Problematic Internet use in British adolescents: An exploration of the addictive symptomatology

Abstract

Research into online addictions has increased substantially over the last decade, particularly amongst youth. This study adapted the Problematic Internet Entertainment Use Scale for Adolescents [PIEUSA] for use with a British population. The adapted scale was used to (i) validate the instrument for English-speaking adolescent samples, (ii) estimate the prevalence of adolescent online problem users and describe their profile, and (iii) assess the accuracy of the scale's classification of symptomatology. A survey was administered to 1097 adolescents aged between 11 and 18 years. The results indicated that (i) reliability of the adapted scale was excellent; factor validity showed unidimensionality, and construct validity was adequate. The findings also indicated that (ii) prevalence of online problem users was 5.2% and that they were more likely to younger males that engaged in online gaming for more than two hours most days. The majority of online problem users displayed negative addictive symptoms, especially 'loss of control' and 'conflict'. The adapted scale showed (iii) very good sensitivity, specificity, and classification accuracy, and was able to clearly differentiate between problem and non-problem users. The results suggest certain differences between adolescent and adult online problem users based in the predominance of slightly different psychological components.

Neuroscience of Internet Pornography Addiction: A Review and Update

“…Special attention to nomenclature was required here, as the disorder is studied under different headings. For example, in addition to the primary term of Internet Addiction, additional terms include “Compulsive Internet Use” [ 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 ], Internet Addiction Disorder [ 34 ], Internet Use Disorder [ 35 ], “Pathological Internet Use” [ 14 , 36 ], and “Problematic Internet Use” [ 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 ]. As such, the following search terms and their derivatives were used in multiple combinations: Addict*, compulsive, “compulsive internet”, cyber, Internet, “Internet use”, online, “pathological internet” and “problem* Internet” (to allow for problem and problematic).…”

Problematic Use of the Internet and Smartphones in University Students: 2006–2017

“…The prevalence of smartphone addiction has been established using different self-report measures. Among the most frequently used, and actually one of the first self-report questionnaires, there was the Mobile Phone Problem Usage Scale (MPPUS) [ 9 , 14 ], later translated and adapted to the Spanish population [ 15 ]. The Problematic Mobile Phone Use Questionnaire (PMPUQ) [ 16 ] has also been employed in several studies [ 17 ].…”

Cross-Cultural Validation of the Compulsive Internet Use Scale in Four Forms and Eight Languages

“…Multiple adaptations of this instrument have led to versions in different languages (e.g., Arabic and French), and different numbers of items (e.g., from five to 16 items instead of the original 14). However, to date, the CIUS has never been simultaneously compared and validated in several languages and different versions.…”

“…The CIUS was developed a decade ago using substance dependence, pathological gambling, and obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD) criteria [2,10] , and dominant behavioural addiction models [11][12][13] . The CIUS includes items corresponding to Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD [14] ) criteria [15] . Thus, it is well positioned as a contemporary psychometric scale to assess internet addiction (IA) [16,17] because of its ease and versatility of use, its stability and multiple validity in assessing CIU [2,18] , and its alignment with the IGD [14,19] .…”

“…The CIUS includes items corresponding to Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD [14] ) criteria [15] . Thus, it is well positioned as a contemporary psychometric scale to assess internet addiction (IA) [16,17] because of its ease and versatility of use, its stability and multiple validity in assessing CIU [2,18] , and its alignment with the IGD [14,19] . Furthermore, the CIUS has fewer items compared most other IA scales [7,9] (i.e., 14 items: CIUS-14 [5] ) and is thus time-saving in both clinical and epidemiological contexts where time allocated to assessment is limited, although it arguably remains relatively long for public health surveys.…”