Prediction of Internet Addiction Based on Distress Tolerance with the Mediating Role of Coping Strategies

Mohammad   Mofrad; Zahra Mohaddes Hakkak

Authors

Mohammad Mofrad Master's Degree, Psychology Department, Faculty of Humanities and Literature, Khayyam University, Mashhad, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0009-0005-7356-1516
Zahra Mohaddes Hakkak PhD, Psychology Department, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7702-7370

Keywords:

Internet addiction, distress tolerance, coping strategies

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate the mediating role of coping strategies in the relationship between distress tolerance and internet addiction. The research method was descriptive-correlational. The statistical population included all students of Khayyam University during the 2022–2023 academic year, from whom 412 participants were selected through convenience sampling. Data were collected using the Young Internet Addiction Questionnaire, the Simmons and Gaher Distress Tolerance Scale, and the Endler and Parker Coping Strategies Questionnaire. Pearson correlation coefficient and path analysis were employed to test the research hypotheses and answer the research question. The results of the Pearson correlation analysis indicated a positive and significant relationship between distress tolerance and internet addiction. On the other hand, the findings demonstrated a negative and significant relationship between problem-focused coping strategies and internet addiction, while a positive and significant relationship was observed between emotion-focused coping strategies and internet addiction (p < .001). Finally, the results of the path analysis showed that the exogenous variable, namely distress tolerance, had an indirect effect on the endogenous variable, namely internet addiction, and that emotion-focused coping strategies played a mediating role in the relationship between distress tolerance and internet addiction. The findings of this study may serve as an effective guide for organizations and institutions that directly deal with internet addiction among their members, such as the Ministry of Education, higher education institutions, and related organizations.

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