Role of Loneliness and Expressiveness and Conflict in the Family Environment on Internet Addiction among Young Adults

Description

Page: 81-85

Kinjal Oswal and Shilpa Salve (Department of Psychology, Sir Parashurambhau College, (Empowered Autonomous), Pune, Maharashtra)

This research investigates the relationship between internet addiction, loneliness, and family dynamics, focusing on expressiveness and conflict in the family environment of adults aged 18-30. The Internet Addiction Test (Young, 1998); UCLA Loneliness Scale (Russell, 1996); and the Family Environment Scale (Moos & Moos, 1981) were used to perform descriptive and inferential analyses within the study. The result of the present research showed that a positive correlation exists between loneliness and internet addiction; therefore, growing isolation increases internet use. Loneliness as a predictor explained 18.9% of the variance in Internet Addiction (R2 0.189, adjusted R2 0.157 p < 0.001). Family expressiveness and conflict between family members showed non-significant relationships. This research can be applied in Family and Group Therapy, Interventions, and Educational Programs.