The Structural Effect of Attachment Style and Childhood Trauma in the Family on Internet Addiction Mediated by Cognitive Regulation of Emotion
Seyedeh Tahereh Zolfaghari
1
(
)
hosein sheybani
2
(
Department of psychology, Payame Noor University(pnu),P.O.Box 19395-4697, Tehran, Iran.
)
Mahboobeh Taher
3
(
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Shahrood Branch, Iran
)
Keywords: Attachment, Childhood Trauma, Internet Addiction, Cognitive regulation of emotion,
Abstract :
structural effect of attachment style and childhood trauma within the family on Internet addiction, with cognitive emotion regulation as a mediating factor. Method: This research employed a correlational design based on structural equation modeling. A total of 251 female students aged 12 to 18 were selected through cluster random sampling in the 1402–1403 academic year. The research instruments included the Simpson Attachment Style Questionnaire, Bernstein Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Young Internet Addiction Test, and the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire by Garnefski et al. Data were analyzed using SPSS 25 and Smart PLS 3. Findings: Insecure attachment style and childhood trauma were positively and significantly associated with Internet addiction. Moreover, both negative and positive cognitive emotion regulation functioned as mediating variables in these relationships. Discussion and Conclusion: These findings are consistent with Bowlby’s attachment theory and underscore the importance of psychological interventions aimed at strengthening secure attachment and improving cognitive emotion regulation for the prevention and treatment of Internet addiction. It is therefore recommended that these factors be emphasized in clinical interventions.in the prevention and treatment of Internet addiction.
ابراهیمی، حجت الله؛ دژکام، محمود وثقیه الاسلام، طاهره (1392). تروماهای دوران کودکی و اقدام به خودکشی در بزرگسالی. مجله روان پزشکی و روانشناسی بالینی، 19(4)، 282-275.
حسنزاده، رمضان؛ صالحی، محمد؛ رضایی کیاسری، علیرضا (1389). رابطۀ استفادۀ افراطی از تکنولوژی (اعتیاد به اینترنت و SMS) و وضعیت آموزشی و روانی دانشآموزان. فصلنامۀ روانشناسی تربیتی دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی واحد تنکابن، 1(3)، 69–81.
زارع، حسین؛ سلگی، زهرا (1391). بررسی رابطه راهبردهای تنظیم شناختی هیجان با افسردگی، اضطراب و استرس در دانشجویان. پژوهش در سلامت روانشناختی، 6(3)، 19-29.
عطاري، يوسفعلي؛ عباسي سرچشمه، ابوالفضل؛ مهرابيزاده هنرمند، مهناز (1385). روابط ساده و چندگانه نگرش مذهبي، خوشبيني و سبك هاي دلبستگي با رضايت زناشويي در دانشجويان مرد متاهل دانشگاه شهيد چمران اهواز. مجله علوم تربيتي و روانشناسي، 13، 92-110.
موسوی، سیدولی اله. (1399). شیوع اعتیاد به اینترنت و وضعیت استفاده از شبکه های اجتماعی مجازی در نوجوانان و جوانان ایرانی در سال 1397. مجله طب نظامی، 22(3)، 281-288.
Alavi, S. S., Jannatifard, F., Eslami, M., & Rezapour, H. (2011). Survey on validity and reliability of Internet Addiction Test among university students in Iran. Journal of Fundamentals of Mental Health, 13(49), 56–67.
Aldao, A., Nolen-Hoeksema, S., & Schweizer, S. (2010). Emotion-regulation strategies across psychopathology: A meta-analytic review. Clinical psychology review, 30(2), 217-237
Alhalal, E., Halabi, R., & Alhamad, S. (2020). Emotion regulation as a mediator in the relationship between early life stress and mental health among Syrian refugees. Translational Psychiatry, 10(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-020-01062-3
Barclay, D., Higgins, C., & Thompson, R. (1995). The Partial Least Squares (PLS) Approach to Causal Modeling: Personal Computer Adoption and Use as an Illustration. Technology Studies, 2(2), 285–309.
Bernstein, D. P., Stein, J. A., Newcomb, M. D., Walker, E., Pogge, D., Ahluvalia, T., ... & Zule, W. (2003). Development and validation of a brief screening version of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Child abuse & neglect, 27(2), 169-190. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0145-2134(02)00541-0
Bouragui, K. E., Wauthia, E., Simon, A., & Rossignol, M. (2017). Processing of Emotional Facial Expressions (EFE) in Paediatric Anxiety: Are Child Faces More Noteworthy than Adult Faces. Acta Psychopathol, 3(4), 34.
Bowlby, J. (1958). The nature of the child's tie to his mother. The International Journal of Psycho-Analysis, 39(5), 350–373. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1959-02674-001
Chaudhary, P., Gupta, S., & Gupta, R. (2024). Association between adverse childhood experiences and internet addiction: A cross-sectional study. Global Mental Health, 1, 100060. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.glmedi.2024.100060
Chemnad, K., Al-Shafi, M., & Ali, R. (2023). Adolescents’ internet addiction: Does it all begin with their environment? Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 17(1), 87. https://doi.org/10.1089/cpb.1998.1.237
Dong, X., Zhang, R., Zhornitsky, S., & Le, T. M. (2023). Influence of childhood trauma on adolescent internet addiction: A moderated mediation model. World Journal of Psychiatry, 13(12), 1133–1142. https://doi.org/10.5498/wjp.v13.i12.1133
Eichenberg, C., Schott, M., Decker, O., & Sindermann, C. (2017). Attachment style and internet addiction: An online survey. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 19(5), Article e170. https://doi.org/10.2196/jmir.6694
Fu, S., Cai, Z., Lim, E. T., Liu, Y., Tan, C. W., Lin, Y., & Deng, S. (2023). Unraveling the effects of mobile application usage on users' health status: Insights from conservation of resources theory. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 24(2), 452-489.
Garnefski, N., Kraaij, V., & Spinhoven, P. (2001). Negative life events, cognitive emotion regulation and emotional problems. Personality and Individual differences, 30(8), 1311-1327.
Hobfoll, S. E., Halbesleben, J., Neveu, J. P., & Westman, M. (2018). Conservation of resources in the organizational context: The reality of resources and their consequences. Annual review of organizational psychology and organizational behavior, 5(1), 103-128.
Karam, J., Moustafa, A., Malaeb, D., Saadeh, D., & Obeid, S. (2020). Attachment styles and addictions in Lebanese adolescents: A call for further investigation. BMC Psychology, 8, 40. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-020-00404-6
Khanzadeh, A., & Sharif, S. (2024). Social media addiction: Associations with attachment style, mental health, and personality traits in a representative student sample. BMC Psychiatry, 24, 246. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-024-05709-z
Kheirallah, K. A., AlSayegh, A. H., Al-Hasan, T. M., & Zobayen, H. A. (2020). Attachment style and addictions among Lebanese adolescents: A national study. BMC Psychology, 8(1), 44.
Kumar, M., & Mondal, A. (2018). A study on internet addiction and its relation to psychopathology and self-esteem among college students. Industrial Psychiatry Journal, 27(1), 61–66. https://doi.org/10.4103/ipj.ipj_61_17
Kuss, D. J., & Griffiths, M. D. (2019). Addiction to social media and attachment styles: A systematic literature review. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 17(4), 1026–1042. https://doi.org/10.4103/ipj.ipj_61_17
Li, J., Zhang, Y., & Wang, L. (2025). Physical and emotional abuse with internet addiction and anxiety: A cross-sectional study. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-85943-x
Montag, C., Becker, B., & Gan, C. (2019). The multipurpose application WeChat: a review on recent research. Frontiers in psychology, 9, 2247. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02257
Sheng, J., Wang, Y., & Wang, Q. (2022). Internet addiction and childhood trauma in adolescents: The mediating role of social support. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 996086.
Sheppes, G., Suri, G., & Gross, J. J. (2015). Emotion regulation and psychopathology. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 11, 379-405.
Simpson, E. G., Vannucci, A., & Ohannessian, C. M. (2018). Family functioning and adolescent internalizing symptoms: A latent profile analysis. Journal of Adolescence, 64, 136-145.
Tang, W., Zhang, X., & Chen, Y. (2024). The relationship between childhood trauma and internet addiction in adolescents: A meta-analysis. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 13(1), 1–12.
Wang, J., Chen, Y., & Zhang, L. (2019). Adult attachment style, emotion regulation, and social networking sites addiction. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 2352. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02352
Young, K. S. (2007). Caught in the Net: How to Recognize the Signs of Internet Addiction—and a Winning Strategy for Recovery.
Zhou, Y., Li, D., & Jia, J. (2020). Adverse childhood experiences and mobile phone addiction: The roles of attachment and interpersonal relationships. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 834. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00834