In the last decade, Internet usage has grown tremendously on a global scale. The increasing popularity and frequency of Internet use has led to an increasing number of reports highlighting the potential negative consequences of overuse. Over the last decade, research into Internet addiction has proliferated. This paper reviews the existing 68 epidemiological studies of Internet addiction that (i) contain quantitative empirical data, (ii) have been published after 2000, (iii) include an analysis relating to Internet addiction, (iv) include a minimum of 1000 participants, and (v) provide a full-text article published in English using the database Web of Science. Assessment tools and conceptualisations, prevalence, and associated factors in adolescents and adults are scrutinised. The results reveal the following. First, no gold standard of Internet addiction classification exists as 21 different assessment instruments have been identified. They adopt official criteria for substance use disorders or pathological gambling, no or few criteria relevant for an addiction diagnosis, time spent online, or resulting problems. Second, reported prevalence rates differ as a consequence of different assessment tools and cut-offs, ranging from 0.8% in Italy to 26.7% in Hong Kong. Third, Internet addiction is associated with a number of sociodemographic, Internet use, and psychosocial factors, as well as comorbid symptoms and disorder in adolescents and adults. The results indicate that a number of core symptoms (i.e., compulsive use, negative outcomes and salience) appear relevant for diagnosis, which assimilates Internet addiction and other addictive disorders and also differentiates them, implying a conceptualisation as syndrome with similar etiology and components, but different expressions of addictions. Limitations include the exclusion of studies with smaller sample sizes and studies focusing on specific online behaviours. Conclusively, there is a need for nosological precision so that ultimately those in need can be helped by translating the scientific evidence established in the context of Internet addiction into actual clinical practice.

/pdf/internet-addiction-a-systematic-review-of-epidemiological-qbvmoxa16f.pdf

Internet addiction: a systematic review of epidemiological research for the last decade.

Background
Because of the quick development and widespread use of mobile phones, and their vast effect on communication and interactions, it is important to study possible negative health effects of mobile phone exposure. The overall aim of this study was to investigate whether there are associations between psychosocial aspects of mobile phone use and mental health symptoms in a prospective cohort of young adults.

/pdf/mobile-phone-use-and-stress-sleep-disturbances-and-symptoms-39srzfotn7.pdf

Mobile phone use and stress, sleep disturbances, and symptoms of depression among young adults - a prospective cohort study

Problematic smartphone use: A conceptual overview and systematic review of relations with anxiety and depression psychopathology.

Relationships among smartphone addiction, stress, academic performance, and satisfaction with life

https://ris.utwente.nl/ws/files/7002081/1-s2.0-S0747563214007626-main.pdf

Modeling habitual and addictive smartphone behavior

http://recerca.blanquerna.edu/conductes-desadaptatives/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/CHB1121.pdf

Problematic Internet and mobile phone use and clinical symptoms in college students: The role of emotional intelligence

The Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) generate new styles of meeting people or connecting with friends or strangers. In this context, the internet and the mobile phone deserve special attention. This article deals with the maladaptive use of these technologies. By reviewing the literature published between 1991 and 2005 and indexed in the databases of PsycINFO, Medline, Psicodoc, IME, and ISOC, we aim to determine whether maladaptive use of these technologies can be considered a mental disorder, and if so, of which type. We describe the psychological phenomena of maladaptive use of the internet and mobile phones, we review research on prevalence and possible risk groups, and finally we discuss some of the criticisms made with regard to the existence and classification of this disorder. It is concluded that excessive use of the internet can lead to a mental disorder of the addictive type, which can particularly affect individuals with special emotional needs, as well as adolescents and young adults. Among specific applications of the internet, a major risk is found for the use of communicative and synchronic applications, such as chats and online role games, since they permit hyperpersonal communication, playing with different identities, and projections and dissociation without consequences in real life. Furthermore, the internet can play an important role in the development and maintenance of other addictions, such as pathological gambling and sex addiction. In contrast to the case of the internet, maladaptive use of mobile phones may be considered abuse, but not addiction, since their use does not lead to the rapid emotional changes or the playing with identities that can take place in chats and online role games.

/pdf/la-adiccion-a-internet-y-al-movil-moda-o-trastorno-21qhzcnwih.pdf

La adicción a Internet y al móvil: ¿moda o trastorno?

Resumen es: Determinar los factores que diferencian el uso de Internet y movil saludable del patologico. Metodo: Se revisaron doce estudios empiricos publicados por ...

/pdf/adiccion-a-internet-y-movil-una-revision-de-estudios-213rwox431.pdf

Adicción a internet y móvil : una revisión de estudios empíricos españoles

In response to an increasing need for ever-shorter personality instruments, Gosling, Rentfrow, and Swann (2003) developed the Ten-Item-Personality Inventory (TIPI), which measures the dimensions of the Five Factor Model (FFM) using 10 items (two for each dimension) and can be administered in about one minute. In two studies and using a multi-judge (self and observer) and multi-instrument design, we develop Spanish (Castilian) and Catalan versions of the TIPI and evaluate them in terms of internal consistency, test-retest reliability, convergent, discriminant, and content validity, as well as self-observer correlations. Test-retest correlations were strong, and convergence with the NEO-PI-R factors was significant. There were also strong correlations between observer ratings and the participants’ self-ratings. Despite some inconsistencies with respect to the Agreeableness scale, the Catalan translation and both translations into Spanish of the original TIPI demonstrated sufficient psychometric properties to warrant use as a Five Factor personality measure when the use of longer instruments is not convenient or possible. Furthermore, as the first translation of a brief standard Big Five Instrument into Catalan, this work should facilitate future research on personality in the Catalan-speaking population.

/pdf/translation-and-validation-of-the-ten-item-personality-40rrqdcvsn.pdf

Translation and validation of the Ten-Item-Personality Inventory into Spanish and Catalan

This study investigated the aggressive components of the dream content of 120 Spanish children and adolescents of 4 different age groups. The C. S. Hall and R. L. Van de Castle (1966) coding system was used to rate the number of dream characters and aggressions, and the content findings were analyzed via the indicators presented by G. W. Domhoff (1993, 1996, 2003). Results confirm the findings of previous studies of gender and age differences in dream content: Boys tend to have more aggressive dream content, which tends to decrease with age until reaching a pattern similar to the normative group; younger children, especially boys, tend to be victims of aggression more frequently than do older children. In addition, a data analysis procedure involving cumulative scoring of the aggression scale as well as nonparametric statistics yielded significant differences between boys and girls of the youngest group for severity of aggression.

/pdf/influence-of-gender-and-age-in-aggressive-dream-content-of-2fif1ba4cv.pdf

Ander Chamarro

Papers

Problematic Internet and mobile phone use and clinical symptoms in college students: The role of emotional intelligence

La adicción a Internet y al móvil: ¿moda o trastorno?

Adicción a internet y móvil : una revisión de estudios empíricos españoles

Translation and validation of the Ten-Item-Personality Inventory into Spanish and Catalan

Influence of Gender and Age in Aggressive Dream Content of Spanish Children and Adolescents