Transitions in Problematic Internet Use: A One-Year Longitudinal Study of Boys
- Author:
Bo Young CHOI
1
;
Sun HUH
;
Dai Jin KIM
;
Sang Won SUH
;
Sang Kyu LEE
;
Marc N POTENZA
Author Information
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords: Problematic internet use; Internet addiction; Attention deficit hyperactivity disorders; Adolescents
- MeSH: Adolescent; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity; Humans; Internet; Longitudinal Studies; Prospective Studies; Risk Factors
- From:Psychiatry Investigation 2019;16(6):433-442
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
- Abstract: OBJECTIVE: Longitudinal studies may help elucidate the factors associated with Problematic Internet Use (PIU); however, little prospective research has been conducted on the subject. The aim of the current study was to prospectively examine PIU in children/adolescents and identify the possible risk factors associated with transitions in PIU severity. METHODS: 650 middle-school boys were surveyed at two points one year apart and assessed for PIU using the Internet Addiction Proneness Scale for Youth (KS-II) and on other psychological characteristics. RESULTS: We found that 15.3% at baseline and 12.4% at one year met the criteria for at-risk/high-risk PIU (ARHRPIU). Both the persistent-ARHRPIU and emerging-ARHRPIU groups revealed greater depressive, motor impulsive, and smart-phone-addiction tendencies than the remitting-ARHRPIU group or the persistent low-risk group. In addition, we found that individuals exhibiting higher hyperkinetic attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) scores were less likely to remit from ARHRPIU, and that individuals exhibiting more ADHD-related cognitive dysfunction and reporting fewer Internet-game-free days were more likely to demonstrate an emergence of ARHRPIU. CONCLUSION: The present findings support previous studies in that specific negative-health features are linked to transitions in ARHRPIU. Furthermore, these findings suggest that intervention is needed and may be best targeted at specific groups of youths.
