Modeling Internet Addiction Based on Family Functioning and Perceived Social Support with the Mediating Role of Loneliness among Female Middle School Students
Keywords:
Internet addiction, family functioning, perceived social support, lonelinessAbstract
Objective: This study aimed to model Internet addiction based on family functioning and perceived social support, considering the mediating role of loneliness among female middle school students.
Methodology: This applied, descriptive–correlational study used structural equation modeling. The population consisted of female middle school students in Tehran during the 2023–2024 academic year, from whom 354 participants were selected via multistage cluster sampling. Data were collected using Young’s Internet Addiction Test, the McMaster Family Assessment Device, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the UCLA Loneliness Scale, and analyzed with SPSS-27 and LISREL-8.8.
Findings: Results indicated significant negative direct effects of family functioning and perceived social support on Internet addiction, while loneliness showed a significant positive direct effect. Indirect path analysis confirmed that loneliness significantly mediated the relationships between family functioning and perceived social support with Internet addiction, and overall model fit indices were acceptable.
Conclusion: Enhancing family functioning and perceived social support can reduce Internet addiction indirectly by alleviating loneliness, highlighting the importance of family-based and psychosocial preventive interventions for adolescent girls.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Fereshteh Hajhassan (Author); Rahim Davari; Hossein Ebrahimimoghaddam (Author)
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