THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ADOLESCENTS’ PARENTAL ACCEPTANCE-REJECTION PERCEPTIONS AND INTERNET ADDICTION

This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between adolescents' parental acceptance-rejection perceptions and internet addiction. For this purpose, the relationship between adolescents' parental acceptance-rejection perceptions and internet addiction and whether this relationship changed in terms of gender was examined. A total of 500 students, 243 females, 257 males, who studied in different school types located in Atakum district of Samsun province for the 2018-2019 academic year in Samsun province participated in the study. In the study, Parental Acceptance-Rejection Scale Short Form (PARQ), "Internet Addiction Scale" and Personal Information Form were used. The data obtained from the research were analyzed using the SPSS 22 statistical package program. Firstly, Pearson Correlation Analysis was used to examine whether there was a significant relationship between individuals' perceptions of mother and father acceptance-rejection and their Internet addiction levels. According to the analysis results, a moderate negative correlation between "warmth/affection", which is one of the subdimensions of the mother acceptance-rejection scale, and Internet addiction; a positive and low level of significant correlation between "hostility/aggression" and "indifference/neglect" and Internet addiction was found. No significant correlation was found between "undifferentiated rejection", one of the subdimensions of the mother acceptance-rejection scale, and internet addiction. Of the father acceptance-rejection scale sub-dimensions, a negative low significant correlation was found between "warmth/affection" and Internet addiction; a positive low significant correlation was found between "hostility/aggression" and "indifference/neglect" and Internet addiction. Finally, a moderately significant positive correlation was found between "undifferentiated rejection" and internet addiction. In the study, in order to find out whether adolescents' perceptions of maternal and paternal acceptance-rejection are a significant predictor of their Internet addiction levels, Multiple Linear Regression analysis was used. According to the analysis results, it can be seen that undifferentiated rejection, one of the maternal acceptance-rejection variables, was not a significant predictor of Internet addiction level; while the variables of warmth/affection, hostility/aggression and indifference neglect are significant predictors of Internet addiction level. It can be seen that all of the paternal acceptance-rejection variables, namely warmth/affection, hostility/aggression, indifference/neglect and undifferentiated rejection, are significant predictors of adolescents' Internet addiction level. According to the findings of the study, maternal warmth/affection, maternal hostility/aggression, maternal undifferentiated rejection, paternal hostility/aggression, paternal indifference/neglect, paternal undifferentiated rejection and Internet addiction scores do not differ significantly according to gender. On the other hand, maternal indifference/neglect scores and father warmth/affection scores differ significantly according to gender. The findings obtained were discussed in the context of the literature; suggestions were made to guide the researchers in the field and future researchers. Article visualizations: