Identifying Problematic Internet Users: Development and Validation of the Internet Motive Questionnaire for Adolescents (IMQ-A)

Abstract

BackgroundInternationally, up to 15.1% of intensive Internet use among adolescents is dysfunctional. To provide a basis for early intervention and preventive measures, understanding the motives behind intensive Internet use is important.ObjectiveThis study aims to develop a questionnaire, the Internet Motive Questionnaire for Adolescents (IMQ-A), as a theory-based measurement for identifying the underlying motives for high-risk Internet use. More precisely, the aim was to confirm the 4-factor structure (ie, social, enhancement, coping, and conformity motives) as well as its construct and concurrent validity. Another aim was to identify the motivational differences between high-risk and low-risk Internet users.MethodsA sample of 101 German adolescents (female: 52.5%, 53/101; age: mean 15.9, SD 1.3 years) was recruited. High-risk users (n=47) and low-risk users (n=54) were identified based on a screening measure for online addiction behavior in children and adolescents (Online-Suchtverhalten-Skala, OSVK-S). Here, “high-risk” Internet use means use that exceeds the level of intensive Internet use (OSVK-S sum score ≥7).ResultsThe confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the IMQ-A’s 4-factor structure. A reliability analysis revealed good internal consistencies of the subscales (.71 up to .86). Moreover, regression analyses confirmed that the enhancement and coping motive groups significantly predicted high-risk Internet consumption and the OSVK-S sum score. A mixed-model ANOVA confirmed that adolescents mainly access the Internet for social motives, followed by enhancement and coping motives, and that high-risk users access the Internet more frequently for coping and enhancement motives than low-risk users. Low-risk users were primarily motivated socially.ConclusionsThe IMQ-A enables the assessment of motives related to adolescent Internet use and thus the identification of populations at risk. The questionnaire enables the development of preventive measures or early intervention programs, especially dealing with internal motives of Internet consumption.

O Uso de Internet e Redes Sociais e a Relação com Indícios de Ansiedade e Depressão em Estudantes de Medicina

“…No presente estudo, não foi significativa a associação entre a quantidade de tempo gasto na internet e a presença de sintomas ansiosos e depressivos. Os jovens parecem acessar a internet principalmente por motivos positivos (ascensão social), enquanto os motivos negativos (autoafirmação) parecem ter menos importância 16 . Dessa forma, a presença de sintomas tanto ansiosos quanto depressivos pode ser gerada pelo mau uso da internet e/ ou redes sociais, ou os sintomas podem estar presentes e o uso desta representa somente um mecanismo de compensação 17 .…”

“…Provavelmente, a relação entre o uso da internet e a maneira como a ansiedade é gerenciada pode ser mais importante do que o nível da ansiedade em si 19 . Como Bischof-Kastner et al 16 afirmam, "o acesso à internet levado por motivos internos de regulação emocional é mais disfuncional do que o uso social da internet, o que parece mais recreativo" (p. 6).…”

Gender Differences in and the Relationships Between Social Anxiety and Problematic Internet Use: Canonical Analysis (Preprint)

“…Huang [7] advised that the relationship between PIU and psychological well-being should be explored across men and women. Therefore, we hypothesized that there would be a positive relationship between social anxiety dimensions and PIU dimensions both for men and women (Hypothesis 3).…”

“…Hence, there is growing concern that PIU is associated with psychological impairments [4,5,6]. Numerous measurement instruments have been developed to objectively assess PIU [e.g., 7,8] and its detrimental effects on psychological well-being are documented in the literature [for a review see 9].…”

Survey Email Scheduling and Monitoring in eRCTs (SESAMe): A Digital Tool to Improve Data Collection in Randomized Controlled Clinical Trials

“…Documentation of how new digital tools for clinical trials have been developed is scarce [11,12], but recent evaluations of some digital tools are available [13-15]. During the 2nd Clinical Trials Methodology Conference in 2013, McPherson et al discussed whether to use a commercial system or build one’s own software for use in clinical trials [16].…”