The Role of Religious Attitude, Social Support and Negative Emotions in Predicting Internet Addiction in High school Students

Abstract

The Internet is under control due to its merits, ease of accessibility and necessity in today's life and various factors affecting its desirable and destructive effectiveness. In this study, considering the consequences of cyberspace addiction, the role of religious attitude, social support and mood states in predicting Internet addiction in high school students was discussed. This research was descriptive correlational and applied studies based on the purpose. The statistical population consisted of male and female adolescents, in the second high school of district 5 of Tehran in the academic year of 1402-1401. The sample size was estimated by using Krejcie and Morgan table, 217 people who were selected by cluster random sampling. The data collection tools included the Young's Internet Addiction Questionnaire (1998), Serajzadeh's Religious Attitudes Questionnaire (1998), Zimat, Dahlem & Farley Social Support (1998), and Loviband and Loviband Mood scale(1995). Data were analyzed in descriptive and inferential sections using independent t-test, Pearson correlation and multiple regression. The results of regression analysis showed that variables of religious attitude, social support, depression, anxiety and stress were able to predict internet addiction in students and dimensions of social support and religious attitude, especially the outcome dimension of religious attitude, showed a greater role in predicting Internet addiction in second grade high school students. Also, there was no significant difference between religious attitude and depression in girls and boys, but the effect of social support in boys and anxiety and stress in girls was significantly more.

Keywords

• stress
• anxiety
• internet addiction
• depression
• social support
• religious attitude