Factors Affecting Problematic Internet Use: Rejectful Parental Attitudes During Childhood

Abstract

Studies examining the effects of perceived parental rejectful attitudes during childhood and emotional deprivation on problematic Internet use based on inter-factorial analysis are limited. The aim of this research is to examine the effects of the above-mentioned factors on problematic Internet use in people aged 18 years and over. This study used quantitative methods and convenience sampling. The sample consisted of 341 individuals aged 18 years and older. Data collection tools included a personal information form, perceived parental attitudes scale-child form, Young Internet addiction test short form, and Young schema scale short form-3. According to the results obtained in this study, there is a positive correlation between perceived rejectful parental attitudes in childhood, emotional deprivation, and problematic Internet use. Additionally, it was observed that perceived rejectful parental attitudes during childhood had a positive direct effect on problematic Internet use, and emotional deprivation played a positive and partial mediating role in this relationship. Finally, it has been observed that various sociodemographic and social skill factors have a preventive effect on emotional deprivation and problematic Internet use. Various recommendations were made regarding the results obtained at the end of this study.

Keywords:

• Parental attitudes
• problematic internet use
• behavioral problem
• emotional deprivation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Ethical approval

This study was approved by the Istanbul University Cerrahpasa Social Sciences and Humanities Research Ethics Committee. The ethics committee decision dated 07.03.2023, numbered 2023/137, declared that this research was ethically appropriate.

Data availability statement

Data and materials can be shared if asked.

Author credit statement

This article was prepared within the scope of a doctoral course. However, the supervisor of this doctoral course, who had a participant group of 341 individuals, only contributed 20 participants to this article; aside from this, he did not provide any support during the writing and revision processes of the article. For this reason, due to not meeting the Helsinki ethical criteria and the Research Ethics Criteria of the Turkish Higher Education Institution, this individual has not been included as an one of the authors in the article. Furthermore, the contributors and their contribution percentages during the writing and revision processes of the article are specified below. The design of the research was conducted by Ahmed Taha ARIFOGLU and Taner ARTAN, data collection process conducted by Ahmed Taha ARIFOGLU, The critical revision of the intellectual content of the article was completed by Taner ARTAN. The final version of the article to be published has been approved by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.

Notes on contributors

Ahmed Taha Arifoglu

Ahmed Taha Arifoglu worked as a Social Worker at the 1.7 years Turkey Green Crescent also Turkish Red Crescent Izmır Community Center. He is currently PhD Candidate at the Department of Social Work at Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa. His primary areas of interest include forced migration, child protection, social exclusion, and addiction.

Taner Artan

Assoc. Prof. Taner Artan worked as a social worker and assistant manager at Bahçelievler Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center; at after as a manager at Bahçelievler Seyh Zayed Orphanage; also assistant provincial directorate at Istanbul provincial directorate of family and social policies In 2015 he started to work as an Assistant Professor and co-head social work department in the Department of Social Work at Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa. His main focuses are local administration, elderliness and elder abuse and neglect, child protection.