Social competence and preference for online social interactions as mediators between temperament and compulsive internet use. DATA

Abstract

Caplan’s model of problematic Internet use suggests that social skills influence preferences for online interaction, which in turn contributes to compulsive Internet use. According to the I-PACE model and other studies, temperamental factors play a significant role in the development of compulsive online behaviors. Moreover, temperament—specifically stimulation processing capabilities—determines the tendency to engage in social training, suggesting more complex relationships between biological and psychosocial factors in the development of specific aspects of problematic Internet use. The study aimed to examine whether stimulation processing capabilities (SPC) influence compulsive Internet use (CIU), with social exposure competence (SE) and preference for online interaction (POSI) serving as mediators. The study included 462 university students who completed questionnaires measuring social competence (SCQ), temperament (FCB-TI(R)), and problematic Internet use (GPIUS-2). The collected data were subjected to correlation analysis, as well as simple and serial mediation analyses. The findings indicate that the SPC factor emerged as the strongest predictor of CIU. Serial mediation analyses revealed a statistically significant, but very small indirect effect of SE and POSI in the relationship between SPC and CIU. Additionally, a suppression effect emerged, whereby the relationship between SPC and POSI became significant only after accounting for SE. Despite the mediating effect, temperament is important in the development of compulsive Internet use and may contribute to the development of a preference for online interaction. These findings highlight the relevance of temperamental traits in prevention and intervention strategies for problematic Internet use.