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Journal ArticleDOI

Internet addiction in students: Prevalence and risk factors

01 May 2013-Computers in Human Behavior (Pergamon)-Vol. 29, Iss: 3, pp 959-966
TL;DR: Frequent usage of online shopping and social online activities, high neuroticism and low agreeableness significantly increased the chances of being addicted to the Internet, whereas a combination of online gaming and openness to experience increased it.
About: This article is published in Computers in Human Behavior.The article was published on 2013-05-01 and is currently open access. It has received 433 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: The Internet & Addiction.

Summary (2 min read)

1. Introduction

  • The wide range of prevalence estimates indicates that the variety of psychometric instruments utilized does not allow for a clear determination of actual prevalence rates for Internet addiction.
  • None of the above studies have made use of assessment tools that allow for a determination of clinically relevant Internet addiction.
  • Furthermore, and to the authors' knowledge, no study (to date) has ever assessed the interactions between the usage of specific Internet applications and personality traits as risk factors for Internet addiction.
  • In the present study, these shortcomings will be overcome.
  • Based on previous research, in the present study, the hypotheses were that (i) the use of Internet applications that allow social functions (i.e., SNSs, chatting, forums, messengers) and gaming would be strong risk factors for Internet addiction, and (ii) the particular personality traits (i.e, high neuroticism, low extraversion, and low agreeableness) would be risk factors for Internet addiction.

2.1 Design:

  • This study used a cross-sectional online data gathering technique.
  • Emails were sent to students' personal email accounts and contained information about the study as well as the link to the online questionnaire.
  • The total questionnaire contained 120 questions and required approximately 15 minutes to complete.

2.2 Participants:

  • A convenience sample comprising 2,257 students from an English university in the East Midlands participated in the study.
  • In terms of gender distribution, approximately one-third of the sample was male and two-thirds female.
  • The majority (82.8%) were studying for an undergraduate degree, with 14.1% and 3.1% studying for a Master's' degree and a PhD degree, respectively.

2.3.1 Internet addiction:

  • The individual diagnostically relevant items derive from the diagnostic criteria of substance dependence as specified by the international classification manuals, the DSM-IV-TR (APA, 2000) and the ICD-10 (Dilling, Mombour, & Schmidt, 2000) .
  • These include craving, tolerance, withdrawal, loss of control, preoccupation and negative consequences concerning poorer health, family conflicts or deteriorating achievements (Wölfling, et al., 2010) .
  • A recent literature review of empirical studies assessing online gaming addiction to date indicates that the applicability of substance dependence criteria for Internet addiction appears valid over and above other classification efforts (Kuss & Griffiths, 2012c) .

4. Discussion

  • The relatively low R square value in this study may indicate there are still some other risk factors that require further study in order to explain Internet addiction.
  • In addition, the present study examined the risk of addiction using a clinically verified cut-off point, whereas Hsu et al. (2009) looked at the extent of addiction from a dimensional point of view that may have contributed to dissimilar explained variances.

4.1 Limitations:

  • Therefore, researchers are encouraged to replicate the findings by examining the occurrence of the specified addiction symptoms within the period of the last twelve months, as utilized for substance dependence (American Psychiatric Association, 2000) .
  • Therefore, it is recommended that ideally, self-reports should be supplemented with that of significant others' reports and/or a professional assessment via a structured clinical interview (Beard, 2005) .
  • Thirdly, a convenience sample was used which limits the generalizability of findings beyond English university populations.
  • Bearing this in mind, cross-cultural comparisons using the same measurement instruments are warranted.
  • Fourthly, as gender did not significantly increase the risk of being addicted to the Internet, it was excluded from further analyses in line with their aim to arrive at a parsimonious model.

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Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale was constructed and administered to 423 students together with several other standardized self-report scales, and was positively related to Neuroticism and Extraversion, and negatively related to Conscientiousness.
Abstract: The Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale (BFAS), initially a pool of 18 items, three reflecting each of the six core elements of addiction (salience, mood modification, tolerance, withdrawal, conflict, and relapse), was constructed and administered to 423 students together with several other standardized self-report scales (Addictive Tendencies Scale, Online Sociability Scale, Facebook Attitude Scale, NEO-FFI, BIS/BAS scales, and Sleep questions). That item within each of the six addiction elements with the highest corrected item-total correlation was retained in the final scale. The factor structure of the scale was good (RMSEA = .046, CFI = .99) and coefficient alpha was .83. The 3-week test-retest reliability coefficient was .82. The scores converged with scores for other scales of Facebook activity. Also, they were positively related to Neuroticism and Extraversion, and negatively related to Conscientiousness. High scores on the new scale were associated with delayed bedtimes and rising times.

1,128 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results indicate that a number of core symptoms of Internet addiction 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.
Abstract: 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.

974 citations


Cites background from "Internet addiction in students: Pre..."

  • ..., 38, 91, 94] and the use of specific online applications, notably gaming and social applications [38, 39, 45, 53, 88]....

    [...]

  • ...These include social applications [53, 88, 91], online gaming and other applications [52, 88], and a combination of online gaming and openness to experience [53]....

    [...]

  • ...…phobia, and hostility, all associated with Internet addic- tion in males, but only ADHD symptoms and depression associated with Internet addic- tion in females Kuss et al., 2013 N = 3,105 Dutch adolescents (48.3% male; mean age = 14.2, SD = 1.1 years, range 11-19) - Compulsive Internet Use…...

    [...]

  • ...No prevalence reported - Actual and virtual social support predicted Internet addiction and were medi- ated by depressive symp- toms in females - Virtual social support mediated and not medi- ated by depressive symp- toms predicted Internet addiction in males Kuss et al., 2013...

    [...]

  • ...In addition to the adolescent samples, miscellaneous classification criteria for Internet addiction have been used in adult samples, including a total of eight studies [46-53]....

    [...]

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The nine items of the IGDS-SF9 are valid, reliable, and proved to be highly suitable for measuring IGD, which is a new nine-item short-form scale to assess Internet Gaming Disorder.

571 citations

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TL;DR: Using structural equation modeling, it was found that both FOMO and SNI mediate the link between psychopathology and CERM, but by different mechanisms, and for girls, feeling depressed seems to trigger higher SNS involvement.

480 citations

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TL;DR: Evidence is generated that the short 9-item SMD scale is a psychometrically sound and valid instruments to measure SMD.

431 citations


Cites background from "Internet addiction in students: Pre..."

  • ...Moreover, there is a vital need for utilizing actual clinical criteria in order to differentiate between pathological (i.e. addictive) and highly engaged social media users (Kuss et al., 2013)....

    [...]

References
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TL;DR: In this article, the effects of predictor scaling on the coefficients of regression equations are investigated. But, they focus mainly on the effect of predictors scaling on coefficients of regressions.
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Abstract: (1994). Multiple Regression: Testing and Interpreting Interactions. Journal of the Operational Research Society: Vol. 45, No. 1, pp. 119-120.

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"Internet addiction in students: Pre..." refers methods in this paper

  • ...For all analyses, weighted data were used in order to balance out the unequal gender distribution, and predictors were centered at their mean to evade multicollinearity problems of the interaction terms (Aiken & West, 1991)....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Facebook usage was found to interact with measures of psychological well-being, suggesting that it might provide greater benefits for users experiencing low self-esteem and low life satisfaction.
Abstract: This study examines the relationship between use of Facebook, a popular online social network site, and the formation and maintenance of social capital. In addition to assessing bonding and bridging social capital, we explore a dimension of social capital that assesses one’s ability to stay connected with members of a previously inhabited community, which we call maintained social capital. Regression analyses conducted on results from a survey of undergraduate students (N = 286) suggest a strong association between use of Facebook and the three types of social capital, with the strongest relationship being to bridging social capital. In addition, Facebook usage was found to interact with measures of psychological well-being, suggesting that it might provide greater benefits for users experiencing low self-esteem and low life satisfaction.

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors argue that addictions are a part of a biopsychosocial process and evidence is growing that excessive behaviours of all types do seem to have many commonalities, such as saliency, mood modification, tolerance, withdrawal, conflict and relapse.
Abstract: There is now a growing movement that views a number of behaviours as potentially addictive including many that do not involve the ingestion of a drug (such as gambling, sex, exercise, videogame playing and Internet use). This paper argues that all addictions consist of a number of distinct common components (salience, mood modification, tolerance, withdrawal, conflict and relapse). The paper argues that addictions are a part of a biopsychosocial process and evidence is growing that excessive behaviours of all types do seem to have many commonalities. It is argued that an eclectic approach to the studying of addictive behaviour appears to be the most pragmatic way forward in the field. Such commonalities may have implications not only for treatment of such behaviours but also for how the general public perceive such behaviours.

1,733 citations


"Internet addiction in students: Pre..." refers background in this paper

  • ...As behavioral addiction (Holden, 2001; Kuss, 2012), Internet addiction leads to symptoms traditionally associated with substancerelated addictions, namely mood modification, salience, tolerance, withdrawal, conflict, and relapse (Griffiths, 2005)....

    [...]

Frequently Asked Questions (8)
Q1. What have the authors contributed in "Internet addiction in students: prevalence and risk factors" ?

Rather than looking at Internet addiction per se, this study focused on particular activities on the Internet that might be potentially addictive and linked them to personality traits that might predispose individuals to Internet addiction. The aims of this study were ( i ) to assess the prevalence of clinically significant levels of Internet addiction, and to ( ii ) discern the interplay between personality traits and specific Internet uses in increasing the risk for Internet addiction. This cross-sectional online survey used data from 2,257 students of an English university. 

The next Internet application that significantly increased the risks of being addicted to the Internet was online chat/forums (i.e., increased chance by 60%). 

As with online chat rooms, online forums may be a substitute for real life contacts, and engagement with them could lead to excess, as suggested by the results of this study. 

The baseline model including no predictors was significant (b = -3.340, Wald Χ2 (1) = 761.17, p < .01), indicating that the chance for being addicted to the Internet by the overall study population was .03. 

the interaction between neuroticism and online shopping decreased the odds of being addicted to the Internet by 45% (b = -.60, Wald Χ2 (1) = 5.50, p < .05). 

This study also demonstrated that engaging in online gaming increased the risks of being addicted to the Internet when paired with higher openness to experience. 

it suggests that SNSs are mostly used for the maintenance of established offline networks that are important for academic and professional opportunities, and thus might explain why some individuals become addicted to using them (Kuss & Griffiths, 2011). 

Previous research has found that the reasons for increased use of instant messengers (e.g., ICQ, MSN) in young populations are media richness and presentational control (Sheer, 2010).