Does Life Satisfaction Mediate the Association between Socioeconomic Status and Excessive Internet Use?

Laura Bitto Urbanova, Jana Holubcikova, Andrea Madarasova Geckova, Sijmen A. Reijneveld and Jitse P. van Dijk
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Laura Bitto Urbanova: Department of Health Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, PJ Safarik University, Trieda SNP 1, 040 11 Kosice, Slovakia
Jana Holubcikova: Department of Health Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, PJ Safarik University, Trieda SNP 1, 040 11 Kosice, Slovakia
Andrea Madarasova Geckova: Department of Health Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, PJ Safarik University, Trieda SNP 1, 040 11 Kosice, Slovakia
Sijmen A. Reijneveld: Graduate School Kosice Institute for Society and Health, PJ Safarik University, Trieda SNP 1, 040 11 Kosice, Slovakia
Jitse P. van Dijk: Graduate School Kosice Institute for Society and Health, PJ Safarik University, Trieda SNP 1, 040 11 Kosice, Slovakia

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 20, 1-10

Abstract: Excessive Internet use is becoming a rapidly increasing problem in today’s society. Our aim was to assess the association between socioeconomic status (SES) of the family and excessive Internet use (EIU), and whether life satisfaction mediates this association. We analyzed data from a representative sample of 2844 Slovak adolescents (mean age 14.34, 50.5% boys) from the 2014 Health Behavior in School aged Children (HBSC) study, based on self-report questionnaires. We assessed the association of SES, measured by several indicators, such as perceived family wealth, parental education, and (un)employment, and adolescent EIU using linear regression, adding life satisfaction as a mediator. Adolescents whose father was unemployed and whose perceived family wealth was low tended to score higher on EIU. Neither gender nor age affected this relationship. Life satisfaction mediated a part of the association between SES and EIU in the case of low perceived family wealth and father’s (un)employment. Adolescents with a low SES are more likely to become excessive Internet users, and life satisfaction mediates this association. Prevention of EIU among adolescents should be targeted at those with low SES, with life satisfaction being the topic to address.

Keywords: socioeconomic status; life satisfaction; excessive Internet use; adolescents (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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