From Internet access to problematic use: multigroup analysis of push and pull factors

Abstract

Frequency of Internet use is usually emphasised, in systematic reviews and meta-analyses, as a risk factor in problematic Internet use (PIU). Likewise, studies that focus on the analysis of online activities associated to PIU offer confounding results, although they coincide in pointing out the relevance of motivations associated to online activities. The Internet Addiction Model (IAM) offers a comprehensive focus of the influence of Internet activity on PIU. Which differentiates between aspects inherent to the needs of individuals (push factors) associated with negative consequences, and aspects of the Internet that help satisfy such needs (pull factors). However, it is a conceptual model requiring empirical evidence. This study utilised a cross-generational sample (N = 575) of adolescent students and young adults in Spain. Considering the IAM, the objectives were to (a) verify the effect of the frequency of Internet use in multiple contexts on motivations - push factors - (b) verify the relationship between push factors and IPU, and (c) determine the moderating effect of social relation activities, online games, and antisocial entertainment - pull factors - . The data supported the relationship between push factors - escape, fantasy, and social interaction - and PIU, and revealed the complexity of moderating pull factors.