Attachment disorganization and dissociation in virtual worlds: A study on problematic Internet use among players of online role playing games

Objective: Internet addiction was linked both theoretically and empirically with attachment insecurity and dissociation; however, there is a lack of studies exploring the associations between attachment disorganization, dissociation, and problematic Internet use. Method: In this study, an Internet-based survey administered by means of the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) was conducted among the players of an Italian Multi-User Dungeon in order to select a subsample of people who showed significant symptoms of Internet abuse. Among the 250 cases eligible for data analysis, 36 players (13.5%) scored above the IAT cut-off for a problematic Internet use. These players were contacted for a second phase of the study in which they were administered the Adult Attachment Interview and the Revised Dissociative Experience Scale. Results and Conclusions: there was a high prevalence of attachment disorganization (47%) among these players; they also reported significant dissociative experiences. A mediation study showed that dissociation mediated the effect of attachment disorganization on the Internet addiction scores, thus supporting the idea that people higly involved with the Internet role-playing games can use dissociation to protect the self from memories of loss, neglect and abuse experienced in the attachment relationships.