Exploring Factors Influencing Internet Addiction Among Polish Adolescents

Background: The surge in Internet Addiction (IA) has become a pressing concern for mental health professionals and researchers. Recent data reveals a growing prevalence, with research indicating that risk factors, particularly heightened depression and anxiety, exert a more substantial influence on IA compared to protective factors like self-esteem and social support. Despite this, our understanding of both risk and protective elements for IA remains insufficient. This study endeavors to evaluate the risk and protective factors associated with internet addiction in adolescents from Poland.

Methods: A cohort of 825 adolescents (427 girls; mean age = 15.31 years, SD = 1.26 years) participated in this study, providing comprehensive sociodemographic and psychological data. Variables including anxiety and depression symptoms, perceived stress, experiential avoidance, self-compassion, mindfulness, social support, and basic psychological needs satisfaction were scrutinized as potential predictors of probable internet addiction using hierarchical regression analysis.

Results: Mindfulness and depression levels emerged as pivotal predictors of IA, explaining 14.8% of the variance. Depression was identified as a key risk factor (OR=1.23), while mindfulness played a crucial protective role (OR=0.92). These findings underscore the significance of depression as a risk factor for IA, aligning with existing literature, and bring attention to the often-overlooked role of mindfulness in this context.

Conclusions: The study advocates for further exploration of mindfulness concerning internet addictions, with the anticipation that it may significantly contribute to preventing and treating Internet addiction in adolescents.