Can personality traits predict internet addiction? Testing a six-component model in two samples

What is it about?

This study tested the construct validity of the Internet Addiction Components Model (IACM), which frames internet addiction as a behavioural addiction characterised by six symptoms: salience, withdrawal, tolerance, mood modification, relapse and conflict; drawn from Griffiths' broader components model of addiction. Two samples were used: a community sample of adults and a sample of adolescents from the Netherlands. The study established a nomological network by examining whether the IACM factor was associated in theoretically predicted ways with the Big Five personality traits and other psychological constructs. Results showed that low agreeableness and high neuroticism were consistently associated with higher internet addiction scores across both samples. Low conscientiousness and low resourcefulness additionally predicted internet addiction in the adolescent sample. The IACM performed as a parsimonious screening tool and the personality associations provided theoretical grounding for understanding individual vulnerability to problematic internet use.

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Why is it important?

At the time of publication, internet addiction research was marked by a proliferation of measurement tools and competing definitional frameworks, with no consensus on how to identify or assess the construct. This study addressed that gap by subjecting the IACM to systematic construct validation across two independent samples, establishing that it measures something theoretically coherent and distinct rather than simply capturing general distress or heavy use. The identification of personality risk profiles, particularly the neuroticism and low agreeableness combination, has practical value for targeting prevention and early intervention to those most at risk. The study contributed directly to the evidence base being assembled around the time the DSM-5 included Internet Gaming Disorder in its appendix as a condition requiring further research, and it remains a frequently cited reference point in the literature on the measurement and classification of behavioural addictions.