The Causal Model of the Relationship Between Family Functioning and Perceived Social Support of Students with Internet Addiction: The Mediating Role of Stress Coping Strategies
Keywords:
Internet addiction, students, stress coping strategies, perceived social support, family functioningAbstract
Purpose: The present study aimed to propose a causal model of the relationship between family functioning and perceived social support of students with internet addiction, considering the mediating role of stress coping strategies.
Methods and Materials: The research design was fundamental in nature and employed a descriptive-correlational method based on structural equation modeling (SEM). The statistical population included all students of Islamic Azad University, North Tehran Branch, during the 2024–2025 academic year. From this population, a sample of 301 students was selected through multistage cluster sampling. Participants responded to the Young Internet Addiction Test (IAT), the Epstein Family Assessment Device (FAD), the Zimet Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), and the Endler and Parker Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS-SF). The collected data were analyzed using structural equation modeling with AMOS 26 software.
Findings: The results revealed that family functioning was negatively and significantly associated with internet addiction among students (p = .001). Perceived social support was also negatively and significantly associated with internet addiction (p = .001). Emotion-focused and avoidance coping styles were positively related to internet addiction, whereas the problem-focused coping style was negatively and significantly associated with it (p = .001). Moreover, both problem-focused and emotion-focused coping styles negatively and significantly mediated the relationship between family functioning and internet addiction (p = .001). All three coping styles negatively and significantly mediated the relationship between perceived social support and internet addiction (p = .001).
Conclusion: It can be concluded that positive family functioning and higher perceived social support are associated with lower levels of internet addiction. Emotion-focused and avoidance coping styles reinforce this association, whereas problem-focused coping weakens it.
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Copyright (c) 2025 leila shamsalahrari (Author); Zohreh Moosazadeh; Khadijeh Abolmaali Hosseini (Author)
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