Emotional e-independence, problematic internet use, and academic procrastination among undergraduates: a cross-sectional mediation study
Current Psychology, cilt.45, sa.16, 2026 (SSCI, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 45 Sayı: 16
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1007/s12144-026-09958-x
- Dergi Adı: Current Psychology
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, IBZ Online, BIOSIS, Psycinfo, Biomedical Reference Collection: Corporate Edition (EBSCO), Business Source Ultimate (EBSCO), Health Research Premium Collection (ProQuest), Sociology Source Ultimate (EBSCO)
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Academic procrastination, Digital self-regulation, Emotional e-independence, Problematic internet use
- Akdeniz Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
The present study examined the relationship between emotional e-independence and academic procrastination among undergraduate students, with a particular focus on the mediating role of problematic Internet use. Emotional e-independence refers to individuals’ ability to maintain emotional autonomy in online environments without excessive reliance on external validation. Data were collected from 731 undergraduate students enrolled at public universities in Türkiye using self-report measures of emotional e-independence, problematic Internet use, and academic procrastination. Structural equation modeling was employed to test the hypothesized direct and indirect relationships among the variables. The results indicated that emotional e-independence was negatively associated with both problematic Internet use and academic procrastination, while problematic Internet use was positively associated with academic procrastination. Mediation analysis showed that problematic Internet use fully mediated this relationship: emotional e-independence was initially associated with academic procrastination, but this direct effect became non-significant after problematic Internet use was included in the model. These findings suggest that emotional e-independence is indirectly associated with students’ academic behavior through its relationship with problematic Internet use. The study contributes to the literature by integrating emotional, behavioral, and academic factors within a single model and highlights the importance of addressing emotional processes in digital contexts, which may be associated with lower academic procrastination.