Problematic Internet Use in Children and Adolescents: Associations with psychiatric disorders and impairment

Abstract

<jats:p>Objective: Here, we leveraged the ongoing, large-scale Child Mind Institute Healthy Brain Network, a transdiagnostic self-referred, community sample of children and adolescents (ages 5-21), to examine the associations between Problematic Internet Use (PIU) and psychopathology, general impairment, physical health and sleep disturbances. Methods: A total sample of 564 (190 female) participants between the ages of 7-15 (mean = 10.80, SD = 2.16), along with their parents/guardians, completed diagnostic interviews with clinicians, answered a myriad of self-report questionnaires, and underwent physical testing as part of the Healthy Brain Network protocol. Results: PIU was positively associated with depressive disorders (aOR = 2.34; CI: 1.18-4.56; p = .01), the combined subtype of ADHD (aOR = 1.79; CI: 1.08-2.98; p = .02), greater levels of impairment (Standardized Beta = 4.79; CI: 3.21-6.37; p &lt; .01) and increased sleep disturbances (Standardized Beta = 3.01; CI: 0.58-5.45; p = .02), even when accounting for demographic covariates and psychiatric comorbidity. Conclusion: The association between PIU and psychopathology, as well as its impact on impairment and sleep disturbances, highlight the urgent need to gain an understanding of mechanisms in order to inform public health recommendations on internet use in U.S. youth.</jats:p>

Family Factors Associated with Problematic Use of the Internet in Children: A Scoping Review

“…14 PUI does not have a widely accepted diagnostic criterion; the term “problematic use” is used as a neutral alternative for “addiction” to the internet, online gaming, social media, or smartphone, as it does not inherently imply the presence of psychopathology. 15 The diagnostic criteria of PUI do not appear even in the latest official diagnostic systems, including the International Classification of Diseases ( ICD -11) and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ( DSM -5), because of insufficient evidence to determine whether this condition is a unique mental disorder. 16 , 17 However, DSM-5 recognized internet gaming disorder (IGD) in the section recommending conditions for further research as a nonsubstance-related addictive disorder.…”

Bidirectional relationship of problematic Internet use with hyperactivity/inattention and depressive symptoms in adolescents: a population-based cohort study

“…Recently, PIU has been a common problem among adolescents, with a prevalence of 7.9-16.0% [2,3]. While Internet use is one of the most important methods for obtaining information about daily life and school study for adolescents, PIU is associated with negative behavioral and psychological outcomes in adolescents [4][5][6][7]. A typical behavioral feature of adolescents with PIU is hyperactivity/inattention (83.3%), and common co-occurrent psychopathology is depression (30%) [8].…”