Loneliness, problematic internet use and the mental health of college students: The mediating role of family resilience and moderating role of resilient coping

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21580/pjpp.v11i1.25156

Keywords:

college student, family resilience, loneliness, mental health, problematic internet use, resilient coping

Abstract

Mental health crises among college students are on the rise, characterized by high levels of depression, anxiety and stress. This study aims to examine the influence of loneliness and problematic internet use (PIU) on students' mental health by understanding the role of family resilience as a mediator and resilient coping as a moderator. The research participants consisted of 666 students in Jakarta, Indonesia, selected through convenience sampling. Data were collected through use of the Loneliness Scale, Problematic Internet Use Scale, Family Resilience Scale, Resilient Coping Scale and Mental Health Scale. The analysis was based on the moderation regression model, using the Hayes test to assess the correlation between the variables, and the mediating effects of family resilience and the moderating role of resilient coping. The results show that loneliness (b = -.522, p < .01) and PIU (b = -.351, p < .01) had a significant negative effect on mental health. Family resilience mediated the relationship between loneliness and mental health, while loneliness reduced family resilience (b = -.230, p < .01) and family resilience improved mental health (b = .414, p < .05). Meanwhile, resilient coping had no direct effect on mental health (b = -.147, p > .05), but played a significant role as a moderator in the relationship between PIU and mental health (b = .020, p < .05). The findings emphasize the importance of interventions that strengthen family resilience and students' coping ability to maintain mental health amid increasingly complex social and digital pressures.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Ahmed, F., & Saha, A. U. (2021). Adolescent mental health in the context of micro-system of social-ecology. Jagannath University Journal of Psychology, 11(1), 1–10.

Almulla, M. O., Alismail, A. M., Mahama, I., & Almulla, A. A. (2025). Resilience as a predictor of internet addictive behaviours: A study among Ghanaian and Saudi samples using structural equation modelling approach. BMC Psychology, 13(1), 77. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-02383-y

An, J., Zhu, X., Shi, Z., & An, J. (2024). A serial mediating effect of perceived family support on psychological well-being. BMC Public Health, 24(1), 940. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-18476-z

Barthakur, M., & Sharma, M. K. (2012). Problematic internet use and mental health problems. Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 5(3), 279–280. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2012.01.010

Bouchrika, I. (2026, January 5). Fostering college student mental health and resilience for 2026. Research.Com. https://research.com/education/fostering-college-student-mental-health-and-resilience

Boylu, A. A., & Günay, G. (2018). Loneliness and internet addiction among university students. In M. H. Bilgin & H. Danis (Eds.), Psychological, Social, and Cultural Aspects of Internet Addiction (pp. 109–125). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-3477-8.ch006

Bruffaerts, R. (2026). Mental health in college students: From epidemiological findings to sustainable policies. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 22(1), 533–557. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-061724-084303

Cai, Z., Mao, P., Wang, Z., Wang, D., He, J., & Fan, X. (2023). Associations between problematic internet use and mental health outcomes of students: A meta-analytic review. Adolescent Research Review, 8(1), 45–62. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40894-022-00201-9

Chen, X., & Shi, M. (2026). The impact of internet addiction on depressive symptoms among college students: the chain mediating roles of psychological resilience and hope. Scientific Reports, 16(1), 4050. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-34157-2

Çiçek, İ., Ünsal, F., & Korkmaz, Z. (2026). Loneliness and problematic social media use among university students: Exploring the mediating roles of meaning in life and resilience. Psychology, Health & Medicine, 31(6), 1471–1485. https://doi.org/10.1080/13548506.2025.2581894

Eisenberg, D., Lipson, S. K., Heinze, J., Zhou, S., Vyletel, B., Henry, H., Fucinari, J., Murphy, M., & Voichoski, E. (2022). The healthy minds study: National college student mental health report 2021-2022. Healthy Minds Network. https://policycommons.net/artifacts/3494971/hms-national-report-2021-22/4295519/

Ellard, O. B., Dennison, C., & Tuomainen, H. (2023). Interventions addressing loneliness amongst university students: A systematic review. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 28(4), 512–523. https://doi.org/10.1111/camh.12614

Fan, Z., Chen, M., & Lin, Y. (2022). Self-control and problematic internet use in college students: The chain mediating effect of rejection sensitivity and loneliness. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 15, 459–470. https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S352060

Farida, H., Budiarto, S., Argiati, S. H. B., & Ejoke, U. P. (2025). The role of mediator and moderator variables in suicidal ideation among adolescents in Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Psikohumaniora: Jurnal Penelitian Psikologi, 10(2), 181–196. https://doi.org/10.21580/pjpp.v10i2.24841

Folkman, S., & Moskowitz, J. T. (2000). Stress, positive emotion, and coping. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 9(4), 115–118. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8721.00073

Fukuya, Y., Suyama, S., Ogawa, S., Yamawaki, K., Morisaki, N., & Ishitsuka, K. (2026). Association of loneliness with problematic internet use among adolescents aged 10 to 16: A longitudinal study. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 24(4), 3269–3286. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-025-01556-5

García-Pérez, L., Cepero-González, M., & Padial-Ruz, R. (2025). Resilience as a key to mental well-being in higher education: A systematic review of evidence and strategiesh. Universitas Psychologica, 24. https://doi.org/10.11144/Javeriana.upsy24.rkmw

Gloria, C. T., & Steinhardt, M. A. (2016). Relationships among positive emotions, coping, resilience and mental health. Stress and Health, 32(2), 145–156. https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.2589

Gong, F., Gong, Z., Liu, H., Yi, P., Jia, Y., Zhuang, J., Shu, J., Huang, X., & Wu, Y. (2024). The impact of problematic internet use on adolescent loneliness-chain mediation effects of social support and family communication. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 17, 1903–1916. https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S443349

Hidalgo-Fuentes, S., Martí-Vilar, M., & Ruiz-Ordoñez, Y. (2023). Problematic internet use and resilience: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Nursing Reports, 13(1), 337–350. https://doi.org/10.3390/nursrep13010032

Hunt, J., & Eisenberg, D. (2010). Mental health problems and help-seeking behavior among college students. Journal of Adolescent Health, 46(1), 3–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2009.08.008

Hutten, E., Jongen, E. M. M., Vos, A. E. C. C., van den Hout, A. J. H. C., & van Lankveld, J. J. D. M. (2021). Loneliness and mental health: The mediating effect of perceived social support. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(22), 11963. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182211963

Keyes, C. L. M. (2002). The mental health continuum: From languishing to flourishing in life. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 43(2), 207. https://doi.org/10.2307/3090197

Kim, J., LaRose, R., & Peng, W. (2009). Loneliness as the cause and the effect of problematic internet use: The relationship between internet use and psychological well-being. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 12(4), 451–455. https://doi.org/10.1089/cpb.2008.0327

Kotera, Y., Kotera, H., Taylor, E., Wilkes, J., Colman, R., & Riswani, R. (2024). Mental health of Indonesian university students: U.K. comparison and relationship between mental health shame and self-compassion. Stigma and Health, 9(3), 239–248. https://doi.org/10.1037/sah0000420

Kożybska, M., Kurpisz, J., Radlińska, I., Skwirczyńska, E., Serwin, N., Zabielska, P., Kotwas, A., Karakiewicz, B., Lebiecka, Z., Samochowiec, J., & Flaga-Gieruszyńska, K. (2022). Problematic internet use, health behaviors, depression and eating disorders: A cross-sectional study among Polish medical school students. Annals of General Psychiatry, 21(1), 5. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12991-022-00384-4

Kuss, D. J., & Griffiths, M. D. (2011). Online social networking and addiction--A review of the psychological literature. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 8(9), 3528–3552. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph8093528

Kuss, D. J., & Griffiths, M. D. (2017). Social networking sites and addiction: Ten lessons learned. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(3), 311. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14030311

Kutuk, H. (2023). Investigating the role of resilience as a mediator in the link between internet addiction and anxiety. Journal of Social and Educational Research (JSER), 2(1), 14–21. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8067150

Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. Springer Publishing Company.

Li, S., Wang, X., Wu, Z., & Zhang, Y. (2023). The more internet access, the more mental symptoms students got, the more problematic internet use they suffered: A meta-analysis of mainland Chinese adolescents and young adults. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 21(6), 4199–4219. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-022-00850-w

Lin, S., Yuan, Z., Niu, G., Fan, C., & Hao, X. (2024). Family matters more than friends on problematic social media use among adolescents: Mediating roles of resilience and loneliness. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 22(5), 2907–2925. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-023-01026-w

Matiz, A., D’Antoni, F., Pascut, S., Ciacchini, R., Conversano, C., Gemignani, A., & Crescentini, C. (2024). Loneliness and problematic internet use in adolescents: The mediating role of dissociation. Children, 11(11), 1294. https://doi.org/10.3390/children11111294

Maulida, V. L., & Kusumaningrum, F. A. (2023). Loneliness with problematic internet use among college students. In R. Perdana (Ed.), Proceedings of the ULICoSS 2022 (ASSEHR 740 (pp. 370–380). Atlantis Press. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-046-6_37

Multahada, E., Sombuling, A., Hidayati, P. M., Nuraqmarina, F., & Putri, P. K. (2025). The beyond the surface: A screening-based analysis of family health, psychological well-being, and social support in student mental health. Journal An-Nafs: Kajian Penelitian Psikologi, 10(1), 72–91. https://doi.org/10.33367/psi.v10i1.6525

Musetti, A., Corsano, P., Boursier, V., & Schimmenti, A. (2020). Problematic internet use in lonely adolescents: The mediating role of detachment from parents. Clinical Neuropsychiatry, 17(1), 3–10. https://doi.org/10.36131/clinicalnpsych20200101

Mushtaq, R., Shoib, S., Shah, T., & Mushtaq, S. (2014). Relationship between loneliness, psychiatric disorders and physical health? A review on the psychological aspects of loneliness. Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research: JCDR, 8(9), WE01-4. https://doi.org/10.7860/JCDR/2014/10077.4828

Perlman, D., & Peplau, L. A. (1984). Loneliness research: A survey of empirical findings. In L. A. Peplau & E. Goldston (Eds.), Preventing the harmful consequences of severe and persistent loneliness (pp. 13–46). National Institute of Mental Health.

Rahmi, H. A., & Chairani, L. (2025). Problematic internet use dalam perspektif psikologi: Kajian literatur. Jurnal Al-Azhar Indonesia Seri Humaniora, 10(3), 242. https://doi.org/10.36722/sh.v10i3.4678

Reissmann, A., & Lange, K. W. (2023). The role of loneliness in university students’ pathological Internet use – a web survey study on the moderating effect of social web application use. Current Psychology, 42(14), 11834–11848. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-02455-3

Reivich, K., & Shatté, A. (2002). The resilience factor: 7 essential skills for overcoming life’s inevitable obstacles. Broadway Books.

Resnick, M. D., Harris, L. J., & Blum, R. W. (1993). The impact of caring and connectedness on adolescent health and well‐being. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 29(s1). https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1754.1993.tb02257.x

Richardson, T., Elliott, P., & Roberts, R. (2017). Relationship between loneliness and mental health in students. Journal of Public Mental Health, 16(2), 48–54. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPMH-03-2016-0013

Rose, T., Lambert, S., Liu, C., Raghunathan, R. S., Musci, R. J., Sullivan, A. D. W., Lyall, K., Elliott, A. J., McEvoy, C. T., Frazier, J. A., Shipp, G. M., Koinis-Mitchell, D., Ganiban, J. M., & ECHO Cohort Consortium. (2025). Socio-ecological domains and adolescent mental health: An application of the dual-factor model. Journal of Research on Adolescence : The Official Journal of the Society for Research on Adolescence, 35(2), e70029. https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.70029

Russell, D. W. (2014). Loneliness and social neuroscience. World Psychiatry, 13(2), 150–151. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20126

Ryff, C. D. (1989). Happiness is everything, or is it? Explorations on the meaning of psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57(6), 1069–1081. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.57.6.1069

Safaria, T., Abdul Wahab, M. N., Suyono, H., & Hartanto, D. (2024). Smartphone use as a mediator of self-control and emotional dysregulation in nomophobia: A cross-national study of Indonesia and Malaysia. Psikohumaniora: Jurnal Penelitian Psikologi, 9(1), 37–58. https://doi.org/10.21580/pjpp.v9i1.20740

Sagita, N. S. (2023, October 13). RI darurat kesehatan mental, Kemenkes ungkap kasus bunuh diri naik terus. health.detik.com. https://health.detik.com/berita-detikhealth/d-6979625/ri-darurat-kesehatan-mental-kemenkes-ungkap-kasus-bunuh-diri-naik-terus

Sánchez-Fernández, M., Borda-Mas, M., & Mora-Merchán, J. (2023). Problematic internet use by university students and associated predictive factors: A systematic review. Computers in Human Behavior, 139(4), 107532. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2022.107532

Sayeed, A., Rahman, M. H., Hassan, M. N., Christopher, E., Kundu, S., Banna, M. H. Al, Hasan, A.-R., Mallick, T., Meem, A. E., & Hasan, M. T. (2021). Problematic internet use associated with depression, health, and internet-use behaviors among university students of Bangladesh: A cross-sectional study. Children and Youth Services Review, 120, 105771. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105771

Singh, A. K. A. M., Zulkarnain, I. A. binti I., Jun, T. W., & Olagoke, S. M. (2024). Problematic internet use (PIU) and its impact on mental health in the Malaysian context. Southeast Asia Psychology Journal, 12(2), 188–201. https://jurcon.ums.edu.my/ojums/index.php/SAPJ/article/view/5573

Stubbs, M., Bateman, C. J., & Hull, D. M. (2023). Problematic internet use among university students in Jamaica. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 21(5), 3162–3173. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-022-00782-5

Walsh, F. (2016). Strengthening family resilience (3rd ed.). Guilford Press.

Weber, M., Schulze, L., Bolzenkötter, T., Niemeyer, H., & Renneberg, B. (2022). Mental health and loneliness in university students during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany: A longitudinal study. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.848645

Wegmann, E., Stodt, B., & Brand, M. (2015). Addictive use of social networking sites can be explained by the interaction of Internet use expectancies, Internet literacy, and psychopathological symptoms. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 4(3), 155–162. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.4.2015.021

Xie, Z.-L., Gan, K.-P., Li, J., Qin, L.-W., & Wu, Y.-T. (2025). The impact of loneliness on depression among college students: The mediating role of problematic internet use and the moderating role of perceived social support. BMC Public Health, 25(1), 2534. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-23759-0

Yam, F. C., Yıldırım, O., & Köksal, B. (2024). The mediating and buffering effect of resilience on the relationship between loneliness and social media addiction among adolescent. Current Psychology, 43(28), 24080–24090. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-024-06148-5

Ye, B., Lau, J. T. F., Lee, H. H., Yeung, J. C. H., & Mo, P. K. H. (2023). The mediating role of resilience on the association between family satisfaction and lower levels of depression and anxiety among Chinese adolescents. PLoS One, 18(5), e0283662. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0283662

Zhuo, R., Yu, Y., & Shi, X. (2022). Family resilience and adolescent mental health during COVID-19: A moderated mediation model. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(8), 4801. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19084801

Downloads

Published

2026-05-31

How to Cite

Multahada, E., Khoiriyah, N., Putri, P. K., Nuraqmarina, F., Syakina, D., Muzzamil, F., & Arshad, A. (2026). Loneliness, problematic internet use and the mental health of college students: The mediating role of family resilience and moderating role of resilient coping. Psikohumaniora: Jurnal Penelitian Psikologi, 11(1), 59–78. https://doi.org/10.21580/pjpp.v11i1.25156

Issue

Section

Articles

Similar Articles

<< < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.