This doctoral thesis investigates the relationships between Internet Addiction (IA) related disorders and various psychological and behavioral variables, such as Fear of Missing Out (FoMO), emotional dysregulation and personality traits, across different samples and cultural contexts. Previous research has predominantly focused on the general population, often overlooking cultural and gender differences in the development of IA. This thesis aims to fill these gaps by providing a comprehensive analysis across diverse demographics. This thesis is organized into multiple sections. The first section is theoretical, aiming to frame the phenomenon of IA and related disorders by illustrating the current state of research and its evolution. The second section describes the methodology, materials used, data collection procedures, and tools, providing a detailed discussion of each study that comprises the compendium. Specifically: The first study explored the associations between IA, FoMO, Social Media Addiction (SMA), emotional dysregulation, and personality traits in an Italian sample of 397 participants aged 18–35. Significant correlations were found between IA and the examined variables, with emotional dysregulation playing a crucial role in mediating the effects of FoMO and problematic social media use on IA. The second study aimed to replicate and strengthen these findings in a Spanish sample of 598 university students aged 18–35. Correlation analyses confirmed positive relationships between IA, FoMO, SMA, emotional dysregulation, and the neuroticism dimension of personality, while a negative relationship was observed with the conscientiousness dimension. A mediation model further highlighted the significant total effect of emotional dysregulation on IA, mediated by FoMO and SMA. The third study examined gender differences in the relationships between IA and related variables in an Italian sample of 276 participants aged 18–30. The results indicated that while SMA was a primary predictor of IA for both genders, there were exclusive predictors for each gender, suggesting that the underlying factors for IA vary significantly between men and women. The fourth study similarly investigated gender differences in a Spanish sample of 276 participants aged 18–30. Consistent with the findings from the Italian sample, SMA emerged as a common predictor of IA for both genders. However, unique predictors for each gender were also identified, underscoring the necessity to consider gender-specific factors in understanding IA. The fifth study expanded the investigation to four countries (Italy, Spain, Ecuador, and Peru) with a total sample of 675 participants aged 18–54. Significant cultural variations were found: Italian participants exhibited higher levels of IA and FoMO, but lower levels of Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) compared to Peruvian participants. Regression analyses identified distinct predictors for problematic internet use in each country, emphasizing the importance of cultural context in understanding IA. The third section presents and discusses the results of each study, highlighting significant correlations and mediation models. Finally, the last section offers a general conclusion discussing the practical implications of these results for the prevention and tailored treatment. In conclusion, these studies provide an integrated model for understanding the characteristics, predictors, and risk factors of IA. The findings highlight the importance of psychological variables and cultural and gender differences, offering practical implications for the prevention and tailored treatment of this pathological behavior.
Questa tesi di dottorato esamina le relazioni tra i disturbi legati alla Internet Addiction (IA) e diverse variabili psicologiche e comportamentali, come la Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) o paura di essere esclusi e/o di perdere esperienze potenzialmente gratificanti, la disregolazione emotiva e i tratti della personalità, in vari campioni e contesti culturali. Le ricerche precedenti si sono concentrate principalmente sulla popolazione generale, spesso trascurando le differenze culturali e di genere nello sviluppo della dipendenza da Internet. Questa tesi mira a colmare tali lacune, fornendo un'analisi approfondita attraverso diverse demografie. Questa tesi è strutturata in diverse sezioni. La prima parte è teorica e mira a inquadrare il fenomeno della IA e i disturbi correlati, illustrando lo stato dell’arte della ricerca e la sua evoluzione. La seconda parte descrive la metodologia impiegata, i materiali utilizzati, le procedure di raccolta dati e gli strumenti, con una trattazione dettagliata di ciascun studio che compone il compendio. Nello specifico: Il primo studio ha esplorato le associazioni tra IA, FoMO, Social Media Addiction (SMA), disregolazione emotiva e tratti della personalità in un campione italiano di 397 partecipanti, di età compresa tra i 18 e i 35 anni. Sono state riscontrate correlazioni significative tra IA e le variabili esaminate, con la disregolazione emotiva che ha giocato un ruolo cruciale nel mediare gli effetti di FoMO e dell'uso problematico dei social media su IA. Il secondo studio ha replicato e approfondito questi risultati in un campione spagnolo di 598 studenti universitari, di età compresa tra i 18 e i 35 anni. Le analisi delle correlazioni hanno confermato relazioni positive tra IA, FoMO, SMA, disregolazione emotiva e la dimensione della personalità del nevroticismo, mentre è stata osservata una relazione negativa con la dimensione della coscienziosità. Un modello di mediazione ha ulteriormente evidenziato l'effetto significativo della disregolazione emotiva su IA, mediato da FoMO e SMA. Il terzo studio ha esaminato le differenze di genere nelle relazioni tra IA e le variabili correlate in un campione italiano di 276 partecipanti, di età compresa tra i 18 e i 30 anni. I risultati hanno indicato che, mentre la SMA era un predittore principale della IA per entrambi i generi, esistevano predittori esclusivi per ciascun genere, suggerendo che i fattori sottostanti per la IA variano significativamente tra uomini e donne. Il quarto studio ha indagato similmente le differenze di genere in un campione spagnolo di 276 partecipanti, di età compresa tra i 18 e i 30 anni. In linea con i risultati del campione italiano, la SMA è emersa come un predittore comune di IA per entrambi i generi. Tuttavia, sono stati identificati predittori unici per ciascun genere, sottolineando la necessità di considerare fattori specifici di genere nella comprensione della IA. Il quinto studio ha ampliato l'indagine a quattro paesi (Italia, Spagna, Ecuador e Perù) con un campione totale di 675 partecipanti, di età compresa tra i 18 e i 54 anni. Sono emerse significative variazioni culturali: i partecipanti italiani hanno mostrato livelli più alti di IA e FoMO, ma livelli più bassi di disturbo da gioco su Internet o Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD), rispetto ai partecipanti peruviani. Le analisi di regressione hanno identificato predittori distinti per l'uso problematico di Internet in ciascun paese, evidenziando l'importanza del contesto culturale nella comprensione di IA. La terza parte presenta e discute i risultati di ciascuno studio, evidenziando correlazioni significative e modelli di mediazione. Infine, l'ultima parte include una conclusione generale in cui si discutono le implicazioni pratiche di questi risultati per la prevenzione e il trattamento personalizzato. In conclusione, questi studi forniscono un modello integrato per comprendere le caratteristiche, i predittori e i fattori di rischio della dipendenza da Internet. I risultati evidenziano l'importanza delle variabili psicologiche e delle differenze culturali e di genere, offrendo implicazioni pratiche per la prevenzione e il trattamento mirato di questo comportamento patologico.
Technological addictions: the influence of emotions, personality traits, and sociocultural variables on new disorders of the digital age
VARCHETTA, MANUEL
2025
Abstract
This doctoral thesis investigates the relationships between Internet Addiction (IA) related disorders and various psychological and behavioral variables, such as Fear of Missing Out (FoMO), emotional dysregulation and personality traits, across different samples and cultural contexts. Previous research has predominantly focused on the general population, often overlooking cultural and gender differences in the development of IA. This thesis aims to fill these gaps by providing a comprehensive analysis across diverse demographics. This thesis is organized into multiple sections. The first section is theoretical, aiming to frame the phenomenon of IA and related disorders by illustrating the current state of research and its evolution. The second section describes the methodology, materials used, data collection procedures, and tools, providing a detailed discussion of each study that comprises the compendium. Specifically: The first study explored the associations between IA, FoMO, Social Media Addiction (SMA), emotional dysregulation, and personality traits in an Italian sample of 397 participants aged 18–35. Significant correlations were found between IA and the examined variables, with emotional dysregulation playing a crucial role in mediating the effects of FoMO and problematic social media use on IA. The second study aimed to replicate and strengthen these findings in a Spanish sample of 598 university students aged 18–35. Correlation analyses confirmed positive relationships between IA, FoMO, SMA, emotional dysregulation, and the neuroticism dimension of personality, while a negative relationship was observed with the conscientiousness dimension. A mediation model further highlighted the significant total effect of emotional dysregulation on IA, mediated by FoMO and SMA. The third study examined gender differences in the relationships between IA and related variables in an Italian sample of 276 participants aged 18–30. The results indicated that while SMA was a primary predictor of IA for both genders, there were exclusive predictors for each gender, suggesting that the underlying factors for IA vary significantly between men and women. The fourth study similarly investigated gender differences in a Spanish sample of 276 participants aged 18–30. Consistent with the findings from the Italian sample, SMA emerged as a common predictor of IA for both genders. However, unique predictors for each gender were also identified, underscoring the necessity to consider gender-specific factors in understanding IA. The fifth study expanded the investigation to four countries (Italy, Spain, Ecuador, and Peru) with a total sample of 675 participants aged 18–54. Significant cultural variations were found: Italian participants exhibited higher levels of IA and FoMO, but lower levels of Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) compared to Peruvian participants. Regression analyses identified distinct predictors for problematic internet use in each country, emphasizing the importance of cultural context in understanding IA. The third section presents and discusses the results of each study, highlighting significant correlations and mediation models. Finally, the last section offers a general conclusion discussing the practical implications of these results for the prevention and tailored treatment. In conclusion, these studies provide an integrated model for understanding the characteristics, predictors, and risk factors of IA. The findings highlight the importance of psychological variables and cultural and gender differences, offering practical implications for the prevention and tailored treatment of this pathological behavior.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14242/190312
URN:NBN:IT:UNIROMA1-190312