۱- Introduction

۲- Methods

۳- Results

۴- Discussion

References

Abstract 

Preliminary studies have shown that trait emotional intelligence (trait EI) can be a risk factor for higher problematic use of specific online activities. However, the possible mediating role of mindfulness and rumination on the relationship of trait EI with problematic social media use (PSMU) and problematic online gaming (POG) is unclear. Among a sample of 470 adolescents, the present study examined the direct and indirect associations of trait EI with PSMU and POG and the potential mediational role of mindfulness, rumination, and depression while controlling for gender and age. Multiple mediation analyses indicated that trait EI was indirectly associated with PSMU via mindfulness, rumination, and depression, and with POG via mindfulness and rumination. Furthermore, rumination affected PSMU positively. The study provides empirical evidence of the theoretical assumption that different types of specific problematic online behaviors are related to both shared and specific risk factors.

Introduction

Problematic social media use (PSMU) and problematic online gaming (POG) are two different types of specific technology-mediated problematic online behaviors (Brand, Young, Laier, Wölfling, & Potenza, 2016) that are associated with various negative psychological and health effects on adolescents and young adults (Andreassen, 2015; Kuss & Griffiths, 2012). The Interaction of Person-Affect-CognitionExecution (I-PACE) model attempts to understand the mechanisms that lead to such problematic online behaviors (Brand et al., 2016). According to the I-PACE model, an individual’s core characteristics including personality (e.g., trait emotional intelligence), psychopathology (e.g., depression), and coping style (e.g., rumination) encompass important risk factors that may lead to engagement in specific technologymediated problematic online behaviors (Brand et al., 2016). Although preliminary empirical evidence indicates that decreased trait emotional intelligence (EI) can play a pivotal role in the technology-mediated problematic online behaviors, these associations should be further investigated to understand the many mechanisms that lead adolescents with low trait EI to PSMU and POG. Moreover, trait mindfulness has been associated with problematic internet use (Arslan, 2017) and has been reported to mediate the relationship between trait EI and psychopathology (Petrides, Gómez, & Pérez-González, 2017). Therefore, theoretically anchored within the I-PACE model, the present study tested a mediation model in which (i) trait EI was the distal predictor, (ii) mindfulness, rumination, and depression were the proximal predictors, and (iii) PSMU and POG were the outcome variables.