The role of negative mood states and consequences of hypersexual behaviours in predicting hypersexuality among university students

Background and Aims: The issue of whether hypersexual behaviours exist among university students is controversial because many of these individuals engage in sexual exploration during their time at university. To date, little is known about the correlates of hypersexual behaviours among university students in the UK. Therefore, the aims of this exploratory study were two-fold. Firstly, to explore and establish the correlates of hypersexual behaviours, and secondly, to investigate whether hypersexuality among university students can be predicted by variables relating to negative mood states (i.e., emotional dysregulation, loneliness, shame, and life satisfaction) and consequences of hypersexual behaviour. Methods: Survey data from 165 British university students was analysed using regression analyses. Results: The full regression model significantly predicted hypersexual behaviours. However, only a small number of predictor variables (i.e., gender, consequences of hypersexual behaviours, life satisfaction and emotional dysregulation) accounted for the significant unique influence on hypersexual behaviours among the sample. Conclusions: The study empirically supported the concept of hypersexual disorder. The implications of these findings are also discussed

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

Internet addiction and loneliness among children and adolescents in the education setting: an empirical pilot study

Research into various behavioural addictions has shown that such behaviour can negatively impact psychological wellbeing. One behavioural addiction that has been increasingly studied empirically is that of Internet Addiction (IA). Despite general consensus concerning the negative effects of IA on mental health and other indices of physical and psychosocial health, little research has been done in child and adolescent populations in specific contexts. The main objectives of this study were to (i) investigate the extent of problems caused by IA in children and adolescents, (ii) determine the socio-demographic and behavioural characteristics of children and adolescents with IA, and (iii) to provide a model capable of predicting IA in the educational context among the target population. A total of 131 Portuguese school children and adolescents participated in this study. Results indicated a relatively high incidence of IA in the sample (13%). Additionally, the correlational analyses revealed associations between IA and loneliness, social loneliness, and other variables related to the educational context. Results demonstrated that IA could be predicted using a model encompassing three variables (i.e., weekly Internet usage, loneliness, and classroom behaviour). Overall, the present findings corroborated results from other studies and added to the behavioural addiction literature by examining a younger cohort than previous empirical studies

The development and psychometric properties of the Internet Disorder Scale – Short Form (IDS9-SF)

Previous research has emphasized the need to improve the psychometric assessment of Internet addiction (IA); however, little research has been conducted to address inconsistencies in the instrumentation used for this purpose. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop a new instrument to assess IA based on the nine Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) criteria as suggested by the American Psychiatric Association in the latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) and further explore its psychometric properties according to several statistical parameters. A convenience sample of 1,100 participants was recruited from various online forums. Construct validity of the Internet Disorder Scale– Short Form (IDS9-SF) was assessed by means of factorial and nomological validity. Concurrent and criterion validity, as well as reliability were also investigated. At the construct validity level, the results from different analyses confirmed the validity of the scale. Additionally, strong empirical evidence was obtained for the concurrent and criterion validity of the scale. Taken together, these findings support the viability of using the nine IGD criteria as outlined by the APA in the DSM-5 to assess the construct of IA in a parsimonious and uniform fashion

The role of age, age of Internet access initiation, and time spent online in the etiology of Internet addiction [abstract]

Background and Aims: A relatively large body of studies reported bivariate associations between sociodemographic variables (e.g., age), intensity of internet usage (e.g., hours spent online) and internet addiction (IA). However, only few actually employed more robust statistical approaches (e.g., path analysis) to understand these complex relationships and their possible causal pathways. In the present study, a full structural equation modelling (SEM) model using year of first use of the internet and hours of internet usage per week as mediators of the relationship between age and IA was devised. Methods: A total of 1,105 internet users (Mage= 33; S.D. = 12.31), 36.7% (n = 405) from the US, 30.4% (n = 336) from India, 24.6% (n = 272) from the UK, and 8.3% (n = 92) from other countries were recruited online. In addition to collecting sociodemographic information, participants filled out a newly developed brief measure of IA based on the DSM-5 criteria. Results: After analyzing the full SEM model, partial mediation presented the best overall fit for the data (Satorra-Bentler scaled Δχ2 = 114,62; Δdf = 1; p < .0001), with year of first use of the internet and the hours per week spent surfing mediating the relationship between age and IA. Furthermore, the present model accounted for 18% of the variability in IA. Conclusions: Although diagnosing IA on grounds of non-standardized criteria is not correct from a methodological standpoint, the variables here analyzed may play an important role in the development of IA

A brief overview of Internet Gaming Disorder and its treatment

In the latest (fifth) edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013), Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) was included in Section 3 (‘Emerging Measures and Models’) as a promising area that needed future research before being formally included in the DSM. This paper provides a brief overview of IGD and its treatment. There are now over 20 different screens for assessing problematic gaming although very few studies have used nationally representative samples. The prevalence rates in these studies have ranged from 1.2% to 8.5% depending upon country and screening instrument used. Although IGD is not yet an officially recognized disorder, there have been a number of treatment studies although many of these do not distinguish between Internet Use Disorder and IGD. In terms of psychological treatments for IGD, cognitive-behavioural therapy appears to be the most widely used. It is concluded that standardized and comprehensive methods of diagnosis are at present lacking, and that further research into IGD is needed from clinical, epidemiological, and neurobiological aspects of IGD

Internet Gaming Disorder among Slovenian primary schoolchildren: findings from a nationally representative sample of adolescents

Background and aims: Since the inclusion of Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) in the latest (fifth) edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) as a tentative disorder, a few psychometric screening instruments have been developed to assess IGD, including the 9-item Internet Gaming Disorder Scale – Short-Form (IGDS9-SF) – a short, valid, and reliable instrument. Methods: Due to the lack of research on IGD in Slovenia, this study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the IGDS9-SF in addition to investigating the prevalence rates of IGD in a nationally representative sample of eighth graders from Slovenia (N=1,071). Results: The IGDS9-SF underwent rigorous psychometric scrutiny in terms of validity and reliability. Construct validation was investigated with confirmatory factor analysis to examine the factorial structure of the IGDS9-SF and a unidimensional structure appeared to fit the data well. Concurrent and criterion validation were also investigated by examining the association between IGD and relevant psychosocial and game-related measures, which warranted these forms of validity. In terms of reliability, the Slovenian version IGDS9-SF obtained excellent results regarding its internal consistency at different levels, and the test appears to be a valid and reliable instrument to assess IGD among Slovenian youth. Finally, the prevalence rates of IGD were found to be around 2.5% in the whole sample and 3.1% among gamers. Discussion and conclusion: Taken together, these results illustrate the suitability of the IGDS9-SF and warrants further research on IGD in Slovenia

Validation of the online political engagement scale in a British population survey

Over the last decade, there has been an ever increasing number of citizens using online media to participate in and engage with politics. Social media sites and online blogs have enabled new opportunities for interactive and user-centered political experiences. Currently, there is a general scarcity of psychometrically validated and standardized instruments that assess politically-related constructs (e.g., political engagement, political participation) in the field of political sciences. The main aim of the present study was to develop a standardized psychometric tool to assess online political engagement among the general population that is valid and reliable. The present study examined the psychometric properties of a 7-item Online Political Engagement Scale (OPEnS) that assesses various online political actions people engage with during election campaigns. To develop the scale, data from the 2010 British Election Survey were used, and a total of 3,075 people participated in an online survey, post-election. The main findings obtained in the present study supported the undimensionality of the online political engagement construct given the results obtained from exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. The OPEnS appears to be a valid and reliable instrument for assessing this phenomenon, and may be useful in studies investigating newer patterns of online political engagement and disengagement