Lachmann, Bernd; Sariyska, Rayna; Kannen, Christopher; Cooper, Andrew and Montag, Christian. 2016. Life satisfaction and problematic Internet use: Evidence for gender specific effects. Psychiatry Research, 238, pp. 363-367. ISSN 0165-1781 [Article]

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Abstract or Description

The present study investigates, using a large sample (N = 4852 participants; 51.71% males), how problematic Internet use (PIU) relates to general life satisfaction and distinct facets of everyday life such as employment, leisure, and health. Data on Internet usage was gathered using a short form of the Young Internet addiction test. Life satisfaction was measured with standardized items taken from the socioeconomic panel (Germany). Highly significant associations were observed between PIU and the facets of life satisfaction, health and leisure. Of note, the associations between the facets of life satisfaction and PIU were significantly higher for females compared to males, although the reported total level of PIU was significantly lower for females. This suggests the presence of different thresholds for males and females with respect to negative effects on well-being due to PIU. The current study underlines the importance of including gender as a critical variable when investigating the association between life satisfaction and PIU.

Item Type:	Article
Identification Number (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2016.02.017
Keywords:	Moderator; PIU; Internet addiction; gender; well-being
Departments, Centres and Research Units:	Psychology
Dates:	Date Event 13 February 2016 Published Online 30 April 2016 Published
Item ID:	16948
Date Deposited:	01 Mar 2016 15:51
Last Modified:	16 Mar 2018 15:56
Peer Reviewed:	Yes, this version has been peer-reviewed.
URI:	https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/16948

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