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Excessive internet use in young women: What are the implications?

Jaafar NRN, Bahar N, Ibrahim N, Wan Ismail WS, Baharudin A

Curr Opin Psychiatry, 2017 Jul;30(4):260-267.
PMID: 28426547 DOI: 10.1097/YCO.0000000000000336

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: There are considerable gender differences in youth engaging in excessive internet use (EIU). This review provides updates based on the recent literature focusing on the EIU in young women to describe its implications including what it constitutes of, its correlates, sequelae and preventive and/or treatment strategies.
RECENT FINDINGS: Definition of EIU and its conceptualization still requires refinement. Recent studies indicate a changing trend towards female predominance of EIU. Women also differ in their internet use compared with men regarding their preference in the internet content and online activities, motives of use and factors related to access to the internet, including the device, sociocultural restrictions, etc. The correlates and sequelae of EIU encompass psychological, physical, biological, family and social domains that could form the basis of identifying individuals at risk and strategizing treatment.
SUMMARY: The findings indicate the need for standardization in definition and measures of EIU for better recognition of EIU and identification of its at-higher-risk females. Effective preventive and treatment measures are still limited by various methodology flaws outlined here.

Matched MeSH terms: Behavior, Addictive/epidemiology
Prevalence of internet gaming disorder in adolescents: A meta-analysis across three decades

Fam JY

Scand J Psychol, 2018 Oct;59(5):524-531.
PMID: 30004118 DOI: 10.1111/sjop.12459

The inclusion of "Internet gaming disorder (IGD)" in the fifth edition of Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5) creates a possible line of research. Despite the fact that adolescents are vulnerable to IGD, studies had reported wide array of prevalence estimates in this population. The aim of this paper is to review the published studies on prevalence of IGD among adolescents. Relevant studies prior to March 2017 were identified through databases. A total of 16 studies met the inclusion criteria. The pooled prevalence of IGD among adolescents was 4.6% (95% CI = 3.4%-6.0%). Male adolescents generally reported higher prevalence rate (6.8%, 95% CI = 4.3%-9.7%) than female adolescents (1.3%, 95% CI = 0.6%-2.2%). Subgroup analyses revealed that prevalence estimates were highest when studies were conducted in: (i) 1990s; (ii) use DSM criteria for pathological gambling; (iii) examine gaming disorder; (iv) Asia; and (v) small samples (<1,000). This study confirms the alarming prevalence of IGD among adolescents, especially among males. Given the methodological deficits in past decades (such as reliance on DSM criteria for "pathological gambling," inclusion of the word "Internet," and small sample sizes), it is critical for researchers to apply a common methodology for assess this disorder.

Matched MeSH terms: Behavior, Addictive/epidemiology*
Epidemiology of internet behaviors and addiction among adolescents in six Asian countries

Mak KK, Lai CM, Watanabe H, Kim DI, Bahar N, Ramos M, et al.

Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw, 2014 Nov;17(11):720-8.
PMID: 25405785 DOI: 10.1089/cyber.2014.0139

Internet addiction has become a serious behavioral health problem in Asia. However, there are no up-to-date country comparisons. The Asian Adolescent Risk Behavior Survey (AARBS) screens and compares the prevalence of Internet behaviors and addiction in adolescents in six Asian countries. A total of 5,366 adolescents aged 12-18 years were recruited from six Asian countries: China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Participants completed a structured questionnaire on their Internet use in the 2012-2013 school year. Internet addiction was assessed using the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) and the Revised Chen Internet Addiction Scale (CIAS-R). The variations in Internet behaviors and addiction across countries were examined. The overall prevalence of smartphone ownership is 62%, ranging from 41% in China to 84% in South Korea. Moreover, participation in online gaming ranges from 11% in China to 39% in Japan. Hong Kong has the highest number of adolescents reporting daily or above Internet use (68%). Internet addiction is highest in the Philippines, according to both the IAT (5%) and the CIAS-R (21%). Internet addictive behavior is common among adolescents in Asian countries. Problematic Internet use is prevalent and characterized by risky cyberbehaviors.

Matched MeSH terms: Behavior, Addictive/epidemiology
Validity of the Malay version of the Internet Addiction Test: a study on a group of medical students in Malaysia

Guan NC, Isa SM, Hashim AH, Pillai SK, Harbajan Singh MK

Asia Pac J Public Health, 2015 Mar;27(2):NP2210-9.
PMID: 22652253 DOI: 10.1177/1010539512447808

The use of the Internet has been increasing dramatically over the decade in Malaysia. Excessive usage of the Internet has lead to a phenomenon called Internet addiction. There is a need for a reliable, valid, and simple-to-use scale to measure Internet addiction in the Malaysian population for clinical practice and research purposes. The aim of this study was to validate the Malay version of the Internet Addiction Test, using a sample of 162 medical students. The instrument displayed good internal consistency (Cronbach's α = .91), parallel reliability (intraclass coefficient = .88, P < .001), and concurrent validity with the Compulsive Internet Use Scale (Pearson's correlation = .84, P < .001). Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that 43 was the optimal cutoff score to discriminate students with and without Internet dependence. Principal component analysis with varimax rotation identified a 5-factor model. The Malay version of the Internet Addiction Test appeared to be a valid instrument for assessing Internet addiction in Malaysian university students.

Matched MeSH terms: Behavior, Addictive/epidemiology*
Gambling, Drinking and Quality of Life: Evidence from Macao and Australia

Loo JM, Shi Y, Pu X

J Gambl Stud, 2016 Jun;32(2):391-407.
PMID: 26337063 DOI: 10.1007/s10899-015-9569-3

The investigation of the interface between psychological constructs, compulsive consumption of alcohol and pathological gambling is an important avenue for development of future initiatives in social marketing or prevention programs. This cross-cultural study attempts to bridge the gap in literature by providing an evaluation of the predictive ability of psychological variables such as gambling urge, gambling-related erroneous cognitions and comorbid alcohol consumption on pathological gambling behaviour and its impact on overall quality of life indicators. Participants consist of 445 Macao and Australian young adults (Mean age = 23 years). Results indicate that probable pathological gamblers as compared with non-gamblers reported significantly lower quality of life in all domains-physical health, psychological well-being, social relationships and environment. Adults who drank more alcohol and have stronger erroneous cognitions evidenced higher pathological gambling behavior. Our research model fits both cohorts and interestingly, erroneous gambling-related cognitions serve as a full mediator for the predictive relationship between gambling urge and pathological gambling in the Macao sample, but serve as a partial mediator in the Australian sample. Targeting erroneous cognitions in future social marketing or preventive campaigns should demonstrate to be an important strategy in reducing the effects of urge to gamble among at-risk individuals. Further implications for the industry, marketing and governmental strategies are discussed.

Matched MeSH terms: Behavior, Addictive/epidemiology
Fulltext Internet addiction and self-evaluated attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder traits among Japanese college students

Tateno M, Teo AR, Shirasaka T, Tayama M, Watabe M, Kato TA

Psychiatry Clin Neurosci, 2016 Dec;70(12):567-572.
PMID: 27573254 DOI: 10.1111/pcn.12454

AIM: Internet addiction (IA), also referred to as Internet use disorder, is a serious problem all over the world, especially in Asian countries. Severe IA in students may be linked to academic failure, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and forms of social withdrawal, such as hikikomori. In this study, we performed a survey to investigate the relation between IA and ADHD symptoms among college students.
METHODS: Severity of IA and ADHD traits was assessed by self-report scales. Subjects were 403 college students (response rate 78%) who completed a questionnaire including Young's Internet Addiction Test (IAT) and the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale-V1.1.
RESULTS: Out of 403 subjects, 165 were male. The mean age was 18.4 ± 1.2 years, and mean total IAT score was 45.2 ± 12.6. One hundred forty-eight respondents (36.7%) were average Internet users (IAT < 40), 240 (59.6%) had possible addiction (IAT 40-69), and 15 (3.7%) had severe addiction (IAT ≥ 70). Mean length of Internet use was 4.1 ± 2.8 h/day on weekdays and 5.9 ± 3.7 h/day on the weekend. Females used the Internet mainly for social networking services while males preferred online games. Students with a positive ADHD screen scored significantly higher on the IAT than those negative for ADHD screen (50.2 ± 12.9 vs 43.3 ± 12.0).
CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that Internet misuse may be related to ADHD traits among Japanese youth. Further investigation of the links between IA and ADHD is warranted.

Matched MeSH terms: Behavior, Addictive/epidemiology*
The relations of internet and smartphone addictions to depression, anxiety, stress, and suicidality among public university students in Klang Valley, Malaysia

Wan Ismail WS, Sim ST, Tan KA, Bahar N, Ibrahim N, Mahadevan R, et al.

Perspect Psychiatr Care, 2020 Oct;56(4):949-955.
PMID: 32363648 DOI: 10.1111/ppc.12517

PURPOSE: This cross-sectional study examined the cyber-psychological correlates of depression, anxiety, stress, and suicidality among public university students in Klang Valley, Malaysia.
DESIGN AND METHODS: Participants were randomly selected using multi-stage sampling methods from three public universities in the study location. Participants completed measures of internet and smartphone addictions, depression, anxiety, stress, and suicidality, along with sociodemographic items.
FINDINGS: At bivariate level, both internet and smartphone addictions were found to have significant positive correlations with depression, anxiety, stress, and suicidality. At multivariate level, only internet addiction emerged as a consistent significant predictor for depression, anxiety, stress, and suicidality.
PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The present findings have implications for mental health professionals to routinely screen for psychological disturbance in young adults who have potential risks for internet addiction.

Matched MeSH terms: Behavior, Addictive/epidemiology*