Examining the Relationships between Internet Addiction, Social Appearance Anxiety, and Social Exclusion

The aim of the study is to reveal the predictive relationships between internet addiction, social appearance anxiety, and social exclusion among university students. The model of the research is the relational screening model. The study group consists of 516 university students, 429 female (83,1%) and 87 male (16,9%), studying in different faculties and departments. The participants are between the ages of 17 and 30, with an average age of 20,13. Data were collected using the “Young Internet Addiction Test – Short Form”, “Social Appearance Anxiety Scale” and “Social Exclusion Scale” measurement tools. When the findings obtained from the correlation analysis were examined, significance was found in the relationships between university students' internet addiction levels and social appearance anxiety, being ignored and excluded. Additionally, the relationship between social appearance anxiety and being ignored and exclusion was also positive and significant. According to the path analysis results, the being ignored dimension of social exclusion significantly predicted both social appearance anxiety and internet addiction. Social appearance anxiety positively and significantly predicted internet addiction. It was concluded that the model created between internet addiction, social appearance anxiety, being ignored, and being excluded demonstrated a good fit. The findings were discussed in relation to the literature.