Internet addiction in adolescents: prevalence and risk factors

As new media are becoming daily fare, Internet addiction appears as a potential problem in adolescents. From the reported negative consequences, it appears that Internet addiction can have a variety of detrimental outcomes for young people that may require professional intervention. Researchers have now identified a number of activities and personality traits associated with Internet addiction. This study aimed to synthesise previous findings by (i) assessing the prevalence of potential Internet addiction in a large sample of adolescents, and (ii) investigating the interactions between personality traits and the usage of particular Internet applications as risk factors for Internet addiction. A total of 3,105 adolescents in the Netherlands filled out a self-report questionnaire including the Compulsive Internet Use Scale and the Quick Big Five Scale. Results indicate that 3.7% of the sample were classified as potentially being addicted to the Internet. The use of online gaming and social applications (online social networking sites and Twitter) increased the 2 risk for Internet addiction, whereas extraversion and conscientiousness appeared as protective factors in high frequency online gamers. The findings support the inclusion of 'Internet addiction' in the DSM-V. Vulnerability and resilience appear as significant aspects that require consideration in further studies

Clinical psychology of Internet addiction: a review of its conceptualization, prevalence, neuronal processes, and implications for treatment

Research into Internet addiction (IA) has grown rapidly over the last decade. The topic has generated a great deal of debate, particularly in relation to how IA can be defined conceptually as well as the many methodological limitations. The present review aims to further elaborate and clarify issues that are relevant to IA research in a number of areas including: definition and characterization, incidence and prevalence rates, associated neuronal processes, and implications for treatment, prevention, and patient-specific considerations. It is concluded that there is no consensual definition for IA. Prevalence rates among nationally representative samples across several countries vary greatly (from 1% to 18.7%), most likely reflecting the lack of methodological consistency and conceptual rigor of the studies. The overlaps between IA and other more traditional substance-based addictions and the possible neural substrates implicated in IA are also highlighted. In terms of treatment and prevention, both psychological and pharmacological treatments are examined in light of existing evidence alongside particular aspects inherent to the patient perspective. Based on the evidence analyzed, it is concluded that IA may pose a serious health hazard to a minority of people

Effects of internet use on wellbeing and academic attainment of students starting university

Previous research suggests that internet addiction, or problematic internet use, reduces the wellbeing and academic attainment of university students. A major problem with much of the previous research is that the studies have not controlled for established predictors of wellbeing and attainment. When this has been done, the effects of internet use on wellbeing have no longer been significant, although a negative effect of internet use on attainment still remained. This topic was examined in the present study which also controlled for information overload. 179 first year university students completed the internet addiction test , the information overload scale and the student wellbeing process questionnaire. Correlational analyses showed that internet addiction was associated with negative wellbeing and negatively associated with positive wellbeing. Numerically, internet addiction scores were associated with poorer attainment but these effects were not significant, possibly reflecting the sample size. The associations between internet addiction and wellbeing were not significant when established predictors of wellbeing (positive personality, social support, exposure to stressors and negative coping) were covaried. Further research is needed to extend these findings using longitudinal designs, other samples (e.g. high users of the internet, workers) and assessment of type of internet use

Is compulsive internet use related to sensitivity to reward and punishment, and impulsivity?

Aim of the present study was to examine whether the personality correlates sensitivity to reward and to punishment, and impulsivity predict compulsive internet use (CIU). Furthermore, the predictive value of these personality correlates was compared to the predictive value of factors relating to psychosocial wellbeing. The results showed that particularly rash spontaneous impulsivity predicts CIU and that this personality factor is more important than psychosocial wellbeing factors. Sensitivity to reward, which is supposed to play a role in craving processes associated with substance abuse and eating disorders, could not be related to CIU. The data suggest that Internet users who are characterized by an impulsive personality feature, are less able to control their use of the internet, which makes them more vulnerable to develop CIU. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Early intervention for obsessive compulsive disorder : An expert consensus statement

© 2019 Elsevier B.V.and ECNP. All rights reserved.Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is common, emerges early in life and tends to run a chronic, impairing course. Despite the availability of effective treatments, the duration of untreated illness (DUI) is high (up to around 10 years in adults) and is associated with considerable suffering for the individual and their families. This consensus statement represents the views of an international group of expert clinicians, including child and adult psychiatrists, psychologists and neuroscientists, working both in high and low and middle income countries, as well as those with the experience of living with OCD. The statement draws together evidence from epidemiological, clinical, health economic and brain imaging studies documenting the negative impact associated with treatment delay on clinical outcomes, and supporting the importance of early clinical intervention. It draws parallels between OCD and other disorders for which early intervention is recognized as beneficial, such as psychotic disorders and impulsive-compulsive disorders associated with problematic usage of the Internet, for which early intervention may prevent the development of later addictive disorders. It also generates new heuristics for exploring the brain-based mechanisms moderating the ‘toxic’ effect of an extended DUI in OCD. The statement concludes that there is a global unmet need for early intervention services for OC related disorders to reduce the unnecessary suffering and costly disability associated with under-treatment. New clinical staging models for OCD that may be used to facilitate primary, secondary and tertiary prevention within this context are proposed.Peer reviewe

How does Nomophobia Exert Impact on Life Satisfaction? Exploring the Mediating Effect of Psychological Wellbeing and Academic Performance

Several studies have highlighted the adverse consequences of information system (IS) overuse. To expand the knowledge on this heated topic, this paper aims among the first to explore the association between nomophobia, a manifestation of smartphone excessive use, and life satisfaction mediated by psychological wellbeing, as well as academic performance. On the other hand, this paper also targets the reverse procedure, namely if life satisfaction mediated by both psychological wellbeing and academic performance prompts nomophobia. To empirically test the established model, a big-scale systematic random sampling over 10 thousand responses is plan to implement. The survey questionnaire collected demographic information and actual grade-point average (GPAs), as well as responses to scales including the nomophobia, psychological wellbeing (consisted of perceived stress, depression, and loneliness), and life satisfaction

Is Cyberchondria a New Transdiagnostic Digital Compulsive Syndrome? A Systematic Review of the Evidence

© 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).Background. Cyberchondria (CYB) has been described relatively recently as a behaviour characterized by excessive online searching for medical information that is associated with increasing levels of health anxiety. Although CYB has received some attention from researchers, there is no consensus about many of its aspects. Aims. We describe one of the first reported cases of a treatment-seeking patient with CYB. We review the published literature on the definition of CYB, its assessment, epidemiology, cost and burden, psychological models and mechanisms associated with CYB, relationships between CYB and mental disorders and prevention and treatment strategies. Methods: Systematic review of all peer-reviewed papers published within the PubMed, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Library databases. Results. 61 articles were selected. Nearly all the studies were descriptive and cross-sectional recruiting sample mainly from the general/university student population and collecting self-report data via online surveys. Data on epidemiology, clinical features, course, comorbidity and therapeutic interventions were scarce. CYB showed a self-reported association with health anxiety, hypochondriasis and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) as well as other forms of problematic usage of the internet (PUI) The psychological mechanisms associated with CYB include low self-esteem, anxiety sensitivity, intolerance of uncertainty, pain catastrophizing and certain meta-cognitive beliefs. Conclusion: A working definition of CYB includes excessive online health searches that are compulsive and may serve the purpose of seeking reassurance, whilst leading to a worsening of anxiety or distress and further negative consequences. CYB represents a clinically relevant transdiagnostic compulsive behavioural syndrome, closely related to PUI and usually presenting in association with health anxiety, hypochondriasis and/or OCD. CYB is clearly in need of further study and we identify key areas for future research.Peer reviewe

The classification of substance and behavioural addictions: A preliminary investigation

The term addiction has been used to refer to impaired control over substance use for several centuries however recently there has been a shift toward using this term in the context of non-substance use disorders, such as pathological gambling. A preliminary investigation was conducted in an attempt to clarify the most appropriate classification of 'behavioural addictions'. Participants with alcohol dependence (AD, n = 24), pathological gambling (PG, n = 20) and compulsive buying disorder (CBD, n = 14) completed an Addictive Disorder Questionnaire (ADQ); the Symptom Checklist 90 Revised (SCL-90R); Barratt Impulsivity Scale II; and substance specific adaptations of the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). Although the AD group reported more severe addiction symptoms and had higher levels of depression and anxiety, there were broad similarities across the three disorders in relation to cravings, dyscontrol, impulsivity and obsessions. Despite the small sample size and the different recruitment strategies used across the groups, the findings from this preliminary study provide support for broadening addiction diagnostic definitions to include non-substance related disorders which in turn may contribute to the development of more efficacious treatments

Relationship between problematic internet use and psychological wellbeing among adolescents in Sweden

The aim of the study was to describe the relationship between problematic internet use and psychological wellbeing among upper high school students in Sweden. In addition, potential gender differences with regard to problematic internet use was described. Finally, the present study explored potential differences between students categorized as “ Average internet users” 127 (65%), “Risk internet users” 67 (34%), and “Addictive internet users” 1 (0.5%) in relation to wellbeing. The questionnaires were distributed to 140 female students and 96 male students. The participants attended either of the two high schools in the south of Sweden. Results revealed small positive correlations in personal growth (r=.25) and purpose in life (r=.15) in relation to problematic internet use. The results showed no difference in males and females in relation to problematic internet use (total). Also, the results showed no differences in psychological wellbeing in relation to “Average internet users” and “Risk internet users.” Further, on assessing differences between the six subscales of wellbeing in relation to “Average internet users” and “Risk internet users”, no significant difference was found. However, there was seen a tendency for personal growth in relation to “Average internet users” and “Risk internet users.” Future research must reflect on reassessing “problematic internet use” as there have been a lot of developments in the understanding, approach, and application of internet in todays world, in comparison to what was defined in the 90s. Keywords: wellbeing, internet use, upper high school student