Effects of self-concealment and self-esteem on Internet addiction in college students

Abstract

We investigated the relationships between self-concealment, selfesteem, and Internet addiction in college students. Participants (N = 589 undergraduates) completed the Self-Concealment Scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the Internet Addiction Diagnostic Questionnaire. Results show that self-esteem partially mediated the positive relationship between self-concealment and Internet addiction. Further, the bootstrapping analysis results reveal that self-concealment had a significant indirect effect via self-esteem on Internet addiction among college students. These findings extend previous studies and shed light on ways to reduce Internet addiction from a positive and meaningful perspective through the effects of self-concealment and selfesteem.