The association between psychological well-being and problematic use of Internet communicative services among young people

The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between psychological well-being dimensions, such as the presence of positive psychological functioning and problematic use of Internet communicative services. 495 undergraduate students were recruited. The Italian adaptations of the Psychological Well-being Scales and the Generalized Problematic Internet Use Scale 2 (GPIUS2) were used to assess psychological well-being dimensions and generalized problematic Internet use, respectively. Psychological well-being dimensions explained a significant portion of variance for the GPIUS-2 total score levels, after controlling for sex, age, and occupational status. The levels of Autonomy, Mastery, and Positive Relations with Others act as significant negative predictors of the tendency to use the web for regulating negative feelings, compulsive use of the web, and the negative outcomes that can arise as a result. The overall findings of the present study provide preliminary evidence that low psychological well-being is associated with problematic use of Internet communicative services.