The roles of emotion regulation and mental well-being on the influence of academic stress on internet gaming disorder and risky online behavior in Hong Kong senior primary school students

Abstract

The current study aimed to examine the roles of emotion regulation (i.e. cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) and mental well-being (i.e. positive and negative affects) on the influence of academic stress on internet gaming disorder and risky online behavior in Hong Kong senior primary school students. The hypothesized mediation effects of emotion regulation and mental well-being in the association between academic stress and problematic online behaviors were investigated. A sample of 599 students from Primary Four to Primary Six participated in the study. The findings suggested that higher academic stress had an impact on increase in students' internet addiction proneness. Higher internet addiction proneness was also related to less adaptive and more maladaptive emotion regulation, also more negative affect and less positive affect. Positive affect played a significant mediating role in the influence of academic stress on internet addiction proneness. The results also found internet addiction proneness mediated between academic stress and risky online behavior. Significant relationships were also found between risky online behavior, emotion regulation, and positive affect. Additionally, affects were found significantly related to emotion regulation strategies. These results provide evidence that academic stress is associated with internet addiction proneness through positive affect as a protective factor. Promoting positive affect with effective emotion regulation strategies and other preventive interventions are also helpful in reducing negative online behaviors among Hong Kong senior primary school students. Early identification and intervention of internet addiction is also beneficial in preventing risky online behavior. The findings were interpreted and further discussed in this paper.