Predictive Model of Problematic Internet Use: Role of Insecure Attachment mediated by Emotion Regulation Strategies and Psychological Distress

The Internet has far-reaching effects on various aspects of human life and the extreme use of the Internet is associated with numerous personal and social harms. The present study investigates the mediating role of emotion regulation strategies and psychological distress in the relationship between insecure attachment and problematic internet use. The present study was descriptive-correlational and structural equation modeling. The statistical population of the present study was all students studying in the undergraduate and graduate courses of the Islamic Azad University, Research Sciences, Center and Karaj Branch in the academic year 2019-2020. By cluster sampling method, 397 people were selected as the sample group. Data collection tools included Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire, Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, scale for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale and Adult Attachment Scale. Data analysis was performed by Pearson correlation coefficient and path analysis using LISREL software. The results showed that psychological distress (0.50), maladaptive strategies (0.23), adaptive strategies (-0.21), avoidant attachment (0.11), and ambivalent attachment (0.10) have the highest to the lowest correlation coefficient with harmful use of the Internet (P <0.05). Strategies for regulating emotional distress and distress also mediated the relationship between insecure attachment style and problematic internet use. Accordingly, in the field of designing the necessary measures to reduce the problematic internet use, programs can be developed to improve insecure attachment styles, emotion regulation strategies and psychological distress.