Internet vs. paper and pencil administration of questionnaires commonly used in panic/agoraphobia research

The aim of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of Internet administered questionnaires used in panic research. Included were 494 people who had registered for an Internet-based treatment program for panic disorder (PD). Participants were randomly assigned to fill in the questionnaires either on the Internet or the paper-and-pencil versions, and then to fill in the same questionnaires again the next day using the other format. The questionnaires were the body sensations questionnaire [BSQ; Chambless, D. L., Caputo, G. C., Bright, P., & Gallagher, R. (1984). Assessment of fear of fear in agoraphobics: the body sensations questionnaire and the agoraphobic cognitions questionnaire. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 52, 1090–1097], agoraphobic cognitions questionnaire [ACQ; Chambless, D. L., Caputo, G. C., Bright, P., & Gallagher, R. (1984). Assessment of fear of fear in agoraphobics: the body sensations questionnaire and the agoraphobic cognitions questionnaire. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 52, 1090–1097], mobility inventory [MI; Chambless, D. L., Caputo, G., Jasin, S., Gracely, E. J., & Williams, C. (1985). The mobility inventory for agoraphobia. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 23, 35–44], beck anxiety inventory [BAI; Beck, A. T., Epstein, N., Brown, G., & Steer, R. A. (1988). An inventory for measuring clinical anxiety: psychometric properties. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 56, 893–897], beck depression inventory II [Beck, A. T., & Steer, R. A. (1996). Beck Depression Inventory. Manual, Svensk version (Swedish version). Fagernes, Norway: Psykologiförlaget, AB], quality of life inventory [QOLI; Frisch, M. B., Cornell, J., Villanueva, M., & Retzlaff, P. J. (1992). Clinical validation of the quality of life inventory. A measure of life satisfaction for use in treatment planning and outcome assessment. Psychological Assessment, 4, 92–101], and montgomery Åsberg depression rating scale [MADRS; Svanborg, P., & Åsberg, M. (1994). A new self-rating scale for depression and anxiety states based on the comprehensive psychopathological rating scale. ACTA Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 89, 21–28]. Results showed largely equivalent psychometric properties for the two administration formats (Cronbach’s α between 0.79 and 0.95). The results also showed high and significant correlations between the Internet and the paper-and-pencil versions. Analyses of order effects showed an interaction effect for the BSQ and the MI (subscale Accompanied), a main effect was identified for ACQ, MI-Alone, BAI and BDI II. However, in contrast to previous research, the Internet version did not consistently generate higher scores and effect sizes for the differences were generally low. Given the presence of an interaction effect, we recommend that the administration format should be stable in research across measurement points. Finally, the findings suggest that Internet versions of questionnaires used in PD research can be used with confidence.     

Internet anxiety: An empirical study of the effects of personality,beliefs, and social support

We examined sources of Internet anxiety; specifically modeling the ties from broad dispositional traits (computer anxiety, computer self-efficacy, and personal innovativeness with IT), beliefs about the work environment (about the adequacy of resources and trust in technology), and two forms of social support for IT (leader and peer support) to individuals’ anxiety about using Internet applications. We tested our model using respondents who participated in virtual teams during a 16-week period. Our findings suggested that Internet anxiety was affected both by the users’ personality and by beliefs that can be influenced by providing adequate resources to support the technology, encourage trust in technology, and working to assure users that leaders and peers are supportive of their using the technology. Our findings suggest that by providing appropriate resources and fostering a supportive environment, leaders could reduce Internet anxiety and thus influence the use of technology in the workplace in ways that benefit organizations.     

Emoticons and social interaction on the Internet: the importance of social context

The present study examines the influence of social context on the use of emoticons in Internet communication. Secondary school students (N = 158) responded to short internet chats. Social context (task-oriented vs. socio-emotional) and valence of the context (positive vs. negative) were manipulated in these chats. Participants were permitted to respond with text, emoticon or a combination of both. Results showed that participants used more emoticons in socio-emotional than in task-oriented social contexts. Furthermore, students used more positive emoticons in positive contexts and more negative emoticons in negative contexts. An interaction was found between valence and kind of context; in negative, task-oriented contexts subjects used the least emoticons. Results are related to research about the expression of emotions in face-to-face interaction.     

The impact of the Internet on the social lives of users: A representative sample from 13 countries

One of the most vociferous criticisms of the Internet has always been that it contributes to loneliness among its users. This study analyses results from the World Internet Project, comprised of representative samples from 13 countries (22,002 participants). Thus creating an exceptional international representative sample. In analyzing those results, we argue that in order to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the Internet’s influence over individuals’ social lives; it is essential to consider the different types of social connections that might be influenced by the Internet. We assess the influence of Internet use over social interactions in separate life domains (e.g. with family members; friends; colleagues). Our analysis confirms that Internet usage can actually enhance the social lives of its users. Qualifications to the research are discussed while highlighting the different life domains in which we found significant correlations between Internet usage and increased social interactions.     

Incidences and correlates of Internet anxiety among high school teachers in Taiwan

Once high schools are connected to the Internet, teachers are the key to the successful use of the Internet for both teaching and learning. Teacher anxiety, however, can often reduce the success of such technological and pedagogical innovations. The purpose of this study was to explore the Internet anxiety experience by Taiwan high school and vocational high school teachers. This study reviewed related literature in computer anxiety and discussed the further development of the Internet Anxiety Scale (IAS), which was used to survey 136 teachers in Taiwan. The statistical data produced by this study identified four aspects of Internet anxiety: Internet use, hardware construction, management of students' Internet-use, and learning computer-related skills and knowledge. Among these, survey respondents ranked anxiety over managing students' Internet-use as the highest problem. Further, results indicated that female teachers had significantly higher Internet anxiety than did male teachers, and teachers' majors or subject areas appeared to contribute significantly to the level of Internet anxiety as well. Results also showed that both computer-use hours per week and Internet-use hours per week were significantly negative factors when correlated with anxiety over Internet uses, hardware construction, and management of students' Internet-use.     

Social network sites influence recovery from social exclusion: Individual differences in social anxiety

Social network sites (SNSs) have been found to be closely associated with responses to social exclusion and to impact people with high or low levels of social anxiety in different ways. Our study tested whether social anxiety, an individual difference variable, affected the association between SNSs and responses to social exclusion. A Cyberball game was conducted to create social exclusion, followed by a waiting period during which participants were observed to see whether they would choose to use SNSs. Afterwards, recovery from participants' negative responses to exclusion was measured. Results showed that using SNSs benefited the highly socially anxious (HSA) group in terms of recovering from disconnection and feeling a sense of meaningful existence more than the low socially anxious (LSA) group. However, recovery from disconnection was lower for LSA individuals who used SNSs than those who did not use SNSs. Our research suggests that SNSs benefited HSA individuals after social exclusion, but hindered the recovery of LSA individuals.     

Social responses to Facebook status updates: The role of extraversion and social anxiety

Posting, reading, and responding to status updates is an integral part of many peoples' daily lives. However, the role of personality in predicting social responses to status updates remains largely unexplored. Based on the social enhancement and the social compensation hypothesis, we assessed the role of extraversion and social anxiety in predicting social responses to status updates. Moreover, we explored the influence of valence in this context. Capitalizing on the assets of a multimethod approach, personality was assessed with self-reports, and valence was evaluated by independent raters. Social responses to status updates were captured (1) by observing direct social feedback (i.e. likes and commenters) and (2) by informant reports on the interpersonal appraisal of participants’ status updates by their friends. In a German and a US sample, for direct social feedback neither extraversion nor social anxiety emerged as significant predictors. However, analyses of the informant reports showed that status updates of more socially anxious individuals were appreciated more by their friends. Furthermore, results pointed to the importance of valence in this context; revealing associations between valence and direct social feedback, valence and extraversion, and a moderation effect of personality on the association between valence and likes in the US sample.     

Loneliness,social contacts and Internet addiction: A cross-lagged panel study

This study aims to examine the causal priority in the observed empirical relationships between Internet addiction and other psychological problems. A cross-lagged panel survey of 361 college students in Hong Kong was conducted. Results show that excessive and unhealthy Internet use would increase feelings of loneliness over time. Although depression had a moderate and positive bivariate relationship with Internet addiction at each time point, such a relationship was not significant in the cross-lagged analyses. This study also found that online social contacts with friends and family were not an effective alternative for offline social interactions in reducing feelings of loneliness. Furthermore, while an increase in face-to-face contacts could help to reduce symptoms of Internet addiction, this effect may be neutralized by the increase in online social contacts as a result of excessive Internet use. Taken as a whole, findings from the study show a worrisome vicious cycle between loneliness and Internet addiction.     

Flow,social interaction anxiety and salivary cortisol responses in serious games: A quasi-experimental study

Serious games are supposed to instigate engagement and, in turn, improve learning. High engagement is frequently connected with a positive affective state and a high flow state. However, the alleged link between a learner’s affective state, his/her flow state and learning outcomes has not been investigated in detail in the context of serious games. Even less information is available on how serious games may influence markers of physiological arousal. To fill this gap, participants of this exploratory study (N = 171) played one of the six different serious game-based treatments, while we measured their affect, flow, cortisol secretion and learning achievement. The treatments were supposed to generate different levels of engagement and cortisol responses, because some of them were designed for a single user, while others were team-based, featuring so-called social-evaluative threat (ST) components. Our results revealed that flow was positively related to positive affect and negatively to negative affect. While flow and positive affect were related to learning gains, almost no relationship between either of these three variables and cortisol levels was found. Negative affect and cortisol were elevated in social interaction anxious males in team-based conditions. This study contributes to the limited body of research on the relationship between engagement and learning in serious games. We provide new perspectives on the relationships between flow, positive/negative affect and cortisol. Our findings highlight the fact that team-based serious games with ST components may have adverse effects on learners, particularly males, with high social interaction anxiety.     

Correlates of Facebook usage patterns: The relationship between passive Facebook use,social anxiety symptoms,and brooding

Facebook (FB)¹ is a popular platform for interacting with others to establish or maintain relationships. Compared to other interpersonal exchanges, FB does not require in-person interactions. Therefore, FB may represent an important social sphere for individuals with social anxiety disorder (SAD).² Examining the relationship between social anxiety symptoms and FB activity could inform future research on the benefits or consequences of FB use in SAD individuals. This study examined the relationship between social anxiety symptoms and different FB usage patterns. We also considered the role of brooding—a known risk factor for SAD. 75 nonclinical FB users completed questionnaires about psychological symptoms, FB usage, and brooding. Greater social anxiety symptoms were associated with spending more time on FB and passively using FB (i.e., viewing other’s profiles without interacting). Brooding mediated the relationship between passive FB use and social anxiety symptoms. An alternative model demonstrated that social anxiety symptoms mediated the association between passive FB use and brooding. This study was limited by its cross-sectional, self-report design. Future research should assess FB use with objective, real-time data and use experimental designs. Results have implications for the cognitive–behavioral model of SAD.     

The use of the Internet as a research tool: the nature and characteristics of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) amongst a population of users

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a cyclical syndrome characterized by recurrent episodes of autumn or winter depression and atypical depressive symptoms. This paper describes the characteristics of an international sample of 425 Internet users who responded to newsgroup advertisements seeking people who experienced seasonal changes in mood and behaviour, and completed a modified version of the Seasonal Patterns Assessment Questionnaire. The relationship between SAD and latitude and the relatively novel use of the Internet as a means of data collection are discussed, with emphasis upon the theoretical, methodological and ethical issues encountered during such research.     

The effect of cyber-friends on loneliness and social anxiety: Differences between high and low self-evaluated physical attractiveness groups

This study examined the causal relationships between the number of cyber-friends participants had and their social anxiety or loneliness. We predicted that participants who gave low self-evaluations of physical attractiveness would be able to lower their social anxiety or reduce their loneliness through Internet-based interpersonal relationships. Also, such effects would be more prominent if the cyber-friends were of the opposite sex. A two-wave panel study was conducted with 178 Japanese undergraduate students (63 men and 115 women; mean age was 20.29). Results showed that for those who gave a low evaluation of their physical attractiveness, having a large number of cyber-friends lowered their social anxiety and reduced the loneliness felt in friendships. These effects differed by gender of the cyber-friends. In particular, for those who gave a low evaluation of their physical attractiveness, having a large number of cyber-friends of the same sex had a positive effect on social anxiety. In contrast, cyber-friends of the opposite sex had no effect on social anxiety, but had a complex effect upon loneliness. Namely, while a large number of cyber-friends of the opposite sex reduced the loneliness felt in friendships, it also heightened the loneliness felt in family relationships. Implications of these results for further research and practice are provided.     

Internet use, happiness, social support and introversion: A more fine grained analysis of person variables and internet activity

The Internet is no longer an advanced technology accessible to a select few. It has become a ubiquitous tool for users ranging from professional programmers to casual surfers and young children. The exponential increase in time online has prompted curiosity and speculation about the interaction between this technology and individual person variables. While general survey data exist regarding broad patterns of Internet use, less is known about the relationship between specific usage and individual personality dimensions, mood variables, or social activity. This study sought to clarify several of these relationships. One hundred eighty-five undergraduate student volunteers completed two detailed measures of Internet use across various domains (for example: work/school, tasks/services, entertainment), as well as measures of happiness, perceived social support, and introversion. Specific types of Internet use, including gaming and entertainment usage, were found to predict perceived social support, introversion and happiness. Use of the Internet for mischief-related activities (for example: downloading without payment, fraud, snooping) was associated with lower levels of happiness and social support. These findings support the utility of and need for specific rather than general Internet research. Directions for future research clarifying the role of the Internet in quality of life and interpersonal relations are suggested.     

A motives framework of social media website use: A survey of young Americans

Social media is increasingly important in daily life and is an especially important social interaction mechanism for young people. Although research has been conducted evaluating user types based on motives for using social media, no such framework has been extended to social media websites. We extend previous research by evaluating the underlying structure of social media website usage motivations using a 13 item survey and evaluations from 19 different social media websites administered to 1686 young Americans. Using a multidimensional scaling approach, we uncover 2 major motive dimensions underlying social media website use: fun-related and content-specific. Based on the derived dimensions, we generate a graphical “quadrant” system for classifying social media websites and depict all 19 social media sites based on their quadrant. We propose that our quadrant system can be used by other researchers to further refine understanding of social media website usage motives.     

An investigation of social casino gaming among land-based and Internet gamblers: A comparison of socio-demographic characteristics,gambling and co-morbidities

Social casino games are free-play online games that feature gambling themes, but do not payout winnings in monetary form. These games are distinct from Internet gambling; however, the cross-over between these consumer markets is not well understood. This study compared the use of social casino games among a population of 2010 Australian adult Internet and land-based gamblers who completed a nationally representative telephone survey. The most popular social casino games were poker, gaming machines and casino table games and this popularity differed by gender. Social casino game players were more likely to be younger than non-social casino game players and had more similarities with Internet than land-based gamblers. Internet gamblers were more likely to also play social casino games than land-based gamblers, and use of these games was related to high engagement with gambling. Social casino gamers were more likely to smoke and use illicit drugs, and to have higher levels of psychological distress and gambling problems compared to non-social casino game players. This study is highly significant as it is one of the first comprehensive studies to examine the relationship between social casino game play and gambling in a representative adult population. Consumer protection measures should be strengthened where social casino games are offered in close proximity to gambling and when social casino players are encouraged to migrate to gambling opportunities.     

Mood change and computer anxiety: A comparison between computerised and paper measures of negative affect

The lack of equivalence between computerized and pencil-and-paper administration in measures of negative affect have been attributed to variance created by negative affect towards computers or computer anxiety (CA). In the current study, paper baseline computer anxiety and state/trait anxiety measures were obtained from 51 first-year psychology undergraduate volunteers. Further measures were taken by either paper or computer before and after students received their grade for the first research methods practical report of the course. Levels of state anxiety (SA) were found to increase significantly at this time. A lexical decision task was completed at each measurement stage as an additional behavioural mood indicator. Results revealed that CA was only related to SA prior to receipt of grade, at a point where equivalence between administration method of measures had been demonstrated. Non-equivalence in measurement of SA occurred after students had received their mark, in that levels of anxiety increased in the computer condition and decreased in the paper condition. Lack of equivalence, therefore, appears to be a function of psychological stress, characterised by affective modulation rather than CA.     

Cyberbullying on social networking sites: A literature review and future research directions

Cyberbullying on social networking sites is an emerging societal issue that has drawn significant scholarly attention. The purpose of this study is to consolidate the existing knowledge through a literature review and analysis. We first discuss the nature, research patterns, and theoretical foundations. We then develop an integrative framework based on social cognitive theory to synthesize what is known and identify what remains to be learned, with a focus on the triadic reciprocal relationships between perpetrators, victims, and bystanders. We discuss the key findings and highlight opportunities for future research. We conclude this paper by noting research contributions and limitations.     

The mediator role of self-disclosure and moderator roles of gender and social anxiety in the relationship between Chinese adolescents’ online communication and their real-world social relationships

Based on theory and previous research, we examined relationships among gender, social anxiety, self-disclosure, quality of real-world friendships and online communication by Chinese adolescent Internet users. Results indicated that online communication and self-disclosure are not related to quality of friendship, and online communication is positively related to self-disclosure. For adolescent boys and adolescents with high social anxiety, online communication can explain more variance in users’ self-disclosure, indicating that gender and social anxiety moderate the relationship between online communication and online self-disclosure.     

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

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.     

Moving toward a theory: Testing an integrated model of cyberbullying perpetration,aggression, social skills,and Internet self-efficacy

Research on cyberbullying has been steadily growing among scholars who endeavor to understand when and under what conditions it occurs. This study utilizes general aggression theory to contribute to a better theoretical understanding of the confluence of inputs that goes into decision-making involving cyberbullying perpetration. Young adult college students were surveyed to examine whether person-specific inputs, including trait verbal aggression, Internet self-efficacy, and social skills, contribute to cyberbullying perpetration. Results indicated that verbal aggression was consistently positively associated with cyberbullying perpetration. Further analysis revealed that the interaction between verbal aggressiveness and social skills on cyberbullying perpetration depended on one's level of Internet self-efficacy. At low levels of Internet self-efficacy, trait aggressiveness and social skills do little to inform cyberbullying perpetration; however, participants with high Internet self-efficacy and high trait verbal aggressiveness are less likely to send hurtful or embarrassing messages over the Internet or mobile technologies as their social skills grow. Contributions to theory and practice are discussed.