The Relationships between Gender, Life Satisfaction, Loneliness and Problematic Internet Use during COVID-19: Does the Lockdown Matter?

Jensen Deutrom, Vasilis Katos, Mohamed Basel Al-Mourad and Raian Ali
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Jensen Deutrom: Faculty of Science and Technology, Bournemouth University, Bournemouth BH12 5BB, UK
Vasilis Katos: Faculty of Science and Technology, Bournemouth University, Bournemouth BH12 5BB, UK
Mohamed Basel Al-Mourad: College of Technological Innovation, Zayed University, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Raian Ali: College of Science and Engineering, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Doha, Qatar

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 3, 1-14

Abstract: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many governments have attempted to reduce virus transmission by implementing lockdown procedures, leading to increased social isolation and a new reliance on technology and the internet for work and social communication. We examined people’s experiences working from home in the UK to identify risk factors of problematic internet use during the first lockdown period, specifically looking at life satisfaction, loneliness, and gender. A total of 299 adults completed the Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire-Short-Form-6, UCLA-3 Item Loneliness Scale, and Satisfaction with Life Scale online. Through structural equation modelling, we found that loneliness positively predicted problematic internet use while gender had no effect. Life satisfaction and age positively predicted loneliness but had no direct effect on problematic internet use, suggesting loneliness fully mediated their relationship with problematic internet use. Our study serves as a benchmark study of problematic internet use among those working from home during lockdown conditions, which may be utilized by future researchers exploring longitudinal patterns post-pandemic.

Keywords: problematic internet use; lockdown; working from home; life satisfaction; loneliness (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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