Problematic Digital Behaviors, Procrastination, and Psychological Well-Being: An Integrative Explanatory Model of Happiness in Young Adults.

BACKGROUND

In recent years, the emergence and development of new technologies have led to an increase in problematic digital behaviors, which have been associated with lower levels of subjective well-being and reduced perceptions of happiness among young people.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study employed a non-experimental, descriptive, and correlational design. The aim was to examine the relationships among problematic digital behaviors, maladaptive coping, and subjective well-being, in order to develop an integrative explanatory model. Participants completed a series of online questionnaires assessing the variables of interest. A path analysis was conducted to test the hypothesized model.

RESULTS

The sample consisted of 763 young individuals aged between 18 and 30 years, with a mean age of M = 21.4 (SD = 2.76), and 66.7% were women. Results indicated that problematic internet use was positively associated with problematic pornography use, gaming disorder, and compulsive buying disorder, explaining 12%, 7%, and 13% of their variance, respectively. Moreover, all four behaviors exhibited negative relationships with psychological well-being, with procrastination acting as a mediating variable. The model accounted for 23% of the variance in procrastination and 19% in psychological well-being. Finally, psychological well-being was positively and significantly associated with happiness, explaining 46% of its variance.

CONCLUSIONS

The proposed theoretical model demonstrated good fit across all goodness-of-fit indices, highlighting the importance of understanding the role of emerging problematic digital behaviors and their impact on well-being and happiness. These findings support the promotion of self-regulation strategies and healthy digital habits.