The Relationship of Study Addiction with Social Support and Satisfaction with Intimate Relationships

Study addiction was suggested to be a potential early form of work addiction, which is increasingly recognized as a behavioral addiction. Diminished social support is crucial in the addictive process, and pathological family and social functioning were so far found in relation to work addiction. However, there is still very limited data on the relationship between study addiction and social functioning. This study aimed to provide initial data to fill this gap. The total sample comprised 3206 students, 1770 (55.2%) female. It was gathered in consecutive research projects on study addiction carried out from 2013 to 2016. Bergen Study Addiction Scale, WHOQOL-based satisfaction with support from friends and satisfaction with intimate relations measures, and Ten-Item Personality Inventory and Mini-IPIP were used. The results were replicated in two subsamples in which different measures of personality were used. Regression analyses showed a significant association between study addiction and lower satisfaction with support from friends above and beyond demographics and personality, but not with satisfaction with intimate relations. In conclusion, study addiction is related to limited perceived social support, which may inform prevention and treatment approaches. The association with self-reported satisfaction with intimate relations may be attenuated by low insight and denial characteristic of addiction.