Parental Rejection, Depression, and Internet Addiction Among Young Adults

Abstract

The present study tested whether relation between parental rejection and internet addiction was mediated through depression. Two hundred and thirty university students, ranging in age from 18 to 25 years, responded to the Adult versions of the Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire for fathers and for mothers (Uddin & Aktar, 2015), Beck Depression Inventory (Uddin, 2013), and Internet Addiction Test (Uddin & Sultana, 2016), along with a Personal Information Form. Results of independent sample t-test indicated significant gender differences in paternal rejection only. Bivariate correlations showed that parental rejection was positively associated with depression and internet addiction. Multiple regression analysis revealed that mother and father rejection jointly explained about 26% variance in depression and 21% variance in internet addiction of both female and male university students. Mediation analysis showed that depression partially mediated the relation between parental rejection and internet addiction.