Problematic Internet Use among University Students and Its Relationship with Social Skills
Internet use has been steadily and unstoppably gaining ground in all areas of life, from recreational activities to the establishment of social relations. However, addictive use of the Internet is a problem that seriously affects some people. Factors that may influence the occurrence of inappropriat...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2021-09-01
|
| Series: | Brain Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/11/10/1301 |
| _version_ | 1797515120791781376 |
|---|---|
| author | Miriam Romero-López Carmen Pichardo Isabel De Hoces Trinidad García-Berbén |
| author_facet | Miriam Romero-López Carmen Pichardo Isabel De Hoces Trinidad García-Berbén |
| author_sort | Miriam Romero-López |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Internet use has been steadily and unstoppably gaining ground in all areas of life, from recreational activities to the establishment of social relations. However, addictive use of the Internet is a problem that seriously affects some people. Factors that may influence the occurrence of inappropriate internet use include age and social skills. For this reason, the aim of this study is to analyze the influence of social skills and age on the development of problematic internet use in university students. The study involved 514 students enrolled at a university in Spain, who filled in two questionnaires, one on problematic internet use and the other on social skills. Multivariate multiple linear regression models revealed that some social skills variables (conversation and social ease, empathic and positive feeling skills, risk coping) predicted problematic internet use. In addition, age played a role in preference for online social interaction and deficient self-regulation. Younger students were more at risk of having obsessive thoughts related to internet use and of engaging in compulsive internet use compared to older students. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T06:41:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-13c7d612331a4dc78ba3022160cf5bfe |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3425 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T06:41:06Z |
| publishDate | 2021-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Brain Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-13c7d612331a4dc78ba3022160cf5bfe2023-11-22T17:37:03ZengMDPI AGBrain Sciences2076-34252021-09-011110130110.3390/brainsci11101301Problematic Internet Use among University Students and Its Relationship with Social SkillsMiriam Romero-López0Carmen Pichardo1Isabel De Hoces2Trinidad García-Berbén3Department of Evolutive and Educational Psychology, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, SpainDepartment of Evolutive and Educational Psychology, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, SpainDepartment of Evolutive and Educational Psychology, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, SpainDepartment of Evolutive and Educational Psychology, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, SpainInternet use has been steadily and unstoppably gaining ground in all areas of life, from recreational activities to the establishment of social relations. However, addictive use of the Internet is a problem that seriously affects some people. Factors that may influence the occurrence of inappropriate internet use include age and social skills. For this reason, the aim of this study is to analyze the influence of social skills and age on the development of problematic internet use in university students. The study involved 514 students enrolled at a university in Spain, who filled in two questionnaires, one on problematic internet use and the other on social skills. Multivariate multiple linear regression models revealed that some social skills variables (conversation and social ease, empathic and positive feeling skills, risk coping) predicted problematic internet use. In addition, age played a role in preference for online social interaction and deficient self-regulation. Younger students were more at risk of having obsessive thoughts related to internet use and of engaging in compulsive internet use compared to older students.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/11/10/1301internet addictionagesocial skillsempathyincidence |
| spellingShingle | Miriam Romero-López Carmen Pichardo Isabel De Hoces Trinidad García-Berbén Problematic Internet Use among University Students and Its Relationship with Social Skills Brain Sciences internet addiction age social skills empathy incidence |
| title | Problematic Internet Use among University Students and Its Relationship with Social Skills |
| title_full | Problematic Internet Use among University Students and Its Relationship with Social Skills |
| title_fullStr | Problematic Internet Use among University Students and Its Relationship with Social Skills |
| title_full_unstemmed | Problematic Internet Use among University Students and Its Relationship with Social Skills |
| title_short | Problematic Internet Use among University Students and Its Relationship with Social Skills |
| title_sort | problematic internet use among university students and its relationship with social skills |
| topic | internet addiction age social skills empathy incidence |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/11/10/1301 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT miriamromerolopez problematicinternetuseamonguniversitystudentsanditsrelationshipwithsocialskills AT carmenpichardo problematicinternetuseamonguniversitystudentsanditsrelationshipwithsocialskills AT isabeldehoces problematicinternetuseamonguniversitystudentsanditsrelationshipwithsocialskills AT trinidadgarciaberben problematicinternetuseamonguniversitystudentsanditsrelationshipwithsocialskills |