathological Traits Associated to Facebook and Twitter among French Users," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-9, March.
    7. Adam G. Cole & Rachel E. Laxer & Karen A. Patte & Scott T. Leatherdale, 2021. "Can We Reverse this Trend? Exploring Health and Risk Behaviours of Grade 12 Cohorts of Ontario Students from 2013–2019," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-14, March.
    8. Juyeong Lee & Woosung Kim, 2021. "Prediction of Problematic Smartphone Use: A Machine Learning Approach," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(12), pages 1-13, June.
    9. Kuan-Ying Hsieh & Ray C. Hsiao & Yi-Hsin Yang & Tai-Ling Liu & Cheng-Fang Yen, 2018. "Predictive Effects of Sex, Age, Depression, and Problematic Behaviors on the Incidence and Remission of Internet Addiction in College Students: A Prospective Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-10, December.
    10. Perera S.N.M.G. & Samaraweera G.R.S.R.C. ., 2020. "Determinants of Social Media Addiction of Employees in Services Sector in Sri Lanka," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 4(6), pages 338-345, June.
    11. Siti Rubiaehtul Hassim & Wan Nor Arifin & Yee Cheng Kueh & Nor Azwany Yaacob, 2020. "Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Malay Version of the Smartphone Addiction Scale among Medical Students in Malaysia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-10, May.
    12. Caterina Primi & Giulia Fioravanti & Silvia Casale & Maria Anna Donati, 2021. "Measuring Problematic Facebook Use among Adolescents and Young Adults with the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale: A Psychometric Analysis by Applying Item Response Theory," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-15, March.
    13. Melina A. Throuvala & Mark D. Griffiths & Mike Rennoldson & Daria J. Kuss, 2021. "Policy Recommendations for Preventing Problematic Internet Use in Schools: A Qualitative Study of Parental Perspectives," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-23, April.
    14. Dilek Åžahin, 2023. "Mediating Effect of Creativity on How Burnout Affects Social Media Use: An Examination on Physicians," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(4), pages 21582440231, December.
    15. Sonia Fernández-Aliseda & Angel Belzunegui-Eraso & Inma Pastor-Gosálbez & Francesc Valls-Fonayet, 2020. "Compulsive Internet and Prevalence Substance Use among Spanish Adolescents," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(23), pages 1-14, November.
    16. Elnur Rustamov & Tunzala Musayeva & Xalida Xalilova & Gultekin Ismayilova & Ulviyya Nahmatova, 2023. "Association between Self-Esteem and Smartphone Addiction: The Mediating Role of Self-Control," Technium Social Sciences Journal, Technium Science, vol. 46(1), pages 256-267, August.
    17. Sulasula, Josephine, 2023. "Effects of social media addiction on daily work performance of government employees," MPRA Paper 117995, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    18. Isaac Vaghefi & Bogdan Negoita & Liette Lapointe, 2023. "The Path to Hedonic Information System Use Addiction: A Process Model in the Context of Social Networking Sites," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 34(1), pages 85-110, March.
    19. Kun-Hua Lee & Chia-Yu Lin & Jing Tsao & Lien Fang Hsieh, 2020. "Cross-Sectional Study on Relationships Among FoMO, Social Influence, Positive Outcome Expectancy, Refusal Self-Efficacy and SNS Usage," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(16), pages 1-11, August.
    20. Karin Helmersson Bergmark & Anders Bergmark & Olle Findahl, 2011. "Extensive Internet Involvement—Addiction or Emerging Lifestyle?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 8(12), pages 1-14, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:16:y:2019:i:19:p:3537-:d:269520. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.