The effects of Attachment, Temperament and Self-Esteem on Technology Addiction: a Mediation Model among Young Adults

Excessive use of technology has become a worldwide problem due to its high prevalence, fast growth rate, and undesirable consequences. However, little is known about underlying psychological mechanisms that maintain excessive use of technology. We investigated the mediating role of self-esteem, novelty seeking and persistence on the relationship between attachment dimensions and technology addiction among young adults.

Data were collected from 727 young adults (females, N = 478; 66.3%), aged 23.44 ± 3.02 years. Participants completed self-report measures of secure and insecure attachment dimensions, personality, and temperament characteristics (i.e., self-esteem, novelty seeking and persistence), technology addiction and frequency of technology use use (i.e., own technology use, perceived use by peers and parents). The hypothesized mediation model was tested through a path analysis with both observed and latent (i.e., frequency of technology use and technology addiction) variables.

The effects of attachment insecurity on technology addiction were partially mediated by the levels of persistence and self-esteem, whereas the effects of attachment security on technology addiction were fully mediated. The effects remained robust even after controlling for the frequency of technology use. The model was gender and age invariant, suggesting that the mediation worked in a similar way for both men and women and across ages.

Findings suggest that attachment dimensions exert not only a direct but also an indirect effect on technology addiction through self-esteem and persistence. Such findings may help to develop psychosocial interventions that are sensitive to young adults’ attachment insecurity, personality, and temperament characteristics.