Examining the Relationship Between Student School Burnout and Problematic Internet Use

Abstract

Student burnout and Internet addiction are two of the serious problems that are common among young people. Both are connected with many negative effects on the mental functioning of adolescents. However, so far only few studies have explored these two phenomena all together. The aim of our study was to test the relationship between student burnout (SB) and internet addiction (IA). Specifically, we explored three problems: (i) sex differences in the level of student burnout and problematic Internet use among Polish late adolescents; (ii) correlations between student school burnout and its sub-dimensions and problematic Internet use indicators; (iii) the prediction power of student burnout indicators, quality of social bonds and school functioning characteristics on the level of Internet addiction and its subdimensions. The study was conducted among 230 high school students. The results of the research showed that there were no significant differences between girls and boys in the level of problematic use of the Internet, except that male students assessed their dishonesty about Internet use as higher compared to females. As expected, a higher level of school burnout indicators was significantly connected with a higher level of problematic Internet use. Additionally, school burnout (especially burnout from studying, loss of interest in school and burnout due to parental pressure) and school performance characteristics such as additional classroom lessons and low quality of classmates relationships, significantly predicted the problematic Internet use, which explained 19% of variances in the total score of internet addiction. Our findings confirmed that preventative and interventional strategies developed to reduce IA should include activities that also reduce school burnout. In reducing IA and SB we should include actions targeted not only on the adolescent’s group, but also on the school environment (teachers and schoolmates) and the family environment (parents and siblings).

The relationship between problematic Internet use in adolescents and emotion regulation difficulty and family Internet attitude

“…In Turkey, approximately 33 h were spent on the Internet per month in 2016 while 7.5 h (the world average of 6 h 43 min) were spent on the Internet a day and the most extensive use belonged to the 16-24 age group (90.7%), and that the usage ratio of Turkish adolescents is the highest in Europe (Atalan Ergin & Kapçı, 2019;Digital, 2020;TUİK, 2019TUİK, , 2020. It was also reported that most adolescents use the Internet for 2.17 ± 0.70 h a day on average, for 15 h a week and there is an advanced level difference between the Internet usage duration and Internet addiction and that men are more addicted but less aware of this situation (Batıgün & Hasta, 2010;Longstreet & Brooks, 2017;Tomaszek & Muchacka-Cymerman, 2020;Waldo, 2014).…”

“…Any deficiency in the acquisition of emotion regulation skills starting, which start in the early childhood and continuing to be shaped in the adolescence, weakens social development as well as increasing vulnerability against stress (Guyer et al, 2016; Modecki et al, 2017; Özdoğan & Cenkseven Önder, 2018). It is also stated that behavioral addictions related to the Internet emerge as a behavioral pattern used by the adolescent to transform negative mood into positive (Tomaszek & Muchacka‐Cymerman, 2020; Wang et al, 2018). Additionally, excessive occupation of adolescents with the Internet causes negative effects in terms of academic achievement performance and interpersonal relations, and this situation concerns parents (Chandrima et al, 2020).…”

Development and Validation of the Digital Addiction Scale for Teenagers (DAST)

“…Tomaszek and Muchacka-Cymerman (2020) found a significant but weak relationship between student school burnout and problematic internet use. Walburg et al (2016) revealed that the ‘exhausted from schoolwork’ dimension for girls and the ‘feelings of inadequacy at school’ dimension among boys are related to problematic Facebook use.…”

Sex Differences in the Relationship between Student School Burnout and Problematic Internet Use among Adolescents

“…). This solution was tested and confirmed [73]. In their work, they distinguished such dimensions of Internet addiction as: Emotional and Cognitive Dependence (ECD), Time Management Problems (TMP), Lack of Control and Neglecting of Social Life, and Dishonesty about Internet Use (DI).…”