Relationship between Internet Addiction and Obesity and the Predictive Role of Emotion Dysregulation

Abstract

AbstractBackground:In recent decades, with the significant developments in technology, the Internet has become a main part of peoples' lives. The widespread use of the Internet has raised significant concerns about problematic Internet behaviors and their consequences. This study aimed to examine if Internet addiction significantly predicts obesity and whether Internet addiction and obesity are significantly predicted by emotion dysregulation.Mthods:367 school-attending adolescents (M age = 13.35;SD= 0.82; 49% girls) in Tekab were recruited and completed the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) and Internet Addiction Test (IAT) measures, while their BMI scores were calculated to examine the participants' obesity levels.Results:The results indicated that Internet addiction significantly predicted obesity, while they both were significantly predicted by emotion dysregulations.Conclusion:Our findings could be informative for clinicians working with individuals suffering from Internet addiction and obesity.