Background and aims: Recent research used attachment theory and the metacognitive tenet as frameworks to explain problematic Facebook use (PFU). This study aims to test, in a single model, the role of different attachment styles and metacognitions in PFU among adolescents. Methods: Two separate studies were conducted in order to establish the link between security (Study 1) and insecurity (Study 2), metacognitions, and PFU. A total of 369 and 442 Italian adolescents (age: 14-20 years old) participated in Study 1 and Study 2, respectively. Results: Path analyses revealed the relative importance of different attachment dimensions with mother and father in predicting PFU and the mediating role of metacognitions between attachment styles and PFU. Discussion and conclusion: In conclusion, since attachment styles and PFU may significantly affect adolescents' development and well-being, the results of this study may provide some practical indications for researchers and practitioners.

Gambling and gaming are not infrequent among adolescents and preventing low-risk youth from becoming at-risk appears to be a priority of public health strategies. Greater scrutiny of the risk and protective factors in the relationships and community of young people appears crucial in steering prevention initiatives adequately. This study aimed to explore the role of the qualities of relational networks (i.e. family functioning, perceived social and class support), family and peer approval and view of the social environment in predicting problem gambling, problem gaming and overall well-being among adolescents. High-school students aged 14–18 years (N: 595; female: 68,7%) completed a survey including the target variables. A multivariate multiple regression analysis was performed to examine the role of socio-demographic characteristics and psychosocial predictors on gaming, gambling, and well-being. Multivariate multiple regressions identify a common core underpinning problem gambling, gaming and poor well-being but also the distinct roles of psychosocial variables: being male, with low parental monitoring, and an anomic view of the social environment all predict problem gambling and gaming, which were also found to be associated. Low social support predicts problem gambling but not problem gaming; poor family functioning predicts problem gaming but not problem gambling. All the target psychosocial variables, except approval of gambling, predict poor well-being. On the whole the findings suggest the need to look more closely at the way adolescents, their system of activity and their culture participate in constructing the meaning of gambling and gaming activities and their impact on adolescents’ well-being, so that future studies and strategies can more effectively examine the relational dynamics in which problem gambling and gaming develop.

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This study examined the factor structure and model specifications of the Interaction Anxiousness Scale (IAS) with confirmatory composite analysis (CCA) using partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) with a sample of Italian adolescents ($$n = 764$$ n = 764 ). The CCA and PLS-SEM results identified the reflective nature of the IAS sub-scale scores, supporting an alternative measurement model of the IAS scores as a second-order reflective–reflective model.

Scholars have highlighted the role of negative affect as key correlates of Problematic Internet Use (PIU). According to the assumption that Internet-related behaviours can be seen as mechanisms to cope with everyday life (Kardefelt-Winther, 2017), the present study aims to explore the relation between PIU and psychosocial malaise, expecting that adolescents with high levels of social anxiety, negative emotions, and loneliness are more likely to be associated to the problem group of Internet users. Measures of PIU (GPIUS–2), social anxiety (IAS), negative affectivity (PANAS), and loneliness (ILS) were detected in a sample of 766 students attending Year 9–11 (13–19 years old; 47% females) of public high schools in the territory of Lecce (Apulia–Italy). A sub-group of problematic Internet users was identified (n = 185) and a control group was selected (n = 187). A logistic regression was applied to estimate the effect of psychosocial variables on the differentiation between problematic and control Internet users. Results of the present cross-sectional study show that a higher level of social anxiety, negative emotions, and loneliness increases the probability of belonging to the group of problematic Internet users. No significant differences between males and females were found in GPIU levels. The findings show that, for a better understanding of PIU onset and maintenance among adolescents, it is important, to take into account the life problems which may lead young people to overindulge in Internet use.RésuméLes scientifiques ont mis en lumière le rôle de l’affect négatif comme corrélat significatif de la dépendance. Partant de l’hypothèse que les comportements dans Internet peuvent être vus comme des mécanismes d’adaptation à la vie quotidienne (Kardefelt-Winther, 2017), notre étude visait à explorer la relation entre la cyberdépendance et le malaise psychosocial. On s’attendait à ce que les adolescents affichant un degré élevé d’anxiété sociale, d’émotions négatives et de solitude fassent partie du groupe d’internautes à problème. Des indicateurs de la cyberdépendance (GPIUS-2), de l’anxiété sociale (IAS), de l’affect négatif (PANAS) et de la solitude (ILS) ont été relevés dans un échantillon de 766 élèves de la 9e à la 11e année (13 à 19 ans; 47 % de filles) choisi dans des écoles secondaires publiques du territoire de Lecce (Apulia, Italie). Un sous-groupe d’internautes cyberdépendants a été défini (n=185) et un groupe contrôle sélectionné (n=187). Un modèle de régression logistique a été appliqué en vue d’estimer l’effet des variables psychosociales sur la différenciation entre joueurs cyberdépendants et joueurs du groupe contrôle. Les résultats de l’étude transversale montrent qu’un degré plus élevé d’anxiété sociale, d’émotions négatives et de solitude augmentait la probabilité d’appartenir au groupe d’internautes cyberdépendants. Aucune différence notable n’a été constatée entre les hommes et les femmes quant au degré de cyberdépendance. Les résultats indiquent qu’une compréhension plus fine du développement de la cyberdépendance et de sa persistance chez les adolescents devra tenir compte des problèmes vécus dans leur vie personnelle qui les inciteraient à un usage excessif d’Internet.