The Role of Parental Style and Self-efficacy as Predictors of Internet Addiction among Israeli-Palestinian College Students in Israel

Abstract

Prior studies have suggested the importance of individual characteristics among youths (e.g., self-efficacy) and parents (e.g., parenting style) that may mediate the risk of the youth engaging in compulsive, addictive behaviors like Internet addiction (IA). The current work was the first to examine the associations of IA with self-efficacy and parenting styles among a unique sample of Muslim college students in Israel. Participants ( n = 500) reported on their symptoms of IA, self-efficacy, and their parents’ parenting practices. Consistent with the study hypotheses, authoritative parenting style and self-efficacy were correlated with fewer symptoms of IA ( r = −0.34, p < 0.01; r = −0.49, p < 0.01, respectively), whereas permissive and authoritarian parenting styles were correlated with elevated indicators of IA ( r = 0.41, p < 0.01; r = 0.46, p < 0.01, respectively). These findings are consistent with previous literature in Western samples, suggesting the cross-cultural importance of these personal attributes for reducing the risk of addictive Internet use.