# Cognitive Patterns and Coping Mechanisms in the Context of Internet Use
###### Abstract  
Recent research indicates there are different cognitive patterns and coping mechanisms related to increased levels of Internet use and emotional distress in adolescents. This study aims to investigate the relationship between coping mechanisms, dysfunctional negative emotions, and Internet use. A total of 54 participants aged between 14 and 19 years old completed a questionnaire containing several measures and demographics information. We measured participants' coping strategies, emotional distress, social and emotional loneliness, and their online behavior and Internet addiction using self-report questionnaires. In order to identify the relation between the investigated variables, we used correlation analysis and regression, and we tested one mediation model. The results showed that maladaptive coping strategies and Internet use were significant predictors of dysfunctional negative emotions. Moreover, passive wishful thinking, as a pattern of thinking, was associated with anxious and depressed feelings. The relation between Internet use and dysfunctional negative emotions was mediated by participants' coping mechanisms. Therefore, we can conclude that the level of negative feelings is associated with the coping strategies used while showing an increased level of Internet addiction. Future studies should also consider different and multiple types of measurement other than self-reports, especially related to Internet addiction. Internet addiction; dysfunctional emotions; coping strategies; emotional problems +
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more likely to find refuge in the virtual world, and on the other hand, increased use of the Internet exacerbates negative dysfunctional emotions and loneliness over time. Internet addiction functions similarly to substance addictions, with characteristics that include withdrawal and loss of control [12; 13]. When it comes to negative emotions that adolescents may experience, the binary model of distress may explain how the qualitative differences between emotions can dissociate between functional and dysfunctional emotions [14; 15]. Contrary to the unitary model of emotions [16], which states that dysfunctional negative emotions (e.g., anxiety) differ from functional negative emotions (e.g., concern) only based on quantitative reasons, the binary model assumes that dysfunctional emotions appear when irrational beliefs are present, regardless of their intensity [17; 18]. Moreover, dysfunctional negative emotions are linked to action tendencies, such as acting in a way that leads to experiencing pain, preventing their goals from being reached, and acting in the opposite direction of their goals [19]. According to [PERSON]'s transactional stress and coping model [20], the way in which individuals may act in a stressful situation depends on their appraisal of the stressor and their coping strategies. Therefore, in our study, we chose to look at both the adolescents' coping strategies and their dysfunctional emotions. The coping strategies involve cognitive and behavioral resources directed at eliminating or minimizing demands [20]. Usually, there are two major ways of coping with stress: problem-focused coping, which is centered on the management of the sources of stress, and emotion-focused coping, which deals more with the regulation of stressful emotions [20]. Studies have shown that there are adaptive and less-adaptive coping strategies: the first one can facilitate well-being and strong mental health, while the second one can impair mental and physical health [21]. Task-oriented coping is associated with lower psychological distress and less disruptive behaviors, whereas emotion-focused coping was found to be linked with more emotional and behavioral problems. [22]. A recent study [23] that investigated 508 undergraduate students aged 18-24 years showed that less-adaptive coping strategies were the main predictor of emotional problems, such as anxiety depression, and stress.