How Does Problematic Internet Use Mediate The Relation Between Belongingness And Mental Well-Being?

Özet

The present study examined whether problematic internet use mediate the links between belongingness and mental well-being. This study recruited 373 (57.4% female and 42.6% male) university students and the data collected via Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale, General Belongingness Scale, and Young’s Internet Addiction Test-Short Form. The data were analyzed by structural equation modeling and bootstrapping. Results showed that belongingness significantly predicted mental well-being and this relation was mediated by problematic internet use. Consequently, results highlight the significance of identifying the mechanisms that mediate the path between belongingness and university students' mental well-being.