Life satisfaction and problematic Internet use: Evidence for gender specific effects
Abstract
The present study investigates, using a large sample (N=4852 participants; 51.71% males), how problematic Internet use (PIU) relates to general life satisfaction and distinct facets of everyday life such as job, leisure, and health. Data on Internet usage was gathered using a short form of the Young Internet Addiction Test. Life satisfaction was measured with standardized items taken from the socioeconomic panel (Germany). Highly significant associations were observed between PIU and the facets of life satisfaction, health and leisure. Of note, these associations between the mentioned facets of life satisfaction and PIU were significantly higher for females compared to males, although the reported total level of PIU was significantly lower for females. This suggests the presence of different thresholds for males and females with respect to negative effects on well-being due to PIU. The current study underlines the importance of including gender as a critical variable when investigating the association between life satisfaction and PIU.
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Some studies suggest that there may be different thresholds for males and females with respect to these negative effects.
“Some studies suggest that there may be different thresholds for males and females with respect to these negative effects [52].”
From Problematic Use of the Internet and Smartphones in University Students: 2006–2017 (2018) · cites this paper as [52]
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Problematic Use of the Internet and Smartphones in University Students: 2006–2017
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“Some studies suggest that there may be different thresholds for males and females with respect to these negative effects [52].”
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- Authors
- Lachmann, B., Sariyska, R., Kannen, C., Cooper, A., & Montag, C.
- Affiliations
- Universität Ulm (DE)
- University of Bonn (DE)
- Goldsmiths University of London (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Lachmann, Bernd
- Venue
- Psychiatry Research
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2016-04
- Volume
- 238
- Pages
- 363-367
- ISSN
- 0165-1781 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2263400129
- Cited by
- 85
- References
- 28
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 2
- FWCI
- 26.61
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychiatry Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- German Research Foundation (MO 2363/6-1, MO 2363/3-1)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Workaholism, burnout, and well-being
- Keywords
- problematic internet use, life satisfaction, gender differences, internet addiction, well-being, leisure, job satisfaction, Young Internet Addiction Test
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Child, Female, Germany, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Personal Satisfaction, Sex Factors, Behavior, Addictive, Internet, Young Adult
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