A short-term longitudinal study of Internet and computer game use by adolescent boys and girls: prevalence, frequency of use, and psychosocial predictors

Prevalence, frequency, and psychosocial predictors of Internet and computer game use were assessed with 803 male and 788 female adolescents across 2 time periods, 21 months apart. At Time 1, participants were in the 9th or 10th grade; at Time 2, they were in the 11th or 12th grade. Most girls (93.7%) and boys (94.7%) reported using the Internet at both time periods, whereas more boys (80.3%) than girls (28.8%) reported gaming at both time periods. Girls reported a small decrease over time in the frequency of hours spent per day on overall technology use, mostly due to a decrease in gaming. Both linear and curvilinear relations were examined between parental relationships, friendship quality, academic orientation, and well-being measured in early high school and the frequency of technology use in late high school. Being male significantly predicted both computer gaming and Internet use. There also were trends in favor of higher friendship quality and less positive parental relationships predicting higher frequency of Internet use. Importantly, moderate use of the Internet was associated with a more positive academic orientation than nonuse or high levels of use.     

Analysis of college students' online life-styles and their psychological profiles in South Korea

This study examines the relationships between the online life-styles of South Korean students as Internet users and Internet use, their tendency toward Internet addiction, and the level of cyber ethics. A sample of 324 students, aged between 18 and 23 years, from a medium-sized university in South Korea was asked to complete a survey. They were categorized into three groups depending on their online life-styles: a Social group (SG), an Individual group (IG), and a Loner group (LG). In the following analyses, no group difference was found in hours of Internet use on either weekdays or weekends, but the SG reported higher engagement in interaction-oriented activities (e.g. blogging, games, and instant messenger services) than the LG. As for tendency toward Internet addiction, all three groups belonged to the first phase of the "at-risk" classification in Korea. Interestingly, the IG characteristics of sensation seeking and independence reported the lowest scores in cyber ethics, while the LG characteristics of apathetic attitude toward the Internet reported the highest scores in cyber ethics. This preliminary study showed that Internet users impose different meanings and values on their Internet experiences, which contribute to their use of Internet services, their tendency toward Internet addiction, and their level of cyber ethics.     

Moderate involvement in sports is related to lower depression levels among adolescents

Sports involvement has been found to be related to social and psychological well-being in Icelandic adolescents. The present study investigated whether similar relationships exist for American adolescents. A group of 89 high school seniors completed a questionnaire that gathered data on sports involvement, depression, intimacy with parents and friends, and grade point average. It was found that the moderate sports involvement group (3 to 6 hours per week) had lower depression scores than did the low sports involvement group (2 hours or less per week). The findings are discussed.     

Internet use by the socially fearful: addiction or therapy?

The Internet has often been argued to have adverse psychological consequences, such as depression or anxiety symptoms, among "over-users." The present study offers an alternative understanding, suggesting the Internet may be used as a forum for expanding social networks and consequently enhancing the chance of meaningful relationships, self-confidence, social abilities, and social support. An online sample of 188 people was recruited over the Internet, while paper and pencil tests were administered to an offline sample group of 27 undergraduate university students, who were regular Internet users. Subjects completed the Zung Depression Scale (ZDS), Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS), Eysenck Personality Questionnaire?Revised Short Scale (EPQ-R Short), Fear of Negative Evaluation (FNE) scale, Internet Use Questionnaire (IUQ), and an Internet Effects Questionnaire (IEQ). Results suggested that there was no relationship between time spent online and depression, anxiety, or social fearfulness. Those who primarily used the Internet for online chat believed that the Internet is psychologically beneficial to them, but also believed that frequent Internet users are lonely and that the Internet can be addictive. It is argued that "chat" users who are socially fearful may be using the Internet as a form of low-risk social approach and an opportunity to rehearse social behavior and communication skills, which, may help them improve interaction with offline, face-to-face, social environments.     

Internet accessibility and usage among urban adolescents in Southern California: implications for web-based health research.

The World Wide Web (WWW) poses a distinct capability to offer interventions tailored to the individual's characteristics. To fine tune the tailoring process, studies are needed to explore how Internet accessibility and usage are related to demographic, psychosocial, behavioral, and other health related characteristics. This study was based on a cross-sectional survey conducted on 2373 7th grade students of various ethnic groups in Southern California. Measures of Internet use included Internet use at school or at home, Email use, chat-room use, and Internet favoring. Logistic regressions were conducted to assess the associations between Internet uses with selected demographic, psychosocial, behavioral variables and self-reported health statuses. The proportion of students who could access the Internet at school or home was 90% and 40%, separately. Nearly all (99%) of the respondents could access the Internet either at school or at home. Higher SES and Asian ethnicity were associated with higher internet use. Among those who could access the Internet and after adjusting for the selected demographic and psychosocial variables, depression was positively related with chat-room use and using the Internet longer than 1 hour per day at home, and hostility was positively related with Internet favoring (All ORs = 1.2 for +1 STD, p < 0.05). Less parental monitoring and more unsupervised time were positively related to email use, chat-room use, and at home Internet use (ORs for +1 STD ranged from 1.2 to 2.0, all p < 0.05), but not related to at school Internet use. Substance use was positively related to email use, chat-room use, and at home Internet use (OR for "used" vs. "not used" ranged from 1.2 to 4.0, p < 0.05). Self-reported health problems were associated with higher levels of Internet use at home but lower levels of Internet use at school. More physical activity was related to more email use (OR = 1.3 for +1 STD), chat room use (OR = 1.2 for +1 STD), and at school ever Internet use (OR = 1.2 for +1 STD, all p < 0.05). Body mass index was not related to any of the Internet use-related measures. In this ethnically diverse sample of Southern California 7(th) grade students, 99% could access the Internet at school and/or at home. This suggests that the Internet is already a potential venue for large scale health communication studies. Adolescents with more psychosocial risk factors or detrimental health behaviors were more likely to use the Internet. Therefore, if used properly, Internet interventions could effectively address the high risk populations. Additional research is needed to gain a more complete understanding of the positive and negative consequences of Internet use among adolescents.     

Internet addiction among Norwegian adults: a stratified probability sample study

Most Norwegians are Internet users. We conducted a stratified probability sample study (Norway, 2007, age-group 16–74 years, N = 3,399, response rate 35.3%, 87.1% Internet users) to assess the prevalence of Internet addiction and at-risk Internet use by the Young Diagnostic Questionnaire (YDQ). The prevalence of Internet addiction (YDQ score 5–8) was 1.0% and an additional 5.2% were at-risk Internet users (YDQ score 3–4). Internet addiction and at-risk Internet use was strongly dependent on gender and age with highest prevalences among young males (16–29 years 4.1% and 19.0%, 30–39 years 3.3% and 10.7%). Logistic regression showed that male gender, young age, university level education, and an unsatisfactory financial situation were factors positively associated with "problematic Internet use" (at-risk and addicted use combined). Time spent on the Internet and prevalence of self-reported sleeping disorders, depression, and other psychological impairments increased linearly with YDQ score. Problematic Internet use clearly affects the lives of many people.     

What influences children's and adolescents' understanding of the complexity of the Internet?

This study aimed at analyzing complex relationships among Internet use, Internet users, and conceptual understanding of the Internet. It used path models to examine factors related to Internet use (duration of Internet use, frequency of Internet use, and informal Internet classes) and Internet users (age and gender) in affecting understanding of the technical and social complexity of the Internet for 322 elementary and middle school students. The findings of the study indicate that (a) age of young Internet users had predominant effects on both the technical and social understanding of the Internet; (b) frequency of Internet use and informal Internet classes had small but significant effects on social understanding, but no effect on technical understanding; and (c) technical understanding had a unidirectional effect on social understanding. The implications of these findings for the implementation of the Children's Internet Protection Act are discussed.     

压力事件对初中生抑郁的影响:网络使用动机与网络使用强度的作用

为探讨压力事件对初中生抑郁的影响以及网络使用动机和网络使用强度在其中的作用,采用生活事件量表,网络使用动机量表,网络使用强度量表和流调中心用抑郁量表对武汉市内两所中学的913名初中生进行调查。结果发现：（1）压力事件与网络使用动机、网络使用强度和抑郁均呈显著正相关; （2）压力事件正向预测网络使用动机与网络使用强度,网络使用动机正向预测网络使用强度,网络使用强度正向预测抑郁; （3）网络使用动机中,社会补偿动机正向预测抑郁,而好友联系动机与休闲娱乐动机负向预测抑郁; （4）压力事件通过网络使用动机和网络使用强度的链式中介作用影响抑郁。研究结果强调压力事件不仅可以直接影响初中生抑郁,还可以通过网络使用动机和网络使用强度间接影响初中生抑郁。     

Online communication, compulsive Internet use, and psychosocial well-being among adolescents: a longitudinal study

The present study investigated the relationships between adolescents' online communication and compulsive Internet use, depression, and loneliness. The study had a 2-wave longitudinal design with an interval of 6 months. The sample consisted of 663 students, 318 male and 345 female, ages 12 to 15 years. Questionnaires were administered in a classroom setting. The results showed that instant messenger use and chatting in chat rooms were positively related to compulsive Internet use 6 months later. Moreover, in agreement with the well-known HomeNet study (R. Kraut et al., 1998), instant messenger use was positively associated with depression 6 months later. Finally, loneliness was negatively related to instant messenger use 6 months later.     

Health Consequences of Online Social Capital among Middle-Aged and Older Adults in China

With the rapid development of Internet techniques in China, more and more Chinese middle-aged and older adults have begun to use the Internet for their daily social interactions, and the resulting online social capital may affect their health. Using data from the Chinese General Social Survey of 2017 (n = 7733, aged 45–90 years old), this study investigated the influence of online social capital on the health of middle-aged and older adults in China, and the Heckman sample selection model was used to address potential sample selection bias in Internet use. The results show that number of online contacts significantly improved the physical health of middle-aged and older adults, while the level of depression was significantly reduced by online closeness of non-specific relationships, but more online interactions may slightly increase their depression. Furthermore, more online contacts were associated with elevated physical health among male, rural, less-educated and middle-aged adults, while more online closeness of non-specific relationships was associated with less depression in almost all subgroups. Online social capital can improve the health of middle-aged and older adults in China, so we should help increase older adults’ access to the Internet and improve their Internet skills to give full play to the positive health effect of online social capital. However, it should be alert to the negative health consequences caused by excessive Internet use.

     

Sadness, suicide, and their association with video game and internet overuse among teens: results from the youth risk behavior survey 2007 and 2009

We investigated the association between excessive video game/Internet use and teen suicidality. Data were obtained from the 2007 and 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), a high school-based, nationally representative survey (N = 14,041 and N = 16,410, respectively). Teens who reported 5 hours or more of video games/Internet daily use, in the 2009 YRBS, had a significantly higher risk for sadness (adjusted and weighted odds ratio, 95% confidence interval = 2.1, 1.7-2.5), suicidal ideation (1.7, 1.3-2.1), and suicide planning (1.5, 1.1-1.9). The same pattern was found in the 2007 survey. These findings support an association between excessive video game and Internet use and risk for teen depression and suicidality.     

Internet addiction: characteristics of a questionnaire and prevalence in Norwegian youth (12-18 years)

The use of the Internet has increased considerably during the last few years, and there are also some clinical observations that some people 'get hooked', and develop an Internet addiction. An epidemiological study was performed in a representative sample of the Norwegian youth population (N= 3,237; response rate 45.2%). The proportion not using Internet was only 4.9%, while 35.8% were non-frequent users, and 49.6% (1,591) were frequent (weekly) users. They used the Internet on the mean 4.3 hours a week. A mean of 1.98% (boys 2.42%, girls 1.51%) could be described as having an 'Internet addiction' according to the criteria in the Diagnostic Questionnaire of Young (1998), and an additional 8.68% (in sum 10.66) were considered to have an at-risk Internet use (boys 9.21%, girls 8.13%). If these proportions were calculated on individuals who used the Internet frequently, 4.02% fulfilled 5 criteria, and an additional 17.66% 3-4 criteria, giving quite high figures of problematic Internet use (in sum 21.68). The different diagnostic criteria gave a broad range of affirmative answers (from 0.4% to 27.9%). The results have important implications for further studies of prevalence, implementation of preventive measures, and the development of treatment approaches for Internet addiction.     

Depressed versus nondepressed young adult tobacco users: differences in coping style, weight concerns and exercise level.

Undergraduates age 18 to 24 years (n=656) completed questionnaires assessing tobacco use, depressive symptoms, coping responses, weight concerns, and exercise. The majority of participants were female (72%), White/non-Hispanic (95%), and in the 1st or 2nd year of college (80%). Current tobacco users (n=236) had a higher frequency of depression (40%) than never tobacco users (32%; p=.05). Tobacco users classified as depressed (Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale [CES-D] score a 16) reported greater weight concerns and more frequent maladaptive coping in response to negative mood than tobacco users classified as nondepressed (CES-D score<16). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that higher maladaptive coping and lower level of exercise were significantly associated with depression among tobacco users.     

病理性网络使用者对情绪信息的注意偏向研究

探究病理性网络使用者在注意偏向上是否存在情绪干扰。采用情绪图-词Stroop范式对病理性网络使用者与正常网络使用者进行比较研究。结果表明(1)病理性网络使用者与正常网络使用者相比,有对情绪词语有更加突出的反应延迟特点,表现出了明显的情绪干扰。(2)病理性网络使用者与正常网络使用者相比,具有更多的负性认知偏向。(3)病理性网络使用者与正常网络使用者相比,在图词不一致的情况下有更多的反应延迟存在。     

负性生活事件对大学生抑郁的影响：网络成瘾的中介与5-HTR1A基因rs749098多态性的调节作用

基于抑郁的基因-环境研究范式,以301名大学生为研究对象,探究负性生活事件对大学生抑郁的影响及作用机制。结果表明：(1)负性生活事件、网络成瘾与大学生抑郁两两显著相关;(2)网络成瘾在负性生活事件对大学生抑郁的影响中起部分中介作用;(3) 5-HTR1A基因rs749098多态性在该中介模型的直接路径和中介后半段起调节效应,具体表现为,相比携带C/G和G/G基因型个体,C/C基因型个体负性生活事件对抑郁的负向预测更强,且携带C/C基因型的个体,即使是低水平的网络成瘾的都表现出更高的抑郁情况,而在高水平的网络成瘾的情况下三种基因型都表现出高水平的抑郁。     

Teen internet use: relating social perceptions and cognitive models to behavior.

In order to provide Internet researchers with a better understanding of how and why individuals adopt some online behaviors and not others, this study targets teenage Internet users to examine the relationships among social influence and self-regulatory models as mechanisms to the behavior of Internet use. Information, entertainment, and social online activities are presented as three distinct uses of the Internet so corresponding behavioral models of adoption could be tested. Results from 173 high school students indicate that direct and vicarious social perceptions significantly influence self-regulation, which subsequently has an effect on use. Using path analyses to test the direct and indirect theoretical relationships among these constructs, the data indicates that while clearly fitting two of the three models tested, three unique processes to adoption are evident.     

College students' self-discrepancy on the Internet, from the perspectives of desktop practices, self-control, and academic training

The self-discrepancy theory argues that perceived discrepancy between one's actual self and ideal self may induce anxiety, and that this in turn may motivate people to reduce or eliminate this perceived discrepancy by changing their behaviors. Based on this theory, this study investigated how college students perceived discrepancies between their actual and their reported ideal uses of the Internet. Their Internet use was examined on three levels: the grand level (i.e., hours spent online per week), the activity level (i.e., hours spent engaging in certain online activities per week), and the tool level (i.e., hours spent using certain Internet tools per week). Three particular factors were also selected for investigation: the participants' different desktop practices, levels of academic training, and exertions of self-control. The results indicate that the participants' perceptions of actual versus ideal discrepancies were shaped by the different levels (i.e., grand, activity, tool) of their Internet use. Additionally, this study shows that perceived self-discrepancy relating to the time that college students spend on the Internet may not be a problem in itself, but it may symbolize more profound psychological or behavioral factors that need to be addressed.     

ICQ (I seek you) and adolescents: a quantitative study in Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong Government and the education sector encourage the whole population-from toddlers to senior citizens-to utilize information technology, and many do. Yet there are no studies exploring the patterns of adolescents using ICQ (I seek you) in Asian countries. This study was done in Hong Kong, which has the greatest number of ICQ users. A quantitative approach was adopted by administering self-constructed questionnaires to the students of one high school. One hundred and forty-seven adolescents volunteered to participate. The key findings of the study are (1) most of the adolescents have been using ICQ for 1-4 years; (2) most fit one of two patterns of use: either 2 or 3 days per week, or more than 5 days per week; (3) they spend less than 3 h per day on ICQ; (4) the main reasons for using ICQ are entertainment, relaxation, and socializing; and (5) parents are concerned about possible negative impacts on their children's academic performance because of using ICQ. Two main implications are drawn: proper use of ICQ can minimize parental distress and encourage adolescents to be less sedentary.     

Internet self-efficacy, the need for cognition, and sensation seeking as predictors of problematic use of the internet

We conducted a study of the relationships between Internet self-efficacy, sensation seeking, the need for cognition, and problematic use of the Internet. The study was based on a randomly selected sample of 979 adult Internet users. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis of these subjects' responses on a questionnaire consisting of relevant items indicated that Internet self-efficacy and sensation seeking positively predicted problematic Internet use. Contrastingly, the need for cognition was significantly negatively associated with problematic Internet use.