Showing papers by "Patti M. Valkenburg published in 2009"

Development and validation of a game addiction scale for adolescents

Abstract: The aim of this study was to develop and validate a scale to measure computer and videogame addiction. Inspired by earlier theories and research on game addiction, we created 21 items to measure seven underlying criteria (i.e., salience, tolerance, mood modification, relapse, withdrawal, conflict, and problems). The dimensional structure of the scale was investigated in two independent samples of adolescent gamers (N = 352 and N = 369). In both samples, a second-order factor model described our data best. The 21-item scale, as well as a shortened 7-item version, showed high reliabilities. Furthermore, both versions showed good concurrent validity across samples, as indicated by the consistent correlations with usage, loneliness, life satisfaction, social competence, and aggression.

Social Consequences of the Internet for Adolescents: A Decade of Research

Abstract: Adolescents are currently the defining users of the Internet. They spend more time online than adults do, and they use the Internet for social interaction more often than adults do. This article discusses the state of the literature on the consequences of online communication technologies (e.g., instant messaging) for adolescents' social connectedness and well-being. Whereas several studies in the 1990s suggested that Internet use is detrimental, recent studies tend to report opposite effects. We first explain why the results of more recent studies diverge from those of earlier studies. Then, we discuss a viable hypothesis to explain the recent findings: the Internet-enhanced self-disclosure hypothesis. Finally, we discuss some contingent factors that may deserve special attention in future research.

The Effects of Instant Messaging on the Quality of Adolescents' Existing Friendships: A Longitudinal Study

Abstract: Recent studies suggest that instant messaging (IM) is positively related to the quality of adolescents’ existing friendships. However, most of these studies were based on cross-sectional correlational data. In addition, most studies have focused on direct effects of IM on the quality of friendships without exploring mediating variables that may explain these effects. The aim of this study was to fill these two lacunae in the literature. We hypothesized that IM, which is mostly used to communicate with existing friends, stimulates the quality of friendships, via its potential to stimulate intimate online self-disclosure. A sample of 812 Dutch adolescents between 10 and 17 years of age were surveyed twice within a 6-month interval. IM had a positive longitudinal effect on the quality of adolescents’ existing friendships. This direct positive effect could be explained entirely by adolescents’ tendency to disclose intimate information online.

Adolescents' Exposure to Sexually Explicit Internet Material and Notions of Women as Sex Objects: Assessing Causality and Underlying Processes

Abstract: The aim of this study was to clarify causality in the previously established link between adolescents’ exposure to sexually explicit Internet material (SEIM) and notions of women as sex objects. Furthermore, the study investigated which psychological processes underlie this link and whether the various influences varied by gender. On the basis of data from a three-wave panel survey among 962 Dutch adolescents, structural equation modeling initially showed that exposure to SEIM and notions of women as sex objects had a reciprocal direct influence on each other. The direct impact of SEIM on notions of women as sex objects did not vary by gender. However, the direct influence of notions of women as sex objects on exposure to SEIM was only significant for male adolescents. Further analyses showed that, regardless of adolescents’ gender, liking of SEIM mediated the influence of exposure to SEIM on their beliefs that women are sex objects, as well as the impact of these beliefs on exposure to SEIM.

Adolescents’ Exposure to Sexually Explicit Internet Material and Sexual Satisfaction: A Longitudinal Study

Abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate, within a social comparison framework, the causal relationship between adolescents’ use of sexually explicit Internet material (SEIM) and their sexual satisfaction. In addition, we tested which adolescents were most susceptible to a potential influence of SEIM on sexual satisfaction. Between May 2006 and May 2007, we conducted a three-wave panel survey among 1,052 Dutch adolescents aged 13–20. Structural equation modeling revealed that exposure to SEIM consistently reduced adolescents’ sexual satisfaction. Lower sexual satisfaction (in Wave 2) also increased the use of SEIM (in Wave 3). Moderator analyses showed that the negative effect of SEIM on sexual satisfaction was stronger for adolescents who had no or limited sexual experience as well as for adolescents who perceived the majority of their peers to be sexually inexperienced. The effect of exposure to SEIM on sexual satisfaction did not differ among male and female adolescents.

An experimental test of processes underlying self-disclosure in computer-mediated communication

Abstract: A consistent finding in computer-mediated communication (CMC) and Internet research is that, compared to face-toface communication, CMC results in higher levels of self-disclosure. We identified four possible mediators that may carry the influence of CMC on self-disclosure: self-presentation, similarity, self-awareness, and direct questioning. The validity of these mediators was tested in an experiment in which 81 cross-sex dyads were randomly assigned to three experimental conditions: a text-only CMC condition, a visual CMC condition, and a face-to-face condition. Selfdisclosure was lower in the face-to-face condition than in the text-only CMC condition and the visual CMC condition. Between the two CMC conditions, no differences in self-disclosure were found. Of the four possible mediators, only direct questioning mediated the effect of CMC on self-disclosure. CMC dyads engaged in more direct questioning and therefore displayed higher levels of self-disclosure.

Do children’s cognitive advertising defenses reduce their desire for advertised products?

Abstract: In both the academic and societal debates, it is widely assumed that cognitive advertising defenses can reduce children’s susceptibility to advertising effects. Empirical evidence supporting this crucial assumption is however missing. It is precisely this gap that the present study aims to fill In a survey of 296 children (aged 812 years), we investigate whether children’s cognitive defenses (i.e., advertising recognition and understanding of its selling and persuasive intent) reduce the relationship between the amount of television advertising they are exposed to and their desire for advertised product categories. Interaction analysis in regression shows that of all the cognitive defense variables, only understanding advertising’s persuasive intent was effective in reducing the impact of advertising exposure on children’s advertised product desire. However, this only applies to the older children in the sample (ages 1012). For the younger children, understanding the persuasive intent even increased the impact of advertising.

Research Note: Digital Divide Across Borders—A Cross-National Study of Adolescents’ Use of Digital Technologies

Abstract: In this study, we analyse digital divides in terms of social inequality in digital access and use patterns from a hierarchical perspective. Using data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2003 in 30 nations, we focus on social cleavages in mid-adolescents’ access and use of digital technologies, taking into account both individual-level and country-level influences. Our study shows that adolescents from higher socio-economic and two-parent family households are more likely to have Internet access at home. Additionally, adolescents from higher-status families use the Internet more often for informational purposes than children from lower-status families. Adolescents from single-parent are less likely to have home Internet access. Nevertheless, they use the Internet more frequently for information and communication and play computer games more often than their peers living in two-parent families. Testing simultaneously individual and country characteristics shows that a country’s level of modernization can be separated into compositional and contextual effects. Overall, a country’s level of modernization only affects whether digital applications are available at the family home, but not how they are used. These findings suggest that once a family has access to the Internet, the digital use patterns of their adolescent children do not differ across nations.