An Empirical Study of Problematic Internet Use and Self-Esteem

Laura Widyanto and Mark Griffiths
Additional contact information
Laura Widyanto: Nottingham Trent University, UK
Mark Griffiths: Nottingham Trent University, UK

International Journal of Cyber Behavior, Psychology and Learning (IJCBPL), 2011, vol. 1, issue 1, 13-24

Abstract: Previous research has alluded to the existence of a relationship between self-esteem and problematic Internet use. The main aim of the study was to examine the relationship between problematic Internet use and a number of distinct demographic, behavioural, and psychosocial variables. Using an online survey, a self-selected sample comprising 1,467 Internet users participated in the study. The survey comprised 50 questions including validated scales for both self-esteem (Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale) and problematic Internet use (Internet Related Problem Scale; IPRS) in addition to demographic information. Based on previous literature, it was hypothesized that problematic Internet users were more likely than non-problematic Internet users to post low self-esteem scores. Results showed that self-esteem was strongly and negatively associated with IRPS. Also, for those with high IRPS scores, participation in online forums was the primary online activity followed by online gaming and chatting. Although the study comprised a self-selecting sample and utilized self-report, the results appear to provide robust evidence of an association between self-esteem and problematic Internet use mirroring prior research in the area.

Date: 2011
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://services.igi-global.com/resolvedoi/resolve ... 18/ijcbpl.2011010102 (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:igg:jcbpl0:v:1:y:2011:i:1:p:13-24

Access Statistics for this article

International Journal of Cyber Behavior, Psychology and Learning (IJCBPL) is currently edited by Nadia Mansour Bouzaida

More articles in International Journal of Cyber Behavior, Psychology and Learning (IJCBPL) from IGI Global
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Journal Editor ().