The effect of basic need dissatisfaction and lack of social support on problematic Internet use in emerging adults: The mediating role of regulatory emotional self-efficacy

The purpose of this research is to explore the mediating role of regulatory emotional self-efficacy in the relationship between dissatisfaction basic psychological needs, lack of social support on problematic Internet use among emerging adults. The study sample comprises 436 emerging adults (mean age = 22.42, SD = 2.05, range = 18-30), including 244 females (56.0 %) and 192 males (44.0 %). Data were collected using the Young Internet Addiction Test Short Form, the Need Satisfaction Scale, the Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Scale, and the Regulatory Emotional Self-Efficacy Scale. To analyze the data, the Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient was employed to examine the relationships between variables, and the bootstrapping method was applied for mediation analyses. Preliminary results revealed significant positive associations between dissatisfaction of basic needs, insufficient social support, and problematic Internet use, while a significant negative association was observed between emotional self-regulation efficacy and problematic Internet use. Additionally, regulatory emotional self-efficacy efficacy showed a significant negative relationship with problematic Internet use. Mediation analyses indicated that regulatory emotional self-efficacy fully mediated the impact of basic need dissatisfaction and lack of social support on problematic Internet use. These findings suggest that regulatory emotional self-efficacy acts as a protective mechanism, mitigating the adverse effects of these negative factors.