Internet Use and Well-Being Among College Students: Beyond Frequency of Use

The purpose of the study was to gather descriptive information about college students' Internet use and to explore the relationship between types of Internet use and well-being. The sample consisted of 312 college students (67% female; age range 18-49 years; M = 21.34 years, SD = 5.05). Self-report questionnaires were administered in a large undergraduate psychology course. Exploratory factor analyses suggested 5 specific types of use: Meeting People, Information Seeking, Distraction, Coping, and E-mail. Confirmatory factor analyses on a new sample from the same university (N = 169) verified the 5-factor structure. Using the Internet for coping purposes related to depression, social anxiety, and family cohesion more so than frequency of use. This study highlights the importance of examining types of Internet use in relation to well-being.