Prediction of Problematic Internet Usage of University Students by Their Attachment Styles

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to predict university students’ problematic Internet use levels by their attachment styles. The participants of the study are the university students at a large university in Turkey. While the Problematic Internet Usage Scale is used to measure university students’ problematic Internet usage levels, the Relationship Scales Questionnaire is used to determine their attachment styles. The Problematic Internet Usage Scale has the following sub-dimensions: excessive usage, social benefit/social comfort and negative consequences of the Internet. The sub-dimensions of the Relationship Scales Questionnaire involve secure, fearful, preoccupied and dismissing. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and regression analysis were conducted to analyze the data obtained from the study. Also, correlation and stepwise regression analysis technique are used to investigate the relationship between the problematic Internet usage and the sub-dimensions of the attachment styles. The findings show that the participants have a medium-level of problematic Internet usage. The male university students are more inclined to exhibit problematic Internet usage behaviors than the female students. In addition, the preoccupied, secure and dismissing attachment styles are found to be the significant predictors of problematic Internet usage.