The Relationship Between Impulsivity, Anxiety and Internet Addiction in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Moderated Mediation Model

Abstract

We aimed to examine the relationship between impulsivity and Internet Addiction (IA) evaluating autism symptoms, inattention, hyperactivity, loneliness, anxiety, and depression in adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). We also investigated whether symptoms of autism, anxiety or depression moderate and/or mediate the relationship between impulsivity and study variables in predicting the severity of IA. Participants (n = 46 adolescents with ASD, ages 12-18) were assessed through Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ), Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scales, Turgay DSM-IV-Based Disruptive Behavioral Disorders Screening and Rating Scale, The Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-Brief, Young Internet Addiction Scale, and UCLA Loneliness Scale. For all the mediation models, total effect of impulsivity on IA was statistically significant (b = 0.329, p < 0.05). The mediator effects of Separation Anxiety Disorder (SpAD) (b = 0.495, CI = 0.039-1.256), and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) (b = 0.786, CI = 0.113-1.811) were statistically significant on the path between impulsivity and IA. The direct effect of impulsivity on SpAD was moderated by ASSQ (b = 0.041, p < 0.05). SpAD and GAD mediates the relationship between impulsivity and IA. The higher the autism level, the more likely the individual with ASD is to become an internet addict, strengthening higher relationship between impulsivity, SpAD, and GAD.