Childhood traumas may have detrimental psychological consequences and lead to use of maladaptive coping strategies. Internet addiction, related to childhood trauma and various psychological disorders, is a growing research area, which attracted the attention of clinicians, researchers and educators. This study using a cross-sectional correlational research design aimed to investigate the relationship between childhood trauma, Internet addiction, dissociative experiences and online dissociation. A total of 286 university students completed measures of childhood trauma, Internet addiction, dissociative experiences and online dissociation, which we analyzed performing path analysis, examining structural equation models of how childhood trauma might predict Internet addiction through dissociative experiences and online dissociation. We found that childhood trauma positively associated with dissociative experiences, online dissociation and Internet addiction. Path analysis indicated an indirect relationship between childhood trauma and Internet addiction through dissociative experiences and online dissociation in serial. Moreover, we found that a tendency to general dissociation was not a mediator between childhood trauma and Internet addiction but it predicted online dissociation, which in turn increase addictive use of Internet. Logistic regression analysis, in which pathological Internet use regressed on childhood trauma, dissociative experiences, online dissociation and other demographic variable, demonstrated that time spent on the net and online dissociation predicted addicted Internet use. The findings of the present study supported the role of Internet addiction as a maladaptive coping mechanism and might offer that clinicians and educators should consider the unique dissociated-construct of Internet and the importance of adaptive coping skills for dealing with psychological stress result from childhood trauma.
Childhood trauma, Internet addiction, dissociative experiences, online dissociation.