Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Nov 24:12:712964.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.712964. eCollection 2021.

Psychological Capital, College Adaptation, and Internet Addiction: An Analysis Based on Moderated Mediation Model

Xiangyang Bi  1 , Jun Jin  2
Affiliations

Psychological Capital, College Adaptation, and Internet Addiction: An Analysis Based on Moderated Mediation Model

Xiangyang Bi et al. Front Psychiatry. .

Abstract

Using data from a baseline survey of college students, this study examined the possible mechanism by which psychological capital influences college students' internet addiction through the mediation effect of their individual college adaptability. The study constructed a parallel multiple mediation effect model to help understand the effect mechanisms among these factors. The results indicated that psychological capital had a triple effect on internet addiction: (1) Psychological capital had a direct effect of helping reduce college students' internet addiction; (2) emotional, learning, and interpersonal adaptation not only reduced internet addiction directly but also played mediating roles in the relationship between psychological capital and internet addiction; and (3) the mediation effects of emotional and interpersonal adaptation were moderated by psychological capital, leading to two different modes of mediation effects. As a whole, psychological capital imposes a quadratic effect on internet addiction. The campus policy implications of these findings are discussed.

Keywords: emotional adaption; internet addiction; interpersonal adaptation; learning adaptation; moderated mediation model; psychological capital.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Model diagram of moderated mediation model.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Moderated mediation effect of PsyCap on IA.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Moderated effect of PsyCap on EmoAda and IA.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Moderated effect of PsyCap on IntAda and IA.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Kraut R, Patterson M, Lundmark V, Kiesler S, Mukophadhyay T, Scherlis W. Internet paradox: a social technology that reduces social involvement and psychological well-being? Am Psychol. (1998) 53:1017–31. 10.1037/0003-066X.53.9.1017 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Young KS, Rogers RC. The relationship between depression and Internet addiction. CyberPsychol Behav. (1998) 1:25–8. 10.1089/cpb.1998.1.25 - DOI
    1. Sanders CE, Field TM, Miguel D, Kaplan M. The relationship of Internet use to depression and social isolation among adolescents. Adolescence. (2000) 35:237–342. 10.1016/S0001-6918(00)00038-X - DOI - PubMed
    1. Windham RC. The Changing Landscape of Adolescent Internet Communication and Its Relationship to Psychosocial Adjustment and Academic Performance [Dissertations and Theses-Gradworks]. The George Washington University (2007).
    1. Kim K, Ryu E, Chon MY, Yeun EJ, Choi SY, Seo JS, et al. . Internet addiction in Korean adolescents and its relation to depression and suicidal ideation: a questionnaire survey. Int J Nurs Stud. (2006) 43:185–92. 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2005.02.005 - DOI - PubMed