Internet addiction, psychological distress, and coping: Adult and adolescent populations

Of these participants, 68.9% were classified as non-problematic users, 24.4% as problematic users, and 6.7% as addictive Internet users. The results indicated that among adolescents the main contributing factors to Internet addiction (IA) were: high use of discussion forums, high rumination levels, and low levels of self-care.

For adults, IA was mainly predicted by: engagement in online video gaming and sexual activity, low email use, as well as high anxiety and high avoidant coping. Furthermore, problematic adult Internet users scored higher on emotion and avoidance coping responses while problematic adolescent Internet users scored higher on rumination and lower on self-care. Avoidance coping responses mediated the relationship between psychological distress and Internet addiction.