{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,26]],"date-time":"2026-05-26T12:06:33Z","timestamp":1779797193019,"version":"3.53.1"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,26]],"date-time":"2026-05-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1779753600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Diseases"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Introduction: Problematic internet use has been increasingly associated with depression, anxiety and other psychiatric symptoms; however, its impact on attentional functioning has not been thoroughly researched. This cross-sectional study was conducted in T\u00e2rgu Mure\u0219, Romania, and aimed to examine the associations between problematic internet use, attentional control, and symptoms of depression and anxiety in adults, and to determine whether problematic internet use independently predicts attentional control after accounting for emotional symptoms. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 224 adults who completed an anonymous online survey between 1 January 2026 and 1 April 2026. Problematic internet use was assessed using the Compulsive Internet Use Scale-14 (CIUS-14), attentional control using the Attentional Control Scale (ACS), depressive symptoms using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), anxiety symptoms using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 scale (GAD-7), and eating disorder risk using the SCOFF questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, internal consistency analyses, Pearson correlations, group comparisons according to the CIUS-14 screening threshold, and multiple linear regression analyses were performed. Results: Problematic internet use was significantly associated with lower attentional control (r = \u22120.493, p &lt; 0.001), higher depressive symptoms (r = 0.408, p &lt; 0.001), and higher anxiety symptoms (r = 0.467, p &lt; 0.001). In the regression model, problematic internet use remained the only significant independent predictor of attentional control (B = \u22120.597, p &lt; 0.001), whereas depressive and anxiety symptoms were not significant after adjustment. Participants above the CIUS-14 screening threshold reported significantly lower attentional control and higher depression and anxiety scores than those below the threshold. Conclusions: Problematic internet use was associated with poorer attentional control and greater emotional symptom severity in Romanian adults. These findings suggest that problematic internet use may be linked to a broader cognitive\u2013emotional vulnerability profile. However, because of the cross-sectional design, self-report measures, convenience sampling, and lack of detailed information on specific online activities, the findings should be interpreted cautiously. Longitudinal studies using objective cognitive measures and more detailed assessment of digital behaviors are needed.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/diseases14060189","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,26]],"date-time":"2026-05-26T11:02:51Z","timestamp":1779793371000},"page":"189","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Associations Between Problematic Internet Use, Attentional Control, and Mental Health Symptoms in Romanian Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-4856-2621","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rebeca-Isabela","family":"Molnar","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Doctoral School of Medicine and Pharmacy, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Science, and Technology of Targu Mures, 540142 Targu Mures, Romania"},{"name":"Psychiatric Clinic 1, Mures County Hospital, 540081 Targu Mures, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Camelia","family":"Sandu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Doctoral School of Medicine and Pharmacy, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Science, and Technology of Targu Mures, 540142 Targu Mures, Romania"},{"name":"Psychiatric Clinic 1, Mures County Hospital, 540081 Targu Mures, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Otilia-Rodica","family":"Bu\u021biu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Psychiatry Department, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Science, and Technology of Targu Mures, 540142 Targu Mures, Romania"},{"name":"Neuropsychiatric Clinic, Mures County Hospital, 540005 Targu Mures, Romania"},{"name":"Institute of Psychotherapy and Personal Development, 540038 Targu Mures, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-0984-548X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Horia","family":"Marchean","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Doctoral School of Medicine and Pharmacy, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Science, and Technology of Targu Mures, 540142 Targu Mures, Romania"},{"name":"Psychiatric Clinic 1, Mures County Hospital, 540081 Targu Mures, Romania"},{"name":"Psychiatry Department, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Science, and Technology of Targu Mures, 540142 Targu Mures, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dan Valeriu","family":"Nicolae Molnar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Psychiatric Clinic 1, Mures County Hospital, 540081 Targu Mures, Romania"},{"name":"Institute of Psychotherapy and Personal Development, 540038 Targu Mures, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Adriana","family":"Mihai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Doctoral School of Medicine and Pharmacy, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Science, and Technology of Targu Mures, 540142 Targu Mures, Romania"},{"name":"Psychiatric Clinic 1, Mures County Hospital, 540081 Targu Mures, Romania"},{"name":"Psychiatry Department, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Science, and Technology of Targu Mures, 540142 Targu Mures, Romania"},{"name":"Institute of Psychotherapy and Personal Development, 540038 Targu Mures, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,26]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"908","DOI":"10.1556\/2006.8.2019.59","article-title":"How to overcome taxonomical problems in the study of Internet use disorders and what to do with \u201csmartphone addiction\u201d?","volume":"9","author":"Montag","year":"2021","journal-title":"J. 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