The Role of Negative Affects and Attachment Styles in Predicting Internet Addiction

The aim of study was predicting of both negative affects (directly and indirectly) and attachment styles (directly) in internet addiction.
For conducting this descriptive- corrolational research, 320 students were selected by convenience sampling method. “Lovibond & Lovibond Anxiety, Depression and Stress, DASS (1995)”, “Collins and Read Attachment Styles (1990)” and “Young Internet Addiction (1998)” questionnaires were applied to collect data and these data were analyzed thorough structural equation modeling.
Finding: Findings demonstrated that the proposed model had adequate goodness-of-fit index.
According to obtained findings, negative affects variable is related to internet addiction directly and indirectly, by mediation of attachment styles. As a result, individuals with insecure attachment styles experience negative affects more than others and overcome their own negative affects and communicational problems caused by insecure attachment through the negative and excessive use of internet as an incompatible solution for self- regulation.