The Impact of the Sense of Coherence on the Problematic Internet Use among Secondary School Students

Abstract

Objective: The omnipresence and functionality of the Internet as well as its common use by the society influence the constantly growing number of research devoted to the problematic use of the Internet. Problematic Internet Use (PIU) is defined as an excessive engagement in the use of some Internet applications, creating psychological, social and health problems. The recent research have shown that adolescents using the Internet in a dysfunctional ways present several psychosocial problems. In the literature, there is no doubt that high sense of coherence (SOC) has a positive impact on human's health. Methods: We used a simple random sample. The study group comprised of 1078 students of 9 randomly chosen secondary schools in Warsaw, Poland. All participants completed the Sense of Coherence Scale for Adolescents (SOC-11M), the version being adapted for Polish studies by Zwoliński; and the Internet Use Test which is a Polish adaptation of the Young’s Internet Addiction Test by Poprawa. Results: About 11.6% of students (N=125) showed a very high or high level of the PIU. We found a significant correlation between all dimensions of the PIU and the SOC. Secondary school students with lower level of the SOC showed the highest intensity of the PIU, while those with higher level of the SOC achieved the lowest results in the PIU. Conclusions: There is a lack of studies focusing on the impact of SOC on the PIU. Results lead to conclusion that strengthening SOC would be a useful aspect of school-based health promotion programs focused on PUI prevention and reducing its negative health consequences. The psychosocial causes as well as the potential influences of SOC on the PIU should be studied in the future longitudinal research. In addition, the studies concerning the practical use of SOC, including intervention studies, would be valuable. The impact of sense of coherence on the Problematic Internet Use among secondary school students.