Problematic internet use among youth: a way to cope with perceived stress

Abstract

In the present era, it is a much debated and hot topic of research that excessive internet usage is the need of hour, or is it problematic as it has its physical, psychological and social implications for individuals. The aim of this study was to assess level of problematic internet use among youth and its association with perceived stress and coping strategies. Data was collected from undergraduate students through convenient sampling from 4 government and semi government universities in Islamabad, Pakistan .Self reported questionnaires of internet addiction test (IAT20) (Young,1998; Amran et.al, 2016), perceived stress scale(PSS-14),(Cohen, 1983; Silvia et.al,2016)and brief COPE(Carver & Schiere,1986; Aksoz, Deatherage & Seib, 2014) were used. To analyze data, t-test, one way ANOVA and Pearson product moment correlation were used. Results revealed that male participants had higher mean scores in problematic internet use as compared to female participants. The prevalent mode and device of internet usage is WIFI and mobile phone. Problematic internet use is positively associated with perceived stress(r=0.15, p<0.01). Problematic internet use is positively associated with avoidant emotion coping(r=0.39, p<0.01). Also, perceived stress is positively associated with avoidant emotion coping(r=0.36, p<0.01). The results of this study suggest that problematic internet use might be a way to cope with perceived stress. However, considering the limited evidence and generalizability of these results, more robust studies are recommended to assess how problematic internet use is a way to cope with perceived stress.