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. 2022 Feb 25:15:459-470.
doi: 10.2147/PRBM.S352060. eCollection 2022.

Self-Control and Problematic Internet Use in College Students: The Chain Mediating Effect of Rejection Sensitivity and Loneliness

Zeping Fan  1 , Ming Chen  2 , Yaping Lin  3
Affiliations

Self-Control and Problematic Internet Use in College Students: The Chain Mediating Effect of Rejection Sensitivity and Loneliness

Zeping Fan et al. Psychol Res Behav Manag. .

Abstract

Purpose: To explore the relationship between self-control, rejection sensitivity, loneliness, and problematic internet use in college students.

Patients and methods: A total of 725 college students were investigated using Self-control Scale, Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire, Loneliness Scale, and Internet Addiction Scale.

Results: ① Correlation analysis showed that self-control was negatively related to rejection sensitivity, loneliness, and problematic internet use; rejection sensitivity was positively related to loneliness and problematic internet use; loneliness was positively related to problematic internet use. ② Chain mediating effect analysis showed that self-control can not only affect problematic internet use in college students, but also through three indirect paths, as follows: the mediating role of rejection sensitivity and loneliness, the chain mediating roles of rejection sensitivity and loneliness, and the mediating effect size, accounting for 9.76%, 20.73%, and 4.88% of the total effect, respectively.

Conclusion: Rejection sensitivity and loneliness played a chain mediating role in the relationship between self-control and problematic internet use in college students.

Keywords: PIU; college students; loneliness; problematic internet use; rejection sensitivity; self-control.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic of chain mediation between rejection sensitivity and loneliness. ***p<0.001.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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Grants and funding

This study was supported by the Education Department of Zhejiang Province (grant number Y201840696).

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