Moderating effect of health knowledge and mental health on the association between undergraduates’ attitudes toward help-seeking and internet addiction

Abstract

This study examined the moderating effect of health knowledge and mental health on the association between undergraduates’ attitudes toward help-seeking and internet addiction in three public universities in southwest Nigeria. Underpinned by the Uses and Gratification and the Functional-Interactive-Critical Health Literacy Theories, the study utilised the correlational research design. This study’s population comprised all undergraduates from universities in southwest Nigeria, with 1,684 participants. Data were gathered using the Internet Addiction Questionnaire (α = 0.82), Attitude to Help-Seeking Questionnaire (α = 0.84), Mental Health Questionnaire (α = 0.91), and the Health Knowledge Questionnaire (α = 0.94). The data were analysed using SPSS version 26.0's Hayes macro procedure. The characteristics of the respondents were summarised using descriptive statistics, and hypotheses were tested at a 0.05% significance level using inferential statistics (Hayes macro process V4.0, Model 2). Findings reveal that undergraduates’ attitudes toward help-seeking had impact on their addiction to the internet, health knowledge had no impact undergraduates’ internet addiction, mental health had no impact internet addiction among undergraduates, and health knowledge and mental health of undergraduates had no moderating effect on the relationship between attitudes toward help-seeking and internet addiction. The study recommends that further awareness campaigns on the essence of having positive attitudes toward help-seeking and the adverse effects of internet addiction should be organised in Nigerian public universities. Implications for theory, practice, and policy were discussed.