Adolescent problematic internet use: protective associations of trait mindfulness and the mediating role of depressive symptoms

Abstract

Problematic Internet use (PIU) among adolescents poses a significant public health challenge, linked to emotional and psychological difficulties. This study examined the prevalence of PIU and the association between trait mindfulness and PIU severity, testing depressive and generalized anxiety symptoms as potential mediators, in a sample of 763 Polish adolescents (50.3% female; Mₐgₑ = 15.27 years). Using validated self-report measures, we estimated a cross-sectional mediation model positioning trait mindfulness as an upstream correlate indirectly associated with PIU severity through psychological distress. Results indicated a PIU prevalence of 5.9%. Higher psychological inflexibility, emotional dysregulation, anxiety, depression, and stress were positively associated with PIU severity, while higher mindfulness and sibling presence were associated with lower PIU severity. Mediation analyses indicated that the inverse association between mindfulness and PIU severity was partly accounted for by lower depressive symptoms, whereas generalized anxiety symptoms did not significantly mediate this association. Because the design is cross-sectional, these associations are correlational and should not be read as evidence that mindfulness causally reduces PIU. They nonetheless position trait mindfulness as a candidate protective factor, informing hypotheses for prospective prevention research.