Trait Anxiety and Internet Addiction as Correlates of Psychological Well-Being Among College Students

Abstract

This study examined the relationships of trait anxiety and internet addiction with psychological well-being (PWB) among college students, a group for whom heavy, often poorly regulated internet use coexists with the ordinary pressures of academic life. Although trait anxiety and internet addiction have each been linked to reduced well-being in prior research, comparatively few studies have examined both variables together within the same sample of Indian college students, leaving open questions about their relative importance for student well-being. To address this gap, a correlational research design was employed with a convenience sample of 110 college students (aged 18–23) from the Jaipur district. Participants completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (short form, STAI-T5), the Internet Addiction Test (IAT), and Ryff and Keyes’ (1995) Measures of Psychological Well-Being. Pearson correlation analysis revealed that both trait anxiety (r = -.38, p < .001) and internet addiction (r = -.30, p < .001) were significantly and negatively associated with psychological well-being. A simple linear regression further showed that trait anxiety significantly predicted PWB, F(1,108) = 19.00, p < .001, accounting for approximately 15% of the variance. These findings suggest that college students who report higher trait anxiety and heavier patterns of problematic internet use tend to report poorer psychological well-being, with trait anxiety emerging as the stronger of the two correlates in this sample. The implications, limitations, and directions for future research — including the value of testing trait anxiety and internet addiction as simultaneous predictors of well-being — are discussed, along with practical suggestions for campus-based counselling and student-support services.