Studyholism and Health Outcomes: Could Internet Addiction Make the Difference?

Recently, Loscalzo and Giannini have proposed Studyholism as a possible new clinical condition, highlighting its potential antecedents and outcomes. The present study investigates the moderating role of Internet addiction in the relationship between Studyholism, academic exhaustion and insomnia. Three hundred and eighteen Italian university students (85.50% female; mean age = 22.98 & PLUSMN; 4.34) participated in the survey during the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The two moderation models were tested using the structural equation model with Mplus 7. Results showed a significant direct effect of Studyholism on both academic exhaustion and insomnia and also confirmed the moderating role of Internet addiction in the aforementioned relationships. Although there is a linear relationship between Studyholism and the outcomes, at lower levels of Internet addiction, there is a greater effect of Studyholism on both academic exhaustion and insomnia than at medium and high levels of Internet addiction. Based on these findings, we suggest screening students who report insomnia and academic exhaustion for both Internet addiction and Studyholism, as they might both contribute to these negative health-related aspects.

Automated summary

Recently, the possible new clinical condition of Studyholism has been proposed, emphasizing its potential antecedents and outcomes. This study investigates the role of Internet addiction in moderating the relationship between Studyholism, academic exhaustion, and insomnia. The results show a direct effect of Studyholism on both academic exhaustion and insomnia, and confirm the moderating role of Internet addiction. It is suggested to screen students reporting insomnia and academic exhaustion for both Internet addiction and Studyholism, as they may contribute to these negative health-related aspects.