Exploring individual differences in online addictions: the role of identity and attachment

Research examining the development of online addictions has grown greatly over the last decade with many studies suggesting both risk factors and protective factors. In an attempt to integrate the theories of attachment and identity formation, the present study investigated the extent to which identity styles and attachment orientations account for three types of online addiction (i.e., internet addiction, online gaming addiction, and social media addiction). The sample comprised 712 Italian students (381 males and 331 females) recruited from schools and universities who completed an offline self-report questionnaire. The findings showed that addictions to the internet, online gaming, and social media were interrelated and were predicted by common underlying risk and protective factors. Among identity styles, 'informational' and 'diffuse-avoidant' styles were risk factors, whereas 'normative' style was a protective factor. Among attachment dimensions, the 'secure' attachment orientation negatively predicted the three online addictions, and a different pattern of causal relationships were observed between the styles underlying 'anxious’ and 'avoidant' attachment orientations. Hierarchical multiple regressions demonstrated that identity styles explained between 21.2 and 30% of the variance in online addictions, whereas attachment styles incrementally explained between 9.2 and 14% of the variance in the scores on the three addiction scales. These findings highlight the important role played by identity formation in the development of online addictions

Maybe you should blame your parents: Parental attachment, gender, and problematic Internet use

Background and aims Prior research has generally established parental attachment as a predictor of problematic Internet use (PIU). However, findings across studies are inconsistent as to which factor(s) of attachment style (i.e., attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance) contributes to PIU. Another gap in the literature is that as most studies highlight the importance of maternal (over paternal) attachment security in inhibiting PIU, little research has examined the possibility of a gender difference, where maternal and paternal attachment securities may exert different influences on males and females. Methods An anonymous survey was completed by 243 undergraduate students in a public university in the U.S. Midwest. In addition to demographic information, the survey contained measurement scales to assess PIU and parental attachment (both maternal and paternal). Results Survey data show that (a) attachment anxiety, but not attachment avoidance, is significantly related to PIU and (b) gender significantly moderates this relationship, where paternal attachment anxiety leads to PIU in female students while maternal attachment anxiety contributes to PIU in male students. Conclusions This study deepens our understanding in the relationship between family upbringing, particularly parental attachment, and PIU. More specifically, attachment anxiety is found to be a significant predictor of PIU, but attachment avoidance is not. Also, contributing to the research literature is the finding of a significant gender effect in this relationship

The association between internet addiction and psychiatric co-morbidity: A meta-analysis

Background: This study evaluates the association between Internal Addiction (IA) and psychiatric co-morbidity in the literature.Methods: Meta-analyses were conducted on cross-sectional, case-control and cohort studies which examined the relationship between IA and psychiatric co-morbidity. Selected studies were extracted from major online databases. The inclusion criteria are as follows: 1) studies conducted on human subjects; 2) IA and psychiatric co-morbidity were assessed by standardised questionnaires; and 3) availability of adequate information to calculate the effect size. Random-effects models were used to calculate the aggregate prevalence and the pooled odds ratios (OR).Results: Eight studies comprising 1641 patients suffering from IA and 11210 controls were included. Our analyses demonstrated a significant and positive association between IA and alcohol abuse (OR = 3.05, 95% CI = 2.14-4.37, z = 6.12, P < 0.001), attention deficit and hyperactivity (OR = 2.85, 95% CI = 2.15-3.77, z = 7.27, P < 0.001), depression (OR = 2.77, 95% CI = 2.04-3.75, z = 6.55, P < 0.001) and anxiety (OR = 2.70, 95% CI = 1.46-4.97, z = 3.18, P = 0.001).Conclusions: IA is significantly associated with alcohol abuse, attention deficit and hyperactivity, depression and anxiety. © 2014 Ho et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

Prediction Of Problematic Internet Use By Attachment In University Students

Aim of this research is to examine the predictive power of attachment style on problematic internet use among university students. Participants of study consist of 481 university students (230 girls). Results indicate that there is a negative correlation between secure attachment style and social benefit/social comfort and there is a positive correlation between preoccupied attachment style and social benefit/social comfort which is a sub-dimension of problematic internet use. Considering predictive power of attachment on problematic internet use, results show that preoccupied, secure and dismissing attachment styles are significant predictors of social benefit/social comfort. Results and comments for the future studies on problematic internet use and attachment were discussed in general

Parental attachment security and problematic internet use in children:The mediating role of maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies

Problematic Internet Use (PIU) is a growing problem among children. Insecure attachment has been associated with PIU and emotion dysregulation. Furthermore, there is evidence suggesting that maladaptive Cognitive Emotion Regulation Strategies (CERS), such as Self-blame, Rumination, Catastrophizing and Other-blame, lead to PIU, nevertheless, the mediating role of CERS between attachment and PIU has not been explored. A sample of 641 children (M = 10.15; SD =.89) participated in the study. The findings showed that there were significant differences between problematic and non-problematic users in terms of secure attachment and emotion dysregulation. Results show a negative association between attachment security and PIU and a negative association between attachment and maladaptive CERS, whilst maladaptive CERS were positively related with PIU. Finally, maladaptive CERS, particularly Rumination, were found to mediate the relationship between attachment security and PIU. However, Catastrophizing and Other Blame partially mediated the relationship between maternal attachment, but not the relationship between Father attachment and PIU. Limitations and implications are discussed, motivating the promotion of prevention and intervention programs.</p

“Belonging without being”: Relationships between problematic gaming, internet use, and social group attachment in adolescence

ABSTRACT: Gaming and Internet use are positively associated with benefits for interpersonal relationships in adolescence, with these behaviors when excessive having been negatively linked with positive aspects of interpersonal connections, such as secure attachment. Using a representative sample of 7918 Portuguese adolescents, with ages ranging from 13 to 19 (Mage = 15.5, 53.3% females), and three self-report measures of problematic gaming, problematic Internet use, and social group attachment (secure, anxious, avoidant), this cross-sectional study aimed to examine the associations between problematic gaming, as well as problematic Internet use, and secure and insecure (anxious and avoidant) social group attachment styles, in the groups with and without these problems. In the groups without problematic gaming and without problematic Internet use, excessive gaming and involvement with the Internet were negatively associated with secure social group attachment and positively associated with anxious social group attachment; on the other hand, in the groups with severe levels of these problems, problematic gaming and Internet use were positively associated with secure social group attachment and negatively associated with anxious social group attachment. These results go against what had been initially hypothesized and suggest that in the case of adolescents with severe levels of these problems, they may serve as an effective compensatory mechanism for coping with the negative effects of insecure attachment styles, which in turn likely contributes to the maintenance of problematic gaming and Internet use.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Antecedents and consequences of problematic smartphone use: A systematic literature review of an emerging research area

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Addiction to social media and attachment styles: a systematic literature review

Web-based communication via social networking sites (SNSs) is growing fast among adolescents and adults and some research suggests that excessive SNS use can become an addiction among a small minority of individuals. There is a growing body of research that has examined the impact of attachment styles and its influence on internet addiction (more generally) and social media addiction (more specifically). Consequently, the present study systematically reviewed the evidence concerning internet/social media addiction and attachment style. A total of 32 papers published between 2000 and 2018 met the inclusion criteria following searches in the following databases: Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, ProQuest, and Google Scholar. Findings demonstrated a significant positive association between insecure attachment (anxious and avoidant) and a more intensive and dysfunctional use of the internet and social media. Findings demonstrate that those with insecure attachment appear to use the social media sites as a way of replacing and compensating affection that is missing from those around the individual (e.g., family and peers). The findings suggest that the gratification model provides a useful framework to understand the effects of parental attachment on social media addiction. Limitations and future research are also discussed

The effect of attachment styles on problematıc ınternet use ın hıgh school students

Bu araştırma, lise öğrencilerinde bağlanma stillerinin problemli internet kullanımı (PİK) üzerindeki etkisini incelemek amacıyla yapılmıştır. Araştırmanın çalışma grubunu, 2015-2016 eğitim öğretim döneminde Konya ilinin çeşitli ilçelerinde eğitim gören 200 Anadolu Lisesi (109 kız, 91 erkek) öğrencisi oluşturmaktadır. Katılımcılar rastgele tabakalı örneklem yöntemi ile seçilmiştir. Araştırmada veri toplama aracı olarak, Kişisel Bilgi Formu, Yakın İlişkiler Yaşantılar Envanteri (Sümer, 2006a), Problemli İnternet Kullanım Ölçeği Ergen Formu (Ceyhan ve Ceyhan, 2014) ve verileri çözümlemek için de SPSS 22 programı kullanılmıştır. Araştırmanın sonucu, lise öğrencilerinde bağlanma stillerinin PİK’nı etkilediğini göstermiştir. Elde edilen bulgular literatür ışığında tartışılmış ve bu araştırmanın farklı gelişim dönemleri üzerinde, farklı değişkenlerle tekrarlanması önerilmiştir.The purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of attachment styles on problematic internet usage (PIU) in high school students. The sample of the study involves 200 students (109 females, 91 males) that have been studied in Anatolian High Schools in different districts of Konya in 2015-2016 academic year. The sample is randomly selected through stratified sampling method. As a data collection tools, Personal Information Form, Experiences in Close Relationship Inventory (Brennan, Clark and Shaver, 1998) and Problematic Internet Usage Scale for Adolescents (Ceyhan and Ceyhan, 2014) were used and analyzed by the means of SPSS.22 Program. The results of the study showed that attachment styles affect the PIU among the high school students.http://tureng.com/tr/turkce-ingilizce/live separated from her husband The results have been discussed at the light of literature and it has been recommended that it is better to replicate this study with different variables and developmental phases in the future studies

Social policy for users of information technology : young people and internet addiction in Korea

The Internet has conferred many benefits, but it also has negative effects including addiction patterns termed “Internet addiction”. Many studies have been inclined to focus on discovering psychological symptoms. However, they have not usually considered young people’s relationships, which can themselves lead to Internet addiction. This study gathers the life experiences of young people with an ‘Internet addiction pattern’ in order to understand better their relationships and circumstances. South Korea was chosen as the main focus of this study. From the Foucauldian perspective, the relationships produce power in new ways, wherever they meet and whenever they talk, with knowledge through their abilities, topics or information. This knowledge may categorise peers according to status and ability to use the Internet. These factors activate a ‘power network’ in ‘their own world’. As a result, Internet addiction situation is interpreted as a loss of balance in using the Internet and the research findings demonstrate how this process is influenced by the development of a set of power relations between young people within ‘their own world’. The recommendations are included, mainly ways to participate in the young people’s concerns and to relate to their lives so as to understand the real situation and reduce the problems