Ike, Obinna Osita

2 Publications in AERD

Author Publications

Social anxiety and internet addiction among adolescent students in a sub-Saharan African country: does family functioning make a difference?

By Nwufo, Juliet Ifeoma

Evidence has shown that social anxiety significantly influences internet addiction among adolescent students. However, the boundary conditions that strengthen or weaken this association with internet addiction have not been fully understood, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. This study adopted a cross-sectional survey design to investigate the direct effect of social anxiety on internet addiction among adolescent students and the moderating role of family functioning in such relationships. A sample of (N = 1800) students (age range 11-17 years; M = 15.30 years; SD = 1.99) from 10 secondary schools in Southeast Nigeria participated in this study. The participants completed the self-report measures of the Social Phobia Inventory, Family APGAR (adaptability, partnership, growth, affection, and resolve) Index, and Internet Addiction Test. Pearson correlation was used to determine the bivariate relationship among the study variables, while Hayes regression-based PROCESS macro was used for moderation analysis. Findings revealed that social anxiety was positively associated with internet addiction. Family functioning was negatively associated with internet addiction. Family functioning did not moderate the relationship between social anxiety and internet addiction. We concluded that reducing social anxiety and bolstering family functioning may be an effective strategy to lessen the vulnerability of adolescents to internet addiction.

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Maladaptive cognition and problematic Internet use among Nigerian adolescent students: Role of social anxiety

By Nwufo, Juliet Ifeoma

This study examined the role of social anxiety in the association between maladaptive cognition and problematic internet use among Nigerian adolescent students. Participants were 509 adolescents from schools in South-East Nigeria (n = 509; male = 46.56%, female = 53.44%; mean age = 15.86 years; SD = 2.57 years). The participants completed measures of social anxiety (Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents), problematic internet use (Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire), and maladaptive cognition (Maladaptive Interpersonal Belief Scale). Regression analyses showed a positive association between students' maladaptive cognition and problematic internet use, as well as between social anxiety and problematic internet use. Additionally, social anxiety mediated the relationship between maladaptive cognition and problematic internet use, increasing the risk of problematic internet use. These findings indicate a need for interventions to reduce the risk of problematic internet use through counselling students for healthy cognition and normative social anxiety.

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