Social Psychology Research

Abstract Introduction: The Internet, as an advanced technology, has several negative effects, one of which is Internet addiction. This addiction is influenced by various factors. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to investigate the roles of loneliness, social anxiety, and sensation seeking in predicting Internet addiction among students.
 Method: This research is descriptive and correlational in nature. A total of 269 male and female students from Neishabor University were selected using a multi-stage random sampling method. The participants completed several questionnaires, including Young's Internet Addiction Questionnaire (1998), Russell's Loneliness Scale (1980), the Social Anxiety Scale developed by Metic and Clark (1989), and Zuckerman's Sensation-Seeking Scale (1978).
Findings: To analyze the data, we employed Pearson correlation methods and stepwise regression analysis. The results from the Pearson correlation indicated a significant relationship between loneliness and Internet addiction. Additionally, social anxiety was found to have a direct and significant relationship with Internet addiction. Furthermore, all components of sensation-seeking also showed a direct and significant relationship with Internet addiction. The regression analysis results revealed that the loneliness variable accounted for 8% of the variance in Internet addiction. In the second step, social anxiety explained an additional 9% of the variance. In total, the three variables together accounted for 11% of the variance in Internet addiction.
Conclusion: According to the research findings, loneliness, social anxiety, and thrill-seeking all play a significant role in predicting students' social health. It is recommended that suitable and effective counseling services be provided for students. Additionally, it is essential to identify the causes of loneliness among students and to prevent complications such as internet addiction by implementing appropriate solutions to mitigate this issue.