فاطمه شهسواری

Objective: The main purpose of present study was to explain academic dishonesty among secondary school students in Eqlid based on problematic internet use, with mediating role of adaptive and maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies. Method: This descriptive-correlational study used an availability sampling method with a sample of 385 secondary school students from Eqlid in 2024-2025. Data collection instruments included the Academic Dishonesty Questionnaire, Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire, and the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) along SPSS and Amos software packages. Results: The results of the present study confirmed a direct and positive effect of problematic internet use on academic dishonesty and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies (p<0/001, β =-0/538; p<0/001 β= - 0/308). Another finding indicated a direct and negative relationship between problematic internet use and adaptive emotion regulation strategies (p<0/001, β =-0/313). Overall, the findings suggest that problematic internet use enhances academic dishonesty in adolescents both directly and indirectly by weakening emotion regulation adaptive strategies and strengthening maladaptive ones. These results emphasize the necessity of considering the role of emotion regulation strategies in future preventative programs. Conclusions: With regard to the findings of this study, educational counselors and therapists should pay attention to the role of problematic internet use, as well as maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies, in their interventions aimed at reducing academic dishonesty among students and adolescents. Furthermore, the necessity of teaching adaptive emotion regulation strategies to students, holds significant importance in this context.