Grit Perseverance, Not Passion, Moderates the Association Between Behavioral Inhibition/Approach System and Internet Addiction in Adolescents

Abstract

Background

Research on the links between the behavioral inhibition and approach systems (BIS/BAS), and internet addiction (IA) in adolescents has been inconclusive. BIS/BAS may interact with adolescent trait characteristics, resulting in different outcomes. Grit may alter adolescents’ motivations, which can even be based on biological systems such as BIS/BAS. However, the impact of BIS/BAS and potential moderating factors on adolescents’ internet use remains unclear. This study aimed to examine the association between BIS/BAS and IA in adolescents and explore the potential moderating roles of the two facts of grit, passion and perseverance, on the association between BIS/BAS and IA.

Methods

A total of 1,881 junior and senior high school students (M_age = 14.65, standard deviation _age = 1.81, ranging from 11 to 20 years) completed a self-reported measure of BIS/BAS, IA, and grit. Independent t-tests and chi-square tests were used to evaluate the differences between adolescents with IA and those with normal internet use. Pearson correlation and regression model analyses, including moderating model analysis, were used to qualify the associations between IA and BIS/BAS, as well as the potential moderating role of grit passion and perseverance.

Results

The results showed that 19.1% of the participants met the criteria for IA. Both BIS (β = 0.085, t = 3.650, p < 0.001) and BAS (β = 0.06, t = 2.552, p < 0.05) were positively associated with IA risk, and grit-perseverance moderated the association between BIS and IA (β = −0.230, bootstrap 95% confidence interval: −0.450 to −0.012) and BAS with IA (β = −0.187, bootstrap 95% confidence interval: −0.299 to −0.076).

Conclusion

These findings extend the current knowledge on the associations between BIS/BAS and IA. Moreover, the findings suggest that enhancing grit-perseverance may improve prevention and intervention of IA risk in adolescents who are sensitive to BIS and BAS.

Keywords:

• internet addiction
• reinforcement sensitivity
• grit
• perseverance
• passion

Abbreviations

IA, Internet Addiction; BIS, Behavioral Inhibition System; BAS, Behavioral Approach System.

Data Availability Statement

The data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding author.

Ethics Statement

The ethics of this study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of the Hunan University of Science and Technology. We confirm that the guidelines outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki were followed.

Acknowledgment

We thank all participants and administrative staffs and teachers in the study.

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in relation to this work.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the Research Foundation of Education Bureau of Hunan Province (21A0305). The funding sources had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, interpretation of the data, preparation and approval of the manuscript, and decision to submit the manuscript for publication.