The Relationship between Excessive Internet Use and Academic Performance among Students: The Mediating Role of the Perceived Stress
Subject Areas : psycologyMajid Sadoughi 1 , Zahra Mohammad Salehi 2
1 - Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Kashan, Kashan, Iran
2 - M.A. in Educational Psychology, University of Kashan, Kashan, Iran
Keywords: Academic performance, Perceived stress, excessive Internet use,
Abstract :
The present study aimed to explore the relationship between excessive Internet use and academic performance among students by considering the mediating role of perceived stress. This study was descriptive with correlational design. The statistical population comprised all B.A. students of the University of Kashan in the 2015-16 academic year. Stratified multi-stage sampling based on gender was used to select 288 students (218 females and 70 males). The data collection instruments included Young's Internet addiction test and Cohen’s perceived stress scale. In addition, students’ Grade Point Average (GPA) was considered as the criterion for their academic performance. Pearson Correlation Coefficient and Hierarchical Regression Analysis were used to analyze the data. The results indicated that Internet use had a statistically significant negative relationship with students’ academic performance and can inversely predict it. Moreover, hierarchical regression analysis showed the mediating role of perceived stress in the relationship between Internet use and academic performance. Finding implicitly indicated that excessive Internet use has not only direct adverse health consequences but also indirect negative effects on students’ academic performance through perceived stress. The findings yield significant insights for education practitioners, health specialists, and policy makers in making interventions regarding the excessive and problematic use of the Internet among students.
Anwar, N. (2015). Internet addiction as a predictor of loneliness, self esteem and satisfaction with life. Pakistan Psychiatric Society, 12(1), 72-73.
Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator mediator variable distinction in social psychol ogical research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Personality and Social Psychology, 51(6), 1173-1182.
Biggs, S. (2000). Global village or urban jungle: Culture, self-construal, and the Internet. Paper presented at the Proceedings of the Media Ecology Association, 1, 28-36.
Chou, C., & Hsiao, M-C. (2000). Internet addiction, usage, gratification, and pleasure experience: The Taiwan college students’ case. Computers & Education, 35(1), 65-80.
Clark, D. J., Frith, K. H., & Demi, A. S. (2004). The physical, behavioral, and psychosocial consequences of internet use in college students. Computers Informatics Nursing, 22(3), 153-161.
Cohen, S., Kamarck, T., & Mermelstein, R. (1983). A global measure of perceived stress. Health and Social Behavior, 24(4), 385-396.
Dalbudak, E., Evren, C., Aldemir, S., Taymur, I., Evren, B., & Topcu, M. (2015). The impact of sensation seeking on the relationship between attention deficit/hyperactivity symptoms and severity of Internet addiction risk. Psychiatry Research, 228(1), 156-161.
Emmanuel, A-O., Adom, A. E., & Solomon, F. K. (2014). Perceived stress and academic performance of senior high school students in Western region, Ghana. European Journal of Business and Social Sciences, 2(11), 88-101.
Fallah Mehneh, T. (2007). Disorder of internet addiction. Psychology and Information, 1(1), 26-31. (in Persian).
Findahl, O. (2010). Swedes and the Internet 2010. Stockholm: SE (The Internet Infrastructure Foundation). Retrieved from www.internetstatistik.se
Findahl, O. (2011). Svenskarna och internet 2011. Stiftelsen. SE.
Gabre, H., & Kumar, G. (2012). The effects of perceived stress and Facebook on accounting students’ academic performance. Accounting and Finance Research, 1(2), 87-100.
Gray, N. J. (2008). Health information on the internet- a double-edged sword? Adolescent Health, 42(5), 432-433.
Greenfield, D. (2000). Virtual addiction: Help for netheads, cyberfreaks, and those who love them. Adolescence, 35(137), 223.
Gunuc, S., & Dogan, A. (2013). The relationships between Turkish adolescents’ Internet addiction, their perceived social support and family activities. Computers in Human Behavior, 29(6), 2197-2207.
Haines, M. E., Norris, M. P., & Kashy, D. A. (1996). The effects of depressed mood on academic performance in college students. College Student Development, 37(5), 519-526.
Hawi, N. S. (2012). Internet addiction among adolescents in Lebanon. Computers in Human Behavior, 28(3), 1044-1053.
Hofer, M. (2007). Goal conflicts and self-regulation: A new look at pupils’ off-task behaviour in the classroom. Educational Research Review, 2(1), 28-38.
Hofmann, W., Vohs, K. D., & Baumeister, R. F. (2012). What people desire, feel conflicted about, and try to resist in everyday life. Psychological Science, 23(6), 582-588.
Huang, H., & Leung, L. (2009). Instant messaging addiction among teenagers in China: Shyness, alienation, and academic performance decrement. Cyberpsychology & Behavior, 12(6), 675-679.
Hudd, S. S., Dumlao, J., Erdmann-Sager, D., Murray, D., Phan, E., Soukas, N., & Yokozuka, N. (2000). Stress at college: Effects on health habits, health status and self-esteem. College Student Journal, 34(2), 217-228.
Jackson, L. A., Samona, R., Moomaw, J., Ramsay, L., Murray, C., Smith, A., & Murray, L. (2006). What children do on the Internet: Domains visited and their relationship to socio-demographic characteristics and academic performance. Cyberpsychology & Behavior, 10(2), 182-190.
Jeong, S-H., & Fishbein, M. (2007). Predictors of multitasking with media: Media factors and audience factors. Media Psychology, 10(3), 364-384.
Kaplan, H. I., & Sadock, B. J. (1988). Synopsis of psychiatry: Behavioral sciences clinical psychiatry. Williams & Wilkins Co.
Kim, J., LaRose, R., & Peng, W. (2009). Loneliness as the cause and the effect of problematic Internet use: The relationship between Internet use and psychological well-being. Cyberpsychology & Behavior, 12(4), 451-455.
Lazarus, R. S. (1966). Psychological stress and the coping process. New York, NY, US: McGraw-Hill
Leung, L., & Lee, P. S. (2012). The influences of information literacy, internet addiction and parenting styles on internet risks. New Media & Society, 14(1), 117-136.
Levine, L. E., Waite, B. M., & Bowman, L. L. (2007). Electronic media use, reading, and academic distractibility in college youth. Cyberpsychology & Behavior, 10(4), 560-566.
Li, D., Zhang, W., Li, X., Zhen, S., & Wang, Y. (2010). Stressful life events and problematic Internet use by adolescent females and males: A mediated moderation model. Computers in Human Behavior, 26(5), 1199-1207.
Masoudnia, E. (2013). Internet addiction and risk of sleep disorder among adolescents. Research in Behavioural Sciences, 10(5), 350-362. (in Persian).
Misra, R., McKean, M., West, S., & Russo, T. (2000). Academic stress of college students: Comparison of student and faculty perceptions. College Student Journal, 34(2), 236-246.
Morsy, A. A. K., & Shalaby, N. S. (2012). The use of technology by university adolescent students and its relation to attention, sleep, and academic achievement. American Science, 8(1), 264-270.
Ni, X., Yan, H., Chen, S., & Liu, Z. (2009). Factors influencing internet addiction in a sample of freshmen university students in China. Cyberpsychology & Behavior, 12(3), 327-330.
Nie, N. H., Hillygus, D. S., & Erbring, L. (2002). Internet use, interpersonal relations and sociability: A time diary study. 215-43 in The Internet in Everyday Life, edited by Barry Wellman and Carolyn Haythornthwaite. Oxford, England: Blackwell.
Niemi, P. M., & Vainiomäki, P. T. (1999). Medical students' academic distress, coping, and achievement strategies during the preclinical years. Teaching and Learning in Medicine, 11(3), 125-134.
Pengilly, J. W., & Dowd, E. T. (2000). Hardiness and social support as moderators of stress. Clinical Psychology, 56(6), 813-820.
Pettit, M. L., & DeBarr, K. A. (2011). Perceived stress, energy drink consumption, and academic performance among college students. American College Health, 59(5), 335-341.
Pritchard, M. E., & Wilson, G. S. (2003). Using emotional and social factors to predict student success. College Student Development, 44(1), 18-28.
Ranjbar, Z., Darvizeh, Z., & Naragizadeh, A. (2011). The comparison of quantity and quality use of internet in relation to mental healthand academic achievement of students in Tehran. Psychological Studies, 7(2), 11-35. (in Persian).
Reinecke, L., Aufenanger, S., Beutel, M. E., Dreier, M., Quiring, O., Stark, B., & Müller, K. W. (2016). Digital stress over the life span: The effects of communication load and internet multitasking on perceived stress and psychological health impairments in a German probability sample. Media Psychology, 28, 1-26.
Reinecke, L., Hartmann, T., & Eden, A. (2014). The guilty couch potato: The role of ego depletion in reducing recovery through media use. Communication, 64(4), 569-589.
Roschelle, J. M., Pea, R. D., Hoadley, C. M., Gordin, D. N., & Means, B. M. (2000). Changing how and what children learn in school with computer-based technologies. The Future of Children, 10(2), 76-101.
Sachithra, V. (2016). Internet addiction, academic performance and university students. Journal of Global Research in Education and Social, 3(4), 179-186
Sanghvi, H., & Rai, U. (2015). Internet addiction and its relationship with emotional intelligence and perceived stress experienced by young adults. The International Journal of Indian Psychology, 3(1), 64-71.
Sepahvand, T., & R Gilani, B, Z. (2009). The relationship between explanatory (attribution) styles with perceived stress and general health. Psychology, 38(4), 27-43. (in Persian).
Shayegh, S., Azad, H., & Bahrami, H. (2009). Study of internet addiction and its relationship with personality traits in Tehran adolescents. Fundamentals of Mental Health, 11(42), 149-158. (in Persian).
Shokri, O., Kadivar, P., Naghsh, Z., Ghanai, Z., Daneshvarpour, Z., & Molaei, M. (2007). Personality traits, academic stress, and academic performance. Educational Psychology Studies, 3(3), 25-48. (in Persian).
Subrahmanyam, K., Greenfield, P., Kraut, R., & Gross, E. (2001). The impact of computer use on children's and adolescents' development. Applied Developmental Psychology, 22(1), 7-30.
Talib, N., & Zia-ur-Rehman, M. (2012). Academic performance and perceived stress among university students. Educational Research and Reviews, 7(5), 127-132.
Tao, D., Demiris, G., Graves, R. S., & Sievert, M. (2003). Transition from in library use of resources to outside library use: the impact of the internet on information seeking behavior of medical students and faculty. AMIA Annual Symposium Proceedings, 1027, Retrieved from http://europepmc.org/backend/ ptpmcrender.fcgi? accid=PMC1479906&blobtype=pdf
Thomée, S., Härenstam, A., & Hagberg, M. (2011). Mobile phone use and stress, sleep disturbances, and symptoms of depression among young adults-a prospective cohort study. BMC Public Health, 11(1), 66.
Turi, A., Miri, M., Beheshti, D., Yari, E., Khodabakhsh, H., & Sarab, G. A. (2015). Prevalence of Internet addiction and its relationship with anxiety, stress, and depression in intermediate students in Birjand city in 2014. Journal of Birjand University of Medical Sciences, 22(1), 1-8.
Was, C. A., Woltz, D. J., & Drew, C. (2006). Evaluating character education programs and missing the target: A critique of existing research. Educational Research Review, 1(2), 148-156.
Whitman, N. A. (1985). Student stress: Effects and solutions. ERIC Digest, 4,81-85.
Widyanto, L., & Griffiths, M. (2006). ‘Internet addiction’: A critical review. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 4(1), 31-51.
Yao, M. Z., & Zhong, Z-j. (2014). Loneliness, social contacts and Internet addiction: A cross-lagged panel study. Computers in Human Behavior, 30, 164-170.
Young, K. S. (1999). The research and controversy surrounding internet addiction. Cyberpsychology & Behavior, 2(5), 381-383.
Young, K. S. (2004). Internet addiction a new clinical phenomenon and its consequences. American Behavioral Scientist, 48(4), 402-415.
_||_Anwar, N. (2015). Internet addiction as a predictor of loneliness, self esteem and satisfaction with life. Pakistan Psychiatric Society, 12(1), 72-73.
Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator mediator variable distinction in social psychol ogical research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Personality and Social Psychology, 51(6), 1173-1182.
Biggs, S. (2000). Global village or urban jungle: Culture, self-construal, and the Internet. Paper presented at the Proceedings of the Media Ecology Association, 1, 28-36.
Chou, C., & Hsiao, M-C. (2000). Internet addiction, usage, gratification, and pleasure experience: The Taiwan college students’ case. Computers & Education, 35(1), 65-80.
Clark, D. J., Frith, K. H., & Demi, A. S. (2004). The physical, behavioral, and psychosocial consequences of internet use in college students. Computers Informatics Nursing, 22(3), 153-161.
Cohen, S., Kamarck, T., & Mermelstein, R. (1983). A global measure of perceived stress. Health and Social Behavior, 24(4), 385-396.
Dalbudak, E., Evren, C., Aldemir, S., Taymur, I., Evren, B., & Topcu, M. (2015). The impact of sensation seeking on the relationship between attention deficit/hyperactivity symptoms and severity of Internet addiction risk. Psychiatry Research, 228(1), 156-161.
Emmanuel, A-O., Adom, A. E., & Solomon, F. K. (2014). Perceived stress and academic performance of senior high school students in Western region, Ghana. European Journal of Business and Social Sciences, 2(11), 88-101.
Fallah Mehneh, T. (2007). Disorder of internet addiction. Psychology and Information, 1(1), 26-31. (in Persian).
Findahl, O. (2010). Swedes and the Internet 2010. Stockholm: SE (The Internet Infrastructure Foundation). Retrieved from www.internetstatistik.se
Findahl, O. (2011). Svenskarna och internet 2011. Stiftelsen. SE.
Gabre, H., & Kumar, G. (2012). The effects of perceived stress and Facebook on accounting students’ academic performance. Accounting and Finance Research, 1(2), 87-100.
Gray, N. J. (2008). Health information on the internet- a double-edged sword? Adolescent Health, 42(5), 432-433.
Greenfield, D. (2000). Virtual addiction: Help for netheads, cyberfreaks, and those who love them. Adolescence, 35(137), 223.
Gunuc, S., & Dogan, A. (2013). The relationships between Turkish adolescents’ Internet addiction, their perceived social support and family activities. Computers in Human Behavior, 29(6), 2197-2207.
Haines, M. E., Norris, M. P., & Kashy, D. A. (1996). The effects of depressed mood on academic performance in college students. College Student Development, 37(5), 519-526.
Hawi, N. S. (2012). Internet addiction among adolescents in Lebanon. Computers in Human Behavior, 28(3), 1044-1053.
Hofer, M. (2007). Goal conflicts and self-regulation: A new look at pupils’ off-task behaviour in the classroom. Educational Research Review, 2(1), 28-38.
Hofmann, W., Vohs, K. D., & Baumeister, R. F. (2012). What people desire, feel conflicted about, and try to resist in everyday life. Psychological Science, 23(6), 582-588.
Huang, H., & Leung, L. (2009). Instant messaging addiction among teenagers in China: Shyness, alienation, and academic performance decrement. Cyberpsychology & Behavior, 12(6), 675-679.
Hudd, S. S., Dumlao, J., Erdmann-Sager, D., Murray, D., Phan, E., Soukas, N., & Yokozuka, N. (2000). Stress at college: Effects on health habits, health status and self-esteem. College Student Journal, 34(2), 217-228.
Jackson, L. A., Samona, R., Moomaw, J., Ramsay, L., Murray, C., Smith, A., & Murray, L. (2006). What children do on the Internet: Domains visited and their relationship to socio-demographic characteristics and academic performance. Cyberpsychology & Behavior, 10(2), 182-190.
Jeong, S-H., & Fishbein, M. (2007). Predictors of multitasking with media: Media factors and audience factors. Media Psychology, 10(3), 364-384.
Kaplan, H. I., & Sadock, B. J. (1988). Synopsis of psychiatry: Behavioral sciences clinical psychiatry. Williams & Wilkins Co.
Kim, J., LaRose, R., & Peng, W. (2009). Loneliness as the cause and the effect of problematic Internet use: The relationship between Internet use and psychological well-being. Cyberpsychology & Behavior, 12(4), 451-455.
Lazarus, R. S. (1966). Psychological stress and the coping process. New York, NY, US: McGraw-Hill
Leung, L., & Lee, P. S. (2012). The influences of information literacy, internet addiction and parenting styles on internet risks. New Media & Society, 14(1), 117-136.
Levine, L. E., Waite, B. M., & Bowman, L. L. (2007). Electronic media use, reading, and academic distractibility in college youth. Cyberpsychology & Behavior, 10(4), 560-566.
Li, D., Zhang, W., Li, X., Zhen, S., & Wang, Y. (2010). Stressful life events and problematic Internet use by adolescent females and males: A mediated moderation model. Computers in Human Behavior, 26(5), 1199-1207.
Masoudnia, E. (2013). Internet addiction and risk of sleep disorder among adolescents. Research in Behavioural Sciences, 10(5), 350-362. (in Persian).
Misra, R., McKean, M., West, S., & Russo, T. (2000). Academic stress of college students: Comparison of student and faculty perceptions. College Student Journal, 34(2), 236-246.
Morsy, A. A. K., & Shalaby, N. S. (2012). The use of technology by university adolescent students and its relation to attention, sleep, and academic achievement. American Science, 8(1), 264-270.
Ni, X., Yan, H., Chen, S., & Liu, Z. (2009). Factors influencing internet addiction in a sample of freshmen university students in China. Cyberpsychology & Behavior, 12(3), 327-330.
Nie, N. H., Hillygus, D. S., & Erbring, L. (2002). Internet use, interpersonal relations and sociability: A time diary study. 215-43 in The Internet in Everyday Life, edited by Barry Wellman and Carolyn Haythornthwaite. Oxford, England: Blackwell.
Niemi, P. M., & Vainiomäki, P. T. (1999). Medical students' academic distress, coping, and achievement strategies during the preclinical years. Teaching and Learning in Medicine, 11(3), 125-134.
Pengilly, J. W., & Dowd, E. T. (2000). Hardiness and social support as moderators of stress. Clinical Psychology, 56(6), 813-820.
Pettit, M. L., & DeBarr, K. A. (2011). Perceived stress, energy drink consumption, and academic performance among college students. American College Health, 59(5), 335-341.
Pritchard, M. E., & Wilson, G. S. (2003). Using emotional and social factors to predict student success. College Student Development, 44(1), 18-28.
Ranjbar, Z., Darvizeh, Z., & Naragizadeh, A. (2011). The comparison of quantity and quality use of internet in relation to mental healthand academic achievement of students in Tehran. Psychological Studies, 7(2), 11-35. (in Persian).
Reinecke, L., Aufenanger, S., Beutel, M. E., Dreier, M., Quiring, O., Stark, B., & Müller, K. W. (2016). Digital stress over the life span: The effects of communication load and internet multitasking on perceived stress and psychological health impairments in a German probability sample. Media Psychology, 28, 1-26.
Reinecke, L., Hartmann, T., & Eden, A. (2014). The guilty couch potato: The role of ego depletion in reducing recovery through media use. Communication, 64(4), 569-589.
Roschelle, J. M., Pea, R. D., Hoadley, C. M., Gordin, D. N., & Means, B. M. (2000). Changing how and what children learn in school with computer-based technologies. The Future of Children, 10(2), 76-101.
Sachithra, V. (2016). Internet addiction, academic performance and university students. Journal of Global Research in Education and Social, 3(4), 179-186
Sanghvi, H., & Rai, U. (2015). Internet addiction and its relationship with emotional intelligence and perceived stress experienced by young adults. The International Journal of Indian Psychology, 3(1), 64-71.
Sepahvand, T., & R Gilani, B, Z. (2009). The relationship between explanatory (attribution) styles with perceived stress and general health. Psychology, 38(4), 27-43. (in Persian).
Shayegh, S., Azad, H., & Bahrami, H. (2009). Study of internet addiction and its relationship with personality traits in Tehran adolescents. Fundamentals of Mental Health, 11(42), 149-158. (in Persian).
Shokri, O., Kadivar, P., Naghsh, Z., Ghanai, Z., Daneshvarpour, Z., & Molaei, M. (2007). Personality traits, academic stress, and academic performance. Educational Psychology Studies, 3(3), 25-48. (in Persian).
Subrahmanyam, K., Greenfield, P., Kraut, R., & Gross, E. (2001). The impact of computer use on children's and adolescents' development. Applied Developmental Psychology, 22(1), 7-30.
Talib, N., & Zia-ur-Rehman, M. (2012). Academic performance and perceived stress among university students. Educational Research and Reviews, 7(5), 127-132.
Tao, D., Demiris, G., Graves, R. S., & Sievert, M. (2003). Transition from in library use of resources to outside library use: the impact of the internet on information seeking behavior of medical students and faculty. AMIA Annual Symposium Proceedings, 1027, Retrieved from http://europepmc.org/backend/ ptpmcrender.fcgi? accid=PMC1479906&blobtype=pdf
Thomée, S., Härenstam, A., & Hagberg, M. (2011). Mobile phone use and stress, sleep disturbances, and symptoms of depression among young adults-a prospective cohort study. BMC Public Health, 11(1), 66.
Turi, A., Miri, M., Beheshti, D., Yari, E., Khodabakhsh, H., & Sarab, G. A. (2015). Prevalence of Internet addiction and its relationship with anxiety, stress, and depression in intermediate students in Birjand city in 2014. Journal of Birjand University of Medical Sciences, 22(1), 1-8.
Was, C. A., Woltz, D. J., & Drew, C. (2006). Evaluating character education programs and missing the target: A critique of existing research. Educational Research Review, 1(2), 148-156.
Whitman, N. A. (1985). Student stress: Effects and solutions. ERIC Digest, 4,81-85.
Widyanto, L., & Griffiths, M. (2006). ‘Internet addiction’: A critical review. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 4(1), 31-51.
Yao, M. Z., & Zhong, Z-j. (2014). Loneliness, social contacts and Internet addiction: A cross-lagged panel study. Computers in Human Behavior, 30, 164-170.
Young, K. S. (1999). The research and controversy surrounding internet addiction. Cyberpsychology & Behavior, 2(5), 381-383.
Young, K. S. (2004). Internet addiction a new clinical phenomenon and its consequences. American Behavioral Scientist, 48(4), 402-415.
