Problematic Internet use and associated risks in a college sample.

OBJECTIVE The Internet is commonly used among young adults; however, Internet use may become a problematic behavior. Past research has examined Internet behavior in young adults and its relationship to other behaviors and health issues, yet further research is needed to gain a more comprehensive understanding of this relationship. METHOD A sample (n=2108) of college students (56.9% female) was examined using a self-report Internet survey concerning demographic characteristics, Internet use, health behaviors, psychosocial functioning, and psychiatric comorbidities. The IAT was used to determine levels of problematic Internet use (limited use (none or almost no use), mild use (typical user), moderate use (occasional problems) and severe use (frequent, serious problems)) and the MINI for testing for psychiatric problems. RESULTS We found that 237 students (12.9%) met criteria for limited Internet use, 1502 (81.8%) for mild Internet use and 98 (5.3%) for moderate to severe Internet use. Variables significantly associated with greater frequency of Internet use included lower Grade Point Average (p=.006), less frequent exercise (p=.018), higher PHQ-9 scores (p<.0001) (indicative of greater depression symptoms) and higher Perceived Stress Scores (p<.0001). CONCLUSIONS These data indicate that moderate to severe Internet use is associated with a range of psychosocial problems in young adults. More research is needed to better understand the relationship between Internet use and physical and mental health, as well as academic variables.

[1]  V. Adesso,et al.  Gender differences in using alcohol to cope with depression. , 1991, Addictive behaviors.

[2]  S. Park,et al.  Prevalence of Internet addiction and correlations with family factors among South Korean adolescents. , 2008, Adolescence.

[3]  M. Kaess,et al.  Prevalence of pathological internet use among adolescents in Europe: demographic and social factors. , 2012, Addiction.

[4]  Rodrigo Siqueira Reis,et al.  Perceived stress scale: reliability and validity study in Brazil. , 2010, Journal of health psychology.

[5]  R. Bond,et al.  When a better self is only a button click away : Associations between materialistic values, emotional and identity-related buying motives, and compulsive buying tendency online , 2007 .

[6]  J. Suler.  Computer and cyberspace “addiction” , 2004 .

[7]  Keith J. Anderson.  Internet Use Among College Students: An Exploratory Study , 2001, Journal of American college health : J of ACH.

[8]  Kyunghee Kim,et al.  Internet addiction in Korean adolescents and its relation to depression and suicidal ideation: a questionnaire survey. , 2006, International journal of nursing studies.

[9]  Phil A. Silva,et al.  The structure and stability of common mental disorders (DSM-III-R): a longitudinal-epidemiological study. , 1998, Journal of abnormal psychology.

[10]  Jeffrey L. Geller.  Impulse Control Disorders: A Clinician’s Guide to Understanding and Treating Behavioral Addictions , 2008 .

[11]  Gregory L. Stuart,et al.  Aerobic Exercise for Alcohol Recovery , 2009, Behavior modification.

[12]  T. Kamarck,et al.  A global measure of perceived stress. , 1983, Journal of health and social behavior.

[13]  Inger Johanne Bakken,et al.  Internet addiction among Norwegian adults: a stratified probability sample study. , 2009, Scandinavian journal of psychology.

[14]  Aaron Smith,et al.  Social Media & Mobile Internet Use among Teens and Young Adults. Millennials. , 2010 .

[15]  G. Giammanco,et al.  [Excessive Internet use and Internet addiction: emerging public health issues.]. , 2007, Igiene e sanita pubblica.

[16]  P. Keck,et al.  Psychiatric features of individuals with problematic internet use. , 2000, Journal of affective disorders.

[17]  Kimberly Young,et al.  The Relationship Between Depression and Internet Addiction , 1998, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[18]  C. Blanco,et al.  Disordered Gambling Among Racial and Ethnic Groups in the US: Results From the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions , 2009, CNS Spectrums.

[19]  S. Hemby,et al.  Aerobic Exercise Attenuates Reinstatement of Cocaine-Seeking Behavior and Associated Neuroadaptations in the Prefrontal Cortex , 2010, Biological Psychiatry.

[20]  Artemis Tsitsika,et al.  Internet use and misuse: a multivariate regression analysis of the predictive factors of internet use among Greek adolescents , 2009, European Journal of Pediatrics.

[21]  Jiali Ye,et al.  Acculturative Stress and Use of the Internet among East Asian International Students in the United States , 2005, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[22]  N. Petry,et al.  Disordered gambling among university-based medical and dental patients: a focus on Internet gambling. , 2002, Psychology of addictive behaviors : journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors.

[23]  J. Parsons,et al.  Internet Addiction: College Student Case Study Using Best Practices in Cognitive Behavior Therapy. , 2001 .

[24]  B. Wellman,et al.  The Internet in everyday life , 2002 .

[25]  Konstantinos Siomos,et al.  Internet Addiction among Greek Adolescent Students , 2008, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[26]  R. Tao,et al.  Proposed diagnostic criteria for internet addiction. , 2010, Addiction.

[27]  R. Spitzer,et al.  The PHQ-9 , 2001, Journal of General Internal Medicine.

[28]  Fatih Bayraktar,et al.  Incidence and Correlates of Internet Usage Among Adolescents in North Cyprus , 2007, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[29]  Chih-Hung Ko,et al.  The relationships between body mass index and television viewing, internet use and cellular phone use: the moderating effects of socio-demographic characteristics and exercise. , 2010, The International journal of eating disorders.

[30]  Sheldon Cohen,et al.  PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE , 2014 .

[31]  B. Odlaug,et al.  Impulse-control disorders in a college sample: results from the self-administered Minnesota Impulse Disorders Interview (MIDI). , 2010, Primary care companion to the Journal of clinical psychiatry.