Generalized problematic Internet use and regulation of social emotional competence: The mediating role of maladaptive cognitions arising from academic expectation stress on adolescents

• Regulatory social-emotional competence corresponded with more negative mood affect.
• Social-emotional competence corresponded with higher social control and withdrawal in GPIU.
• Socio-emotional competence is associated with lower social benefits in GPIU.
• Maladaptive cognitions mediated regulatory competence on five GPIU dimensions.

This study explored the relationships between adolescents’ perceptions of their capacity for social-emotional regulation and generalized problematic Internet use (GPIU). It further examined if maladaptive thoughts from undue academic-related stress mediated this relationship in a school-going population in Singapore where educational achievement is heavily emphasized and expected from the family and school, and the pressure to succeed and do well academically is more acutely felt than that experienced in western contexts. A total of 1437 8th and 9th graders participated in a survey questionnaire. The results showed that adolescents who perceived higher regulatory competence were more likely to use the Internet to deal with the negative consequences of Internet use in appropriate ways. Also, the study found maladaptive thoughts that came from perceived academic expectations of parents and teachers partially mediated the effects of social-emotional regulatory competence and these youngsters’ ability to control their online social interactions. Of interest was the unexpected finding that the respective relationships between social-emotional regulatory competence and compulsive Internet use, and withdrawal from Internet use became salient when such maladaptive thoughts were taken into account, suggesting the possibility of suppression rather than mediational effects. Implications arising from the study will be discussed.