Abstract
Background: This study estimated the prevalence of generalized problematic Internet use (PIU) in a sample of college-aged young adults resident in the United Arab Emirates. It also assessed associations between PIU, Internet use, and two psychological outcomes, depression and explicit self-esteem. Methodology: The study was cross-sectional. A sample of 706 participants (M = 20.71, SD = 2.13) completed measures of generalized PIU, depression, explicit self-esteem, and a range of demographic variables. Results: PIU was common in this sample, so too was depression, and low self-esteem. PIU did not differ as a result of age, sex, level of education, or marital status. PIU and its factors were consistently predicted by elevated depressive symptoms, increasing duration of daily online time, and diminished ratings of self-esteem. Conclusion: This study serves as the very first estimation of generalized PIU in a sample of young adults resident in this region of the world.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 93-100 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Neurology Psychiatry and Brain Research |
| Volume | 33 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Sept 2019 |
Keywords
- Depression
- Internet addiction
- Middle East
- Problematic Internet use
- Psychopathology
- Self-esteem
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Neuroscience(all)
- Clinical Neurology
- Psychiatry and Mental health
