Problematic Internet Use is a cognitive-behavioral construct based on the diathesis-stress model. As research shows, more and more people who are adolescents or in the period of early adulthood encounter the problem of excessive use of the Internet [1]. The phenomenon itself, classified as a behavioral addiction, has a heterogeneous picture and structure [2]. In the presented study, based on the diathesis-stress model, the subject of protection factors such as perceived social support and self-esteem will be raised. These factors, acting as a buffer, are particularly important in the age range that has been tested [3]. The vulnerability window in which the examined persons are located increases the risk of Problematic Internet Usage, which is why among these people protective factors are examined. The aim of this study is to check the relationship between self-esteem and perceived social support with Problematic Internet Use. In addition, based on the available literature, the hypothesis that the perceived social support will remain in the negative relationship with the problematic use of the Internet will be checked.
As the results of statistical analyzes provided by Central Statistical Office using
with Internet and technologies, the number of Internet users in Poland is growing [
This is particularly important in the period of adolescence and early
adulthood, when changes in life may contribute to the development of non-adaptive
ways of coping with stress, meeting needs or seeking social support [
In addition, according to research, the most common reason for excessive use
of the Internet is the search for social support in and through this technology [
What may seem surprising, the aim of this study is to look at self-esteem and
perceived social support as protection factors, also known as buffer. Based on the
diathesis-stress model, it is assumed that just moderate or high self-esteem as well as
high scores in the scales of perceived social support can play a significant role in the
way of using the Internet [
As it results from the analysis of the literature on the subject, research has been
conducted combining broadly understood Internet addiction in the context of
self-evaluation. Nevertheless, it seems intentional to mention here the existence of a
multitude of contradictions treating the improper use of the Internet. Addiction to the
Internet has been created so far, Compulsive Use of the Internet, Problematic Using
the Internet, WWW-holism, networking, network dependence, Excessive Use of the
Internet and many more [
This controversies raise questions about purposefulness and usability of
duplicated criteria with addiction to gambling, and about legitimacy of creation new
taxonomies and classifications. It is worth noting, that the problem is not only purely
academic, but also requires assistance in the field of psychological and
psychotherapeutic services. For efficiency of such services it is insufficient to know
only the image and consequences of the phenomenon. It is fundamental and more
desirable to think about the causes and, more importantly, possible protection factors
in line with the latest trends in health psychology [
In relation to the problematic use of the Internet, the choice of this method of
defining the phenomenon was not accidental. It is based on the diathesis-stress
concept, taking into account all the elements needed for its occurrence, in addition,
the emphasis in this model is placed on the causality of certain behaviors. The
description and consequences of the phenomenon are considered only after the
identification of the fraud. This model is particularly important because, based on the
assumptions of the cognitive-behavioral trend, it has been tested in many studies [
The last important component of this research is perceived social support. In
the available analyzes, it is talked about increasing individualization of society [
In the presented study, the main issue is Problematic Using the Internet. It is a
construct based on the Davis Pathological Internet Use model. It was created as a
result of the widening debate on behavioral addictions in the context of new
technologies. Based on the diathesis-stress model, it assumes not only the description
of the phenomenon, but more importantly the identification of causes [
Social support refers to the support networks you have. In the results of the
development process and socialization, a person learns to build the above networks
and then function in them. As the research shows, the support network is particularly
important in a stressful or difficult situation [
Self-esteem is a construct referring to the relation to self. It is worth noting that it is
related to emotional stability derived from personality traits [
The above-mentioned theoretical analysis resulted in some research questions. Does self-esteem remain in relation to the problematic use of the Internet, and if so, what is the nature of this relationship? Does the perceived social support remain in relation to the problematic use of the Internet? And if so, what is the nature of this relationship? Basing on above questions and diathesis-stress model, the following research hypotheses are postulated: H1. High and moderate self-esteem remains in a negative relationship with the problematic use of the Internet.
H2. The high level of perceived social support remains in a negative relation with the Problematic Use of the Internet.
H3. The greater the intensity of both explanatory variables, the lower the level of the explained variable. 5
The statistical analysis procedure covers all basic measures. The description of
variables was made with the help of values appropriate for the level of the interval
scale. Thus, the measure of the central tendency was arithmetic mean, measure of
dispersion (dispersion) - standard deviation, and the distribution symmetry was
skewness and kurtosis. The next step is to choose appropriate correlation methods as
well as comparative methods. In addition, modeling of structural equations based on
the theoretical model of the study was applied [
543 people took part in the study. 391 women and 152 men. 36 people were in the 15-17 age group, 240 in the 18-20 age group, 209 in the 21-23 age group, and 58 in the 24-26 age group. 96 people lived in the village, 30 in a small town, 164 in the middle and 253 in a big city. 341 people used two devices, 108 from one, and 94 from over three, on which they could surf the Internet. Normal distribution was not obtained in the variables studied, therefore for non-parametric analysis non-parametric statistics were used.
The obtained results showed that self-esteem correlates positively with Problematic Internet Use, rHO = 0.35 (p <0.05). Persons between the ages of 15-17 have obtained the highest level of correlation, rHO = 0.49 (p <0.05). For people aged 18-20, it was rHO = 0.30 (p <0.05), aged 21-23 rHO = 0.39 (p <0.05), and for people aged 24-26 rHO 0.32 (p <0.05). Women obtained rHO result = 0.33 (p <0.05), lower in relation to men, rHO = 0.39 (p <0.05). In connection with the obtained results, the first hypothesis was not confirmed and the results were obtained, demonstrating the reverse dependence. As the suggested cause of such phenomena, the willingness of a good fall out in the tests by the participants can be considered, which resulted in high results on the scale of self-esteem.
From the obtained results, all subscales and the general scale of insuperable social support correlated statistically significantly. The general scale obtained a negative correlation in relation to the Problematic Internet Use, amounting to rHO = -0.29 (p <0.05). The highest negative correlation was obtained by people from the 21-23 age range, rHO = -0.40 (p <0.05). Women obtained statistically higher negative correlations, rHO = -0.33 (p <0.05), than men, rHO = -0.22. Material, attribution and valuation subscales have obtained negative correlations with Problematic Internet Use. The highest score was obtained by the material subscale, rHO = -0.35 (p <0.05), then the membership scale, rHO = -0.25 (P <0.05), at the end of the valuation scale, rHO = -0.10 ( p <0.05). The self-assessment of self-esteem obtained a positive correlation result of rHO = 0.13 (p <0.05). People from the 21-23 age group obtained the highest scores for all subscales. For the material scale, rHO = -0.43 (p <0.05), rHO affiliation = -0.30 (p <0.05) and for the rHP rating scale = -0.21 (p <0.05). There were no statistically significant differences between men and women. The obtained results confirm the second hypothesis. The third hypothesis was partially confirmed, due to the fact that both self-assessment and the self-assessment subscale in social support obtained positive correlations with Problematic Internet Use.
In addition, the method of modeling structural equations gave satisfactory results in terms of matching the theoretical model to the data. In brackets are given values, within which must be obtained compass, so that you can infer about a good fit of the model. The CMIN / DF factor was 3.07 (<5), GFI = 0.993 (> 0.90), CFI = 0.991 (> 0.90), RMSEA = 0.062 (<0.08). 6
Holistic models of understanding disorders are extremely valuable in research and in practice. Due to the holistic view of the problem of disorder, it is possible not only to effectively help those who have developed the disorder, but also to plan preventive activities. In the case of Problematic use of the Internet, being much more focused on effects, than on causes leads to narrowing the way of understanding this phenomenon. The objectives of this study have been partially confirmed. Selected indicators of perceived social support negatively correlate with Problematic Internet Use. In addition, self-evaluation turned out to be positively correlated with the Problematic Use of the Internet. The results of the study indicate the special importance of social support in Problematic Internet Use, which is consistent with the results of other studies addressing behavioral addictions and support.