Which psychological factors influence Internet addiction? Evidence through an integrative model

Since the appearance of Internet, several preoccupations have appeared as a result, with Internet addiction being one of the most common. The goals of the present study were two-fold. First, to examine which psychological factors are relevant to explain Internet addiction, including impulsivity, passion and social provision. Second, to incorporate all these factors into an integrative model. Based on multiple regressions and path analysis, results revealed a positive relation between Internet addiction and specific impulsivity components (lack of perseverance, urgency) and obsessive passion. Moreover, positive relations were observed between obsessive passion and reassurance of worth, opportunity for nurturance, sensation seeking and harmonious passion. In other words, Internet addiction is related to obsessive passion, but is explained by different psychological factors. Accordingly, both Internet addiction and obsessive passion can be viewed as two important and complementary facets of problematic Internet use.