In today’s era, the Internet has evolved beyond a simple communication tool into
a multidimensional lifeworld that, alongside unprecedented opportunities, poses
significant threats to mental health. One of the most prominent challenges in this
space is Internet addiction, which, as an emerging behavioral disorder, not only
disrupts academic, occupational, and social functioning but is increasingly linked
to emotional and cognitive impairments. Among its most alarming consequences is
the heightened prevalence of suicidal thoughts and tendencies in the online
environment—a phenomenon fueled by constant exposure to negative content,
algorithm-driven reinforcement, and persistent social comparison. These factors
create a cycle of rumination and difficulties in emotion regulation that can place
young people on a path toward self-destructive behaviors.
Accordingly, the present study was designed to examine the impact of Internet
addiction on suicidal ideation and to clarify the mediating roles of rumination and
emotion regulation difficulties, using a structural equation modeling framework.
The statistical population consisted of Iranian young adults aged 18–35, recruited
through electronic access, yielding 414 valid questionnaires (282 women and 132
men) for analysis. The instruments employed were Young’s Internet Addiction Test
(IAT), the Ruminative Responses Scale (RRS), the Difficulties in Emotion
Regulation Scale–16 (DERS-16), and the Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation
(BSSI). Data were analyzed using SPSS 26 and AMOS with path analysis and
5,000-sample bootstrapping. Model fit indices indicated satisfactory adequacy and
goodness of fit.
The findings revealed that Internet addiction exerted a significant positive effect
on rumination and difficulties in emotion regulation, both of which were strong
predictors of suicidal ideation. However, the direct path from Internet addiction to
suicidal ideation was not significant. These results, while expanding theoretical
unders