The mediating role of personal values in the relationship between neuroticism and problematic internet use in students

The aim of the present study was to investigate the mediating role of personal values ​​in the relationship between neuroticism and problematic internet use (PIU) in the student population. The statistical population of this study included all university students of Tehran city. 358 undergraduate students of Tehran, Kharazmi and Shahid Beheshti universities were selected by convenience sampling method. Participants responded to the Internet Abusive Use questionnaire, the Valued Living Questionnaire, and the Neuroticism-NEO-Five Factor Inventory. Data were analyzed by structural equation modeling as implemented in SPSS-20 and LISREL-8.53 software. The results of structural equation modeling showed that the conceptual model of the research fitted well with the experimental data and the personal values played a full mediating role in the relationship between neuroticism and PIU. The results of path analysis also showed that neuroticism has the most indirect effect on PIU through family relations value, intimate relation value, spirituality-religion value, physical well-being value, social relations value and learning. It can be concluded from the results of the study that personal values ​​play as a full mediating role in the relationship between neuroticism and PIU and in the presence of personal values, ​​direct path neuroticism and PIU was no longer meaningful.