Priddin, Melinda (2010) Parental Bonding and Attachment Style as Predictors of Problematic Internet Use. Honours thesis, University of Southern Queensland. (Unpublished)
Abstract
The cognitive-behavioural model of problematic Internet use (Davis, 2001) suggests that pre-existing psychosocial problems such as anxiety and depression, along with associated maladaptive cognitions about self and the world, play a fundamental role in the development of problematic Internet use. Whilst previous research has established links between parental bonding, attachment style, and psychosocial functioning, there has been no research to date that has examined the contributions of parental bonding and attachment style in the prediction of problematic Internet use. The current study has four main aims: (a) to investigate whether a relationship exists among parental bonding variables (i.e., mother and father care and overprotection), and generalised problematic Internet use; (b) to investigate the relationship between attachment styles (i.e., secure, fearful, dismissing, and preoccupied), and generalised problematic Internet use; (c) to examine the contributions of the parental bonding variables and attachment styles in predicting generalised problematic Internet use; and (d) to investigate age and gender differences in relation to generalised problematic Internet use. Participants included 161 individuals (Male = 40; Female = 121), aged between 18 and 73 years. They completed an online questionnaire that included the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) to assess perceived early childhood bonding experiences (i.e., mother and father care and overprotection; Parker, Tupling, & Brown, 1979) the Relationship Questionnaire (RQ; Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991) to assess attachment styles, and the Generalised Problematic Internet Scale 2 (GPIUS2; Caplan, 2005) was used to assess the cognitive and behavioural dimensions of generalised problematic Internet use, along with the related negative outcomes. Correlational analyses revealed that mother overprotection and a fearful or preoccupied attachment style had a positive relationship with generalised problematic Internet use, whilst secure attachment had a negative relationship. However, only mother overprotection and age made significant and unique contributions to the prediction of generalised problematic Internet use. Results of the current research suggest that parental education that specifically addresses the issue of maternal overprotection, would be beneficial in the prevention of problematic Internet use. Future research however, may benefit from including further psychosocial measures that could discern the precise manner through which parenting behaviour and adult attachment is related to generalised problematic Internet use.
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| Item Type: | Thesis (Non-Research) (Honours) |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Current UniSQ staff and students can request access to this thesis. Please email research.repository@unisq.edu.au with a subject line of SEAR thesis request and provide: Name of the thesis requested and Your name and UniSQ email address |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Historic - Faculty of Sciences - Department of Psychology (Up to 30 Jun 2013) |
| Supervisors: | Nola Passmore |
| Qualification: | Bachelor of Science (Honours) (Psychology) |
| Date Deposited: | 16 Mar 2026 01:36 |
| Last Modified: | 16 Mar 2026 01:36 |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1799 Other Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 179999 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences not elsewhere classified |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5299 Other psychology > 529999 Other psychology not elsewhere classified |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/52675 |
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