The Gender-Sensitive Social Risk Factors for Internet Addiction in College Undergraduate Students

Abstract

Objective The current study aims to explore precipitating and social risk factors for internet addiction (IA) in university undergraduate students, and to provide evidence for interventions and the early prevention of IA in different genders.Methods Four thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight college sophomores completed an online survey on their internet use-related behaviours and social risk factors.Results We found that more male (8.3%) than female students (5.4%) had moderate and severe IA. The main online activity in the moderate and severe IA groups was online gaming in males and online streaming in females. Roommates engaging in similar internetbased entertainment was a risk factor of IA only for males, while not being in a romantic relationship was a risk factor of IA for females only. Infatuation with the internet before college and adjustment problems for college life were shared risk factors for both genders in the mild and moderate IA groups.Conclusion IA was a common phenomenon in college students with shared and unique precipitating and social risk factors in males and females. The gender-sensitive risk factors for IA warranted earlier and individualized intervention and prevention strategies for IA in this population.

Internet Addiction in Socio-Demographic, Academic, and Psychological Profile of College Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Czech Republic and Slovakia

“…Nevertheless, such a result occurs less frequently in studies. According to Lin et al ( 36 ), the main online activity among college students with moderate and severe internet addiction was online gaming for males and online streaming for females. Having roommates who engage in similar internet entertainment was a risk factor for internet addiction only for males, while the absence of a romantic relationship was a risk factor for internet addiction only for females.…”

“…In this case, respondents could select one of the following answers for each of the 10 items: never-−0, almost never-−1, sometimes-−2, fairly often-−3, very often-−4. The ranges of the total PSS-10 score indicated: low stress (0-13), moderate stress (14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26), and high stress (27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37)(38)(39)(40). Accordingly, the higher the total score, the more severe the psychological distress.…”

“…The scale consisted of 20 items with the following answers: not applicable-−0, rarely-−1, occasionally-−2, frequently-−3, often-−4, always-−5. Internet addiction was identified as follows: normal level of internet usage (0-30), mild addiction symptoms (31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37)(38)(39)(40)(41)(42)(43)(44)(45)(46)(47)(48)(49), moderate addiction symptoms , and severe addiction symptoms (80-100). The IAT scale was composed of six subscales for which precise interval thresholds are not defined.…”

“…Based on these findings, it can be assumed that depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms and perceived stress may also prove to be significant predictors in other countries, such as the Czech Republic and Slovakia. In addition, studies show that individual aspects such as gender, age, residence and academic characteristics also play an important role in problematic internet use (18,32,(36)(37)(38)(39)(40)(41)(42)(43).…”

Problematic internet usage: the impact of objectively Recorded and categorized usage time, emotional intelligence components and subjective happiness about usage

“…[ 37 ], the social media usage amount reported by the study participants was dominant in predicting PIU, while the time spent on gaming did not predict PIU, which could be explained by the popularity and widespread use of social networking apps [ 36 , 38 ] but not gaming which requires larger screens and dedicated devices, relatively more expensive. Another study showed that time spent on gaming for males and online streaming for females were predictors of PIU [ 39 ]. A study in [ 40 ] found associations between PIU and gaming usage at night only, denoting conflict with other life priorities such as sleep.…”