Self-concept clarity, social support, and compulsive Internet use: A study of the US and the UAE

Abstract

Compulsive Internet Use (CIU) has been mostly studied among adolescents, yet some studies reveal that this can be a problem for the adult population, too. The lack of agreement on diagnostic tools and cut-off points results in markedly different prevalence figures. Building on Charlton's (2002) distinction between core CIU and positive engagement dimensions, the first objective was to confirm that prevalence figures including the core dimensions of CIU were lower than those including the engagement dimensions as well. Second, building on Davis's (2001) diathesis-stress model, we tested the role that self-concept clarity (SCC) and social support play in predicting core CIU in US subjects (N US =268). Finally, we expected that, because self-concept clarity is mostly linked to well-being in Western countries, the association between this variable and core CIU would be weak in the Eastern culture sample (N UAE =270). Our findings confirmed that prevalence figures were 20% to 40% lower when including the core dimensions only, and that SCC is a key predictor of CIU at low levels of social support in the US. We also confirmed that this is not the case in the UAE. Future research opportunities to advance this study were discussed.

The relationship between online gaming motivation, self-concept clarity and tendency toward problematic gaming

“…To the authors' knowledge, the relationship between self-concept clarity and IGD has not been studied yet, but several researches have revealed a significant correlation between the self-concept clarity and Internet addiction (Israelashvili et al, 2012;Matsuba, 2006;Quinones & Kakabadse 2015a;Quinones & Kakabadse 2015b). According to the findings of this research, players' self-concept clarity was significantly related to IGD and it was a significant predictor of IGD.…”

Understanding massively multiplayer online role‐playing game addiction: A hedonic management perspective

“…Elhai et al (2017) find that smartphone addiction involves two mechanisms-the craving for positive mood and the desire to alleviate negative mood. The hedonic management model of addiction is used to explain a wide spectrum of behavioural addictions intimately involved with hedonic management, such as gambling addiction (Brown, 1993), crime addiction (Brown, 1997), exercise addiction (Kerr, Lindner, & Blaydon, 2008), computer addiction (Charlton, 2002), Internet addiction (Quinones & Kakabadse, 2015) and online gaming addiction (Clark, 2006;Hussain & Griffiths, 2014).…”

Individual differences and stability of dynamics among self-concept clarity, impatience, and negative affect

“…Research has shown, for example, that SCC correlates positively with conscientiousness (Campbell et al, 1996;Fite et al, 2017) and negatively with impulsivity (Campbell et al, 1996;Ellison & Levy, 2012;Matto & Realo, 2001). SCC also negatively predicts compulsive internet use (Israelashvili, Kim, and Bukobza, 2012;Quinones & Kakabadse, 2015) and relates negatively to maladaptive coping behaviors such as procrastination (Petrie, 2014), denial, behavioral disengagement, and emotional disengagement (Smith, Wethington, & Zhan, 1996). In addition, SCC relates negatively to emotion dysregulation variables, including negative affect (Bond, Ruaro, & Wingrove, 2006;Campbell et al, 1996;Lear & Pepper 2016;Lee-Flynn, Pomaki, DeLongis, Biesanz, & Puterman, 2011;Nezlek & Plesko, 2001;Scala et al, 2018), depression (Bobrowski, DeMarree, Lodi-Smith, & Naragon-Gainmey, 2018;Campbell et al, 1996;Chang, 2001;Lee-Flynn et al, 2011), and feelings of tenseness, boredom, and dejection in the context of goal pursuit (Kernis, Paradise, Whitaker, Wheatman, & Goldman, 2000).…”