A cognitive-behavioral model of problematic online gaming in adolescents aged 12–22 years

The aim of this study was to apply the cognitive behavioral model of problematic Internet use to the context of online game use to obtain a better understanding of problematic use of online games and its negative consequences. In total, 597 online game playing adolescents aged 12–22 years participated in this study. Results showed that the cognitive behavioral model of problematic Internet use can also be used in the context of online game use. More specifically, preference for online social interaction, mood regulation and deficient self-regulation appeared to play an important role in predicting negative outcomes from problematic online game use. Together, these cognitions and behaviors explained 79% of the variance of negative outcomes scores. These findings can be used to develop strategies that aim at reducing problematic online game behavior and its negative consequences.     

Cognitive and psychological predictors of the negative outcomes associated with playing MMOGs (massively multiplayer online games)

This study integrates research on problematic Internet use to explore the cognitive and psychological predictors of negative consequences associated with playing massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs). Participants recruited from online discussion boards completed self-report measures on their online game-related cognitions and psychological condition, social skills, psychological well-being, and negative life outcomes associated with game playing. The results demonstrated the important roles that psychological dependency and deficient self-regulation play in negative consequences associated with online gaming. The results also indicated that psychological dependency on MMOGs was predicted by cognitive preference for a virtual life—a construct that is negatively related to social control skills.     

Understanding adolescents’ problematic Internet use from a social/cognitive and addiction research framework

As Internet usage has become more prevalent among youth, so too has problematic Internet use. Despite the critical role of emotion regulation in the development of adolescents’ behaviors and the role of parenting interactions on their children’s behaviors, little research has examined these links with reference to problematic and addictive Internet use for adolescents. The main goal of this study was to examine these links, based on a sample of 525 high school students (368 males; M = 15.33 years, SD = 0.47) from a predominantly middle and lower-middle socioeconomic community in Seoul, Korea. Results from structural equation modeling revealed that students’ difficulties in emotion regulation was a mediating variable between students’ perceptions of their parents’ parenting behaviors and the students’ Internet use. The findings substantiate the importance of conceptualizing addiction from a social/cognitive theoretical framework and the notion that adolescence is the onset period for many addictive behaviors and so more proactive attention needs to be given to reducing these early negative behaviors. Based on these results, interventions designed to enhance adolescents’ emotion regulatory abilities have the likelihood to mitigate problematic and even addictive Internet use among youth.     

Why are children attracted to the Internet? The role of need satisfaction perceived online and perceived in daily real life

From the perspective of self-determination theory, this study investigated the motivations for children’s Internet use by examining how basic psychological need satisfaction, perceived online and perceived in daily real life, affects children’s Internet use outcomes. A total of 637 elementary school students from China took participated in this study. The results from structural equation modeling showed that need satisfaction perceived online predicted higher levels of Internet use and more positive affect experienced online, whereas need satisfaction perceived in daily real life predicted less time spent online, less negative affect, and more positive affect. Both inherent properties of the experiences provided by the Internet and children’s social backgrounds contribute to Internet use outcomes. This study supports self-determination theory in explaining children’s Internet use motivations. Implications for efforts to encourage appropriate Internet use and directions for future research are discussed.     

Internet addiction among adolescents in Lebanon

Internet addiction has been a subject of research since 1996. In step with this trend, this study aims to illuminate Internet addiction in Lebanon based on research evidence. The timing of this study coincides with the growing rate of penetration of Internet service across the country and with current plans to improve this service. This study investigates Internet usage among adolescents, who are the most vulnerable to Internet addiction in the population. Permission to access schools to conduct this research was obtained from the Ministry of Education and Higher Education. A web-based questionnaire was completed by 833 intermediate and secondary students from public and private schools. The questionnaire included items on demographic information and Internet usage and an Arabic version of Young’s Internet Addiction Test (YIAT). The results showed that 4.2% of the sample had significant problems. Furthermore, the more problematic Internet use (PIU) was, the less the Internet was used for information and research, and the more it was used for entertainment. PIU is driven by deficiency needs fuelled by the use of interactive applications. The more deficient the need, the greater the obsession with top-notch interactive applications, and the less frequent the usage of non-interactive applications.     

Does Internet use reflect your personality? Relationship between Eysenck’s personality dimensions and Internet use

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between three Eysenckian personality dimensions – psychoticism, extroversion and neuroticism – and the Internet use. A sample of 427 Turkish university students completed the Eysenck’s Personality Questionnaire, an Internet survey which contained questions about interpersonal motives for Internet use and a scale for measuring the tendency for expressing one’s “true” self on the Internet. The results indicated that psychoticism was the only personality dimension related to establishing new relationships and having “Internet only” friends; and extroversion was the only personality dimension that is related to maintaining long-distance relationships, and supporting daily face-to-face relationships. The results supported the idea that for some individuals, Internet can be used as social substitute for face-to-face social interactions while for some others it can be used as a tool of social extension, depending on the user’s personality characteristics. Also, psychoticism and neuroticism were found to be positively associated with the expressing “true self” on the Internet, and it was shown that the relationship between psychoticism and Internet uses as social substitute is mediated by the tendency to express one’s true self on the Internet.     

The effect of Internet use on adolescents’ lifestyles: A national survey

Computer and Internet technology continues to influence people’s lives, especially those of adolescents. The aim of this study was to explore the association between Internet use and adolescents’ lifestyles. With data from a cross-sectional survey conducted in China in 2009, a model revealing the effects of Internet use on adolescents’ lifestyles was established from a series of hierarchical regression analyses. The model shows that certain Internet habits, such as excessive online time, accessing the Internet in an Internet bar, and using the Internet for catharsis, are related to poor lifestyle habits in adolescents; however, using the Internet for purposes such as gaining knowledge and finding information positively predicts healthy lifestyles in adolescents. Implications regarding the relationship between Internet use and the lifestyles of adolescents are discussed.     

Internet use expectancy for tension reduction and disinhibition mediates the relationship between borderline personality disorder features and Internet addiction among college students – One-year follow-up

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) features with affective instability and impulsivity have been shown to correlate with Internet addiction (IA) in cross-sectional studies. Moreover, Internet use expectancies were found to be positively associated with IA. Thus, this follow-up study was aimed to examine whether BPD features would increase the risk for IA severity, mediated through the Internet use expectation as a coping method for tension reduction and disinhibition.1826 Taiwan college students were sampled through a stratified and random clustering in time 1 (T1), and 623 students were followed up one year later (T2). A comprehensive survey was administered.Structure equation modeling results showed that IA severity (T2) was significantly predicted by BPD features (T1), fully mediated through Internet use expectancy for tension reduction and disinhibition (T2). The model yielded an adequate fit, and was able to explain 43.0% of the variance.The mediating role of the Internet use expectation for tension reduction and disinhibition in the relationship between BPD features and IA severity were discussed.     

Internet use, videogame playing and cell phone use as predictors of children’s body mass index (BMI), body weight, academic performance, and social and overall self-esteem

In this research we examined the prediction of children’s body mass index (BMI), body weight, academic performance, social self-esteem and overall self-esteem from their IT (information technology) use, specifically, their Internet use, cell phone use and videogame playing, after controlling for the effects of gender, race, age and household income on these measures. Participants were 482 children whose average age was 12 years old. One-third was African American and two-thirds were Caucasian American. Results indicated that IT use did not predict BMI or body weight, contrary to one previous survey and the widespread belief that screen time is responsible for the obesity epidemic among our nation’s children. Instead, BMI and body weight were higher for African Americans, older children and children from lower income households. The sole and strong positive predictor of visual-spatial skills was videogame playing, which also predicted lower grade point averages (GPAs). Gender and Internet use predicted standardized test scores in reading skills. Females and children who used the Internet more had better reading skills than did males and children who used the Internet less, respectively. Implications of these findings for future research on the benefits and liabilities of IT use are discussed.     

Sophistication of Internet usage (SIU) and its attitudinal antecedents: An empirical study in Hong Kong

The measurement of Internet use in empirical studies has undergone a progression from uni-item measurement to multi-item measurement. Based on several operationalizations of Internet use in existing studies, the paper proposes a reflective measurement model, called ‘sophistication of Internet usage’ (SIU), with five indicators (online time, online activities, online skills, diversity of online method, and diversity of online places). With data from a longitudinal random survey conducted in Hong Kong from 2003 to 2005, a uni-dimension measurement model is established based on confirmatory factor analysis. Convergent and discriminant validity of the uni-dimension model is also established within multi-trait-multi-method (MTMM) paradigm by confirmatory factor analysis. The model shows that individuals’ positive life outcome expectation, expected ease of use, and perceived popularity of the Internet are significant antecedents of SIU with demographic characteristics controlled.     

Parent–adolescent communication,parental Internet use and Internet-specific norms and pathological Internet use among Chinese adolescents

Data were collected from 3556 Chinese junior and senior high school students to explore the associations between adolescent pathological Internet use (PIU) and parental variables, including parent–adolescent communication, parental Internet use and parental Internet-specific norms regarding adolescent Internet use. In particular, this study considered the different role of parental variables under two conditions: parental norms that were consistent or inconsistent with parents’ Internet use behaviors. The participants were asked to answer an anonymous questionnaire that included all mentioned factors. The results revealed an 11% rate of adolescent PIU, and hierarchical multiple regressions indicated that parent–adolescent communication predicted PIU negatively under both conditions. When parental norms were consistent with their Internet use behaviors, parental norms predicted adolescent PIU negatively; conversely, when parental norms were inconsistent with their Internet use behaviors, parental behaviors predicted adolescent PIU positively. Implications for family-based prevention and the limitations of this study are discussed.     

Contribution of Internet news use to reducing the influence of selective online exposure on political diversity

Research has recognized both selective and heterogeneous exposures on the Internet through online news and discussion. How online exposures through Internet news and discussion influence political diversity in individuals’ everyday lives needs to be addressed. The current research examines the extent to which Internet news use alters the effect of selective online interaction on political diversity in individuals’ social networks. Results show that while Internet news use has no direct relationship with political diversity in individuals’ social networks, it nevertheless moderates the negative effect of selective online interaction and indirectly contributes to political diversity. The social structural aspect of political diversity in social networks is discussed in comparison to political discussion networks.     

Gender,age and income differences in internet usage among employees in organizations

This paper reviews and discusses Internet issues and reports the findings of a survey concerning the impact of gender, age and income on employees’ Internet usage in Turkey. Internet usage was categorized in two empirical factors, namely usage profile (reason for using the Internet, average daily use of the Internet) and usage patterns (average daily use of the Internet for communication/e-mailing/chat, information access/downloading/entertainment and electronic services). The survey was conducted among 200 employees from public and private sector organizations. The results indicated that gender has a positive impact on average daily time spent on the use of the Internet for communication/e-mailing/chat and information access/downloading/entertainment. Age has a positive impact on average daily use of the Internet in general and a negative impact on the use of the Internet for information access/downloading/entertainment. Income was not found to have an impact on empirical factors. Finally, gender, age and income do not have any significant impact on average daily use of Internet for electronic services such as e-commerce/e-shopping/e-banking/e-government.     

Comparison of Internet addicts and non-addicts in Taiwanese high school

This study investigated the difference between Internet addicts and non-addicts in Taiwanese high schools, and focused specifically on their Internet usage patterns, and gratification and communication pleasures. A total of 1708 valid data samples of high school adolescents were collected. Among this sample, 236 subjects (13.8%) were identified as addicts using the eight-item Internet addiction Diagnostic Questionnaire designed by Young [Internet addiction survey [Online]. Available: http://www.pitt.edu/_ksy/survey.htm]. The analytical results revealed that Internet addicts spent almost twice as many hours on line on average than the non-addicts. Notably, surfing with a social/entertainment motivation and gratification was positively correlated with Internet addiction. Furthermore, Internet addicts obtained markedly higher overall PIUST scores and scored higher than non-addicts on four subscales (tolerance; compulsive use and withdrawal; related problems, including family, school, health, and other problems; interpersonal and financial problems). While Internet addicts perceived the Internet to have significantly more negative influences on daily routines, school performance, teacher and parental relation than non-addicts, both Internet addicts and non-addicts viewed Internet use as enhancing peer relations. Moreover, students with personalities characterized by dependence, shyness, depression and low self-esteem had a high tendency to become addicted.     

Psychometric properties of the Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire

Several instruments have been designed to measure problems associated with excessive, compulsive, or addictive use of the Internet. One such instrument, the 18-item Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire, was recently published with data supporting a three subscale model (Demetrovics et al., 2008). These researches utilized an online format with a sample taken from the general population of Hungary. We utilized an American college student sample and a paper and pencil format to perform a confirmatory factor analysis of the PIUQ. In addition, we examined the reliability and construct validity of the PIUQ by examining the scales’ relationship with several indices of psychological and physical health. CFA results indicate a barely adequate and not completely problem free three factor model for the PIUQ (χ² = 477.40; root mean square error = .097; comparative fit index = .831; Tucker Lewis coefficient = .804). Cronbach’s α for the total scale was .91 while the Cronbach’s α for each subscale were .81, .77, and .79. Construct validity for the model is demonstrated with significant correlations between the subscales and several indices of psychological and physical health. Suggestions for further research are provided.     

Development of a quantitative model of the impact of customers’ personality and perceptions on Internet banking use

Despite the rapid increase of Internet users and cited benefits of using Internet banking, the number of Internet banking users has not risen as strongly as expected. In order to understand this problem, it is critical to understand how customers’ personalities and perceptions influence Internet banking use. In this study, a quantitative model of Internet banking use was developed, which incorporates four dimensions, namely, (1) openness toward advanced technology as an individual personality dimension, (2) website usability, including perceived usefulness and ease of use, (3) perceived security concern, and (4) green concern for conserving nature resources as the social influence dimension. The study investigates the moderating effect between these dimensions on Internet banking use. A survey instrument was used to gather data to estimate the proposed research model. The results show that openness, website usability, and perceived security concern significantly influence customers’ Internet banking use. In terms of moderating effects, all dimensions play an important role as a moderator on the relation between other dimensions and Internet banking use. Overall, the model helps to increase our understanding of how these dimensions interact to influence Internet banking use, which can help in the design of Internet banking and other e-channel systems.     

Internet use intention and adoption among Chinese older adults: From the expanded technology acceptance model perspective

The purpose of this paper is to discuss how various factors intertwine to affect Chinese older adults’ decisions to adopt the Internet by applying the expanded technology acceptance model (TAM). Perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEU), subjective norm (SN), and facilitating conditions (FC) were four key predictors. Gender and age were included in the proposed model as factors to moderate the effect of two key TAM components (PU and PEU) on adoption behaviors. The results indicate that PU, PEU, and SN were significant predictors of Internet adoption among Chinese older adults, while PU, SN, and FC were significant predictors of Internet use intention. The effect of PEU on Internet use intention was also found to be stronger for older seniors than younger seniors. Implications for future research and practices are discussed.     

The evaluation of the student teachers’ attitudes toward Internet and democracy

The aims of this study are to find out (1) how student teachers’ attitudes toward Internet affect their attitudes toward democracy, (2) how student teachers’ attitudes toward democracy are in terms of their purpose of using Internet and (3) benefits provided by the Internet. The research is carried out in Ziya Gokalp Education Faculty at Dicle University during 2005–2006 academic year by the participation of 440 student teachers in total. “Likert Type Attitude Scale Toward the Use of Internet”, was used to determine the student teachers’ attitudes toward the Internet and “The Attitude Scale Toward Democracy” was used to find out the attitudes of the student teachers toward democracy. The data are analyzed by using variance analysis and correlation (Pearson) techniques. Scheffé test is used for significance test.     

A longitudinal study of the effects of Internet use and videogame playing on academic performance and the roles of gender, race and income in these relationships

In this research we examined the effects of Internet use and videogame playing on children’s academic performance. Gender, race, and income were also considered. Participants were 482 youth, average age 12 years old. One-third were African American and two-thirds were Caucasian American. All measures were completed twice, first in Year 1 and then one year later, Year 2. Results indicated that greater Internet use was associated with better reading skills, but only for youth initially low in reading skills. Videogame playing was associated with better visual-spatial skill but also with lower GPAs. Gender, race and income influenced Internet use, videogame playing and academic performance but not the relationships between using these technologies and academic performance. Implications of the results for increasing the benefits of technology use are discussed.