Internet Addiction, Studyholism, and Exhaustion: a Moderated Mediation with Optimism.

Research Goals: Understanding the psychological wellbeing of university students by investigating the role of study load and internet addiction as demands and optimism as a personal resource. Theoretical Background: University students during the COVID-19 emergency experienced increased stress, anxiety, study obsession (studyholism) (Aristovnik et al., 2020; Loscalzo & Giannini, 2021), ICT use for learning and problematic internet usage, related to decreased psychological wellbeing (Gavurora et al., 2022). Study load and Internet addiction (IA) are positively related to academic burnout (Tasso et al, 2021; Zhu et al., 2022). Studyholism is related to stress, sleep problems, and negative affect (Loscalzo, 2021) and it may be considered an early form of workaholism (Atroszko, 2016). Compulsive internet use has been linked with workaholism (Quinones et al., 2016), but this relationship is less investigated in students. However, the presence of personal resources such as PsyCap, of which optimism is a dimension (Luthans & Youssef, 2004), can protect against the risk of adopting maladaptive coping strategies, such as internet and study or work addiction. Methodology: The study has been conducted during the second lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, involving 10298 participants from 11 universities (70.8% females, mean age 24.25 years; SD= 6.13). Participants gave their informed consent to fill in an online questionnaire on various aspects of academic and personal life. SPSS 26 and R were used to perform descriptive analyses and test a moderated mediation model. Results: The moderated mediation was conducted including study load and IA as independent variables, optimism as a moderator, studyholism as a mediator and emotional exhaustion as dependent variable. I controlled for age, gender, broad scientific area, and being on par with exams. Both study load and IA were positively associated with studyholism, which partially mediates the relationship between the two IV and exhaustion. Optimism is a protective factor against studyholism, although the interaction effects are positive, showing that the two IV have a stronger effect on studyholism and indirectly with exhaustion for higher level of optimism. The first regression model explains 41% of variance, the second 43%. Limitations: The study uses a cross-sectional design and self-reported data, increasing the likelihood of common method variance, and excluding causal inferences. There are no systematic pre-pandemic analyses on these dimensions in this population, preventing comparisons. Research/Practical implications: This research offers some insight about the nature of studyholism and contributes to the notion that study addiction may stem from a combination of personal and contextual resources and demands. The results show that the compulsive use of internet and excessive study load lead to study addiction with negative consequences on well-being. Relevance to the Congress Theme: Internet addiction and overworking are increasingly common problems, which may originate early; investigating students’ wellbeing is important to reflect on what kind of work environments we will shape in the future. Relevant UN SDGs: Good health and wellbeing, Quality education