The Association of Adolescents' Family Environments and Internet Addiction With Coping Behaviors

This study examined the associations among family environment, internet addiction, and coping behaviors in adolescents.

This cross-sectional study included 397 high school students in a province of Türkiye, who completed self-report scales assessing family environment, internet addiction, and coping behaviors. Data were analysed using path analysis with bias-corrected bootstrapping.

A more positive family environment was associated with lower levels of internet addiction and greater use of active coping, whereas internet addiction were associated with greater reliance on avoidant and negative coping strategies (p < 0.001). The direct association between family environment and active coping remained significant when internet addiction was entered as a mediator (β = 0.259, p < 0.001), whereas the direct associations with avoidant (β = 0.074, p = 0.129) and negative coping (β = -0.072, p = 0.120) were not significant. The analysis indicated an indirect influence of avoidant (β = -0.049, 95% CI [ - 0.093, -0.017]) and negative coping (β = -0.069, 95% CI [ - 0.120, -0.024]) coping were significant, whereas the indirect effect on active coping was not (β = 0.017, 95% CI [ - 0.001, 0.048]).

Internet addiction indirectly accounted for part of the association between family environment and avoidant and negative coping, but not active coping.

Because family environment was directly associated with active coping while internet addiction was linked to avoidant and negative coping, nursing interventions may promote active coping through direct family support, while addressing problematic internet use alongside family functioning when the goal is to reduce maladaptive coping.