Exploring Gender Difference between Problematic Internet Use and Social Interactional Anxiety Among Young Adults

Abstract

Problematic internet use is marked by symptoms of addiction, including compulsive and excessive use, tolerance, withdrawal, and impairment. Social interactional anxiety refers to the emotional aspect of social anxiety, which is a severe fear of interpersonal interactions in social situations, particularly in social environments.

AIM: This study investigates the relationship and gender difference between Social interaction anxiety and Problematic internet use (PIU) among Young Adults.

METHODOLOGY: Proposed hypothesis suggests young adults' problematic internet use and social interactional anxiety are significantly correlated. The degrees of social interactional anxiety between genders also varied significantly. Kimberly Young chose 100 people (50 men and 50 women) who scored well on the Internet Addiction Test from a sample of 200 people between the ages of 18 and 25 to test this theory. The Mattick and Clarke Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS) was designed to gauge the severity of social interactional anxiety. Through the use of a t-test and Pearson Product Correlation, the data was statistically examined.

RESULT AND CONCLUSION: The results of the study showed that social interaction anxiety and problematic internet use have a statistically significant positive connection. They also found a statistically significant gender difference in social interaction anxiety, with women ranking greater than men. The results of the study will aid in understanding social interactional anxiety problems, which are growing more prevalent in young adults, as well as risk factors for problematic internet use.