The Role of Anticipation of Anxiety and Emotion Regulation among Adolescents with Internet Addiction

Internet addiction among adolescents is a growing problem in every society. The present study aimed to investigate the role of anticipation of anxiety and emotion regulation in Internet addiction among adolescents. Methods: 263 adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18 (121 boys, 142 girls) were selected using available sampling method and participated in this study. The participants completed the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Young Internet Addiction Test (IAT), and Cognitive Emotion Regulation Strategies Questionnaire (CERQ). Pearson correlation and stepwise regression were used to analyze the data. Results: The results of this study showed that there is a significant positive correlation between maladaptive emotion regulation strategies and anxiety with Internet addiction. There was a significant negative correlation between adaptive emotion regulation strategies and Internet addiction (P<0.01). Based on the results of regression analysis, Two variables of maladaptive emotion regulation strategies and anxiety explained 38% of the variance for Internet addiction (p<0.01). Conclusion: Based on the findings of this research, it can be concluded that it is necessary to emphasize the role of emotion regulation strategies and anxiety in designing interventions for the prevention and treatment of Internet addiction in adolescents.