Mediating Role of Coping Strategies in Relationship Between Difficulties in Emotion Regulation ‎And Internet Addiction ‎

Aims: the goal of this study was to describe the mediating role of coping strategies in relationship between difficulties in emotion regulation and internet addiction. Materials & Methods: this study was a descriptive-correlational study. the sample group in this study included 375 students, which were selected by convenience sampling from Karaj Islamic Azad University in 2018. Data were collected by self-report method. Data collection instruments used for this study were: internet addiction Questionnaire, difficulties of emotion regulation scale and coping strategies scale. Data were analyzed by SPSS v.25 and using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficients and concurrent hierarchical regression analysis. Findings: according to the result, a significant relationship was observed between difficulties of emotion regulation with maladaptive coping (p> 0.05, r= 0.527), maladaptive coping with internet addiction (p> 0.05, r= 0.386) and difficulties of emotion with internet addiction (p> 0.05, r= 0.548). Also, hierarchical regression analysis by Baron and Kenny method showed that maladaptive coping is mediator between difficulties of emotion regulation and internet addiction. Conclusion: in general, these results indicate that high level of difficulties of  emotion regulation are associated with high levels of internet addiction and  difficulties of  emotion regulation has positive impact on maladaptive coping strategy, subsequently emotion-focused coping increases internet addiction.