THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SEXUAL BEHAVIOR AND INTERNET ADDICTION SEVERITY IN A SAMPLE OF HETEROSEXUAL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS FROM ITALY

Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between specific sexual attitudes and Internet addiction scores. Method: Participants were 115 men and 163 women recruited from the University of Messina; sexual behavior was assessed by the Sex and the Average Woman (or Man) Scale whereas Internet addiction was measured by the Internet Addiction Test. Results: The results of the study showed that higher Internet addiction scores were associated with low levels of sexual satisfaction and high levels of sexual nervousness, sexual shyness and sexual detachment. Conclusions: It is suggested that specific sexual attitudes may act as one of the different factors predisposing to the development of Internet addiction symptoms