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The Relationships between Gender, Life Satisfaction, Loneliness and Problematic Internet Use during COVID-19: Does the Lockdown Matter?

Deutrom, J., Katos, V., Al-Mourad, M.B. and Ali, R., 2022. The Relationships between Gender, Life Satisfaction, Loneliness and Problematic Internet Use during COVID-19: Does the Lockdown Matter? International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19 (3), 1325.

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DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19031325

Abstract

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many governments have attempted to reduce virus transmission by implementing lockdown procedures, leading to increased social isolation and a new reliance on technology and the internet for work and social communication. We examined people’s experiences working from home in the UK to identify risk factors of problematic internet use during the first lockdown period, specifically looking at life satisfaction, loneliness, and gender. A total of 299 adults completed the Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire-Short-Form-6, UCLA-3 Item Loneliness Scale, and Satisfaction with Life Scale online. Through structural equation modelling, we found that loneliness positively predicted problematic internet use while gender had no effect. Life satisfaction and age positively predicted loneliness but had no direct effect on problematic internet use, suggesting loneliness fully mediated their relationship with problematic internet use. Our study serves as a benchmark study of problematic internet use among those working from home during lockdown conditions, which may be utilized by future researchers exploring longitudinal patterns post-pandemic.

Item Type:Article
ISSN:1661-7827
Additional Information:(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Wellness: Psychosocial and Physical Health in the Digital World)
Uncontrolled Keywords:problematic internet use; lockdown; working from home; life satisfaction; loneliness
Group:Faculty of Science & Technology
ID Code:36591
Deposited By: Symplectic RT2
Deposited On:07 Feb 2022 16:45
Last Modified:14 Mar 2022 14:32

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