The Mediating Role of Attachment Styles in the Relationship between Mental Health and Internet Addiction in Adolescents

Background & aim: In recent years, computers and the internet have entered all aspects of human life. One of the problems that may arise is internet addiction, which has been reported as a new disorder with a number of related psychiatric disorders. This study aimed to Mediating Role of Attachment Styles in the relationship between Mental Health and Internet Addiction in adolescents. Methods: The research method was descriptive and structural equation modeling(SEM). Participants were 310 high school students of Karaj in 2018-19, selected by purposive sampling. The instruments were the Goldberg and Hiller Health Questionnaires(1979), the internet addiction Questionnaire(Yang, 1998), and Attachment Styles(Hazan and Shaver, 1987). Data analysis was done using Pearson Correlation Coefficient and Sobel test . Results: The results indicated that the direct effect of mental health and attachment styles on studentschr('39') Internet addiction was significant at the level of 95% confidence (p<0.05). The results correspondingly indicated an indirect relationship between mental health and studentschr('39') Internet addiction mediated by attachment styles with 95% confidence (p<0.05). In general, the results of the models revealed that all research scales have a good fit. Conclusion: Based on these findings, it can be concluded that paying attention to a conscious parenting can lead to a secure attachment style. As a result, by creating mental health, the harm of internet addiction in adolescence can be prevented. Thus, to prevent internet addiction, it is necessary to consider the role of psychological factors such as insecure attachment styles