Abstract Psychological resilience (PR) and life satisfaction (LS) are considered protective factors for problematic behaviors, yet their structural relationships with internet addiction (IA) and the potential indirect effect of LS require further clarification. This study tested whether LS shows an indirect effect the relationship between PR and IA among university students. The study was conducted with 715 undergraduate students from Türkiye (mean age = 21.6; 55.7% female). Data were collected using the Brief Resilience Scale (ω = 0.88), the Satisfaction with Life Scale (ω = 0.89), and the Young Internet Addiction Test–Short Form (ω = 0.92). Correlation analyses and structural equation modeling (SEM) were performed, and mediation was tested via bootstrap analysis (5,000 resamples). PR was positively related to LS ( r = .309, p < .01) and negatively related to IA, while LS was also negatively related to IA ( r = –.293 and r = –.176, respectively, p < .01). The SEM demonstrated good model fit (χ²= 642.35, df = 226, p < .001; CFI = 0.941, TLI = 0.935, RMSEA = 0.061, SRMR = 0.042). Standardized path coefficients were PR → LS (β = 0.52, p < .01), PR → IA (β = –0.47, p < .01), and LS → IA (β = –0.28, p < .05). Bootstrap results confirmed that a significant indirect effect was observed the PR–IA association (indirect effect β = –0.15, 95% CI –0.24, –0.08). Higher psychological resilience was associated with lower internet addiction both directly and indirectly through greater life satisfaction, indicating that PR and LS function as protective factors against IA in young people. University-based interventions that enhance resilience and life satisfaction may inform prevention efforts targeting problematic internet use.
Nuri Erdemir (Thu,) studied this question.