How Physical and Emotional Abuse Relate to Internet Addiction Through Anxiety, and How Exercise Changes This Relationship

A total of 1591 university students were surveyed to examine the links between physical-emotional abuse, anxiety, and Internet addiction.

• Physical-emotional abuse significantly predicted both Internet addiction and anxiety among university students (β = 0.157, β = 0.271, p < 0.001).
• When anxiety was included in the analysis, the direct effect of physical-emotional abuse on Internet addiction was no longer significant (β = 0.035, p > 0.05).
• Anxiety fully mediated the relationship between physical-emotional abuse and Internet addiction.
• Physical activity negatively predicted anxiety (β = -0.062, p < 0.05).
• The interaction between physical-emotional abuse and physical activity also negatively predicted anxiety (β = -0.053, p < 0.05).
• Physical activity moderated the mediation pathway from physical-emotional abuse to anxiety to Internet addiction.

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