The influence of self-identity on social support, loneliness, and internet addiction among Chinese college students

Abstract

We examined the mediating role of social support and loneliness in self-identity and internet addiction among college students. Participants were 364 Chinese college students (female = 66.50%; mean age = 20.21 years, SD = 1.51 years). The students completed the following measures: Self-identity Status Scale, Social Support Scale, UCLA Loneliness Scale, and Internet Addiction Scale. The results showed two dimensions of self-identity of future self-involvement desire and present self-involvement to significantly predict internet addiction. Self-identity not only directly influenced college students’ internet addiction, but also indirectly impacted their internet addiction through the serial mediating effects of social support and loneliness. Student development and support interventions for preventing and reducing risk for internet addiction should seek to reconstruct their self-identity; thereby increasing their social support.