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

Lopez-Fernandez, O ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4294-9156, Honrubia-Serrano, ML, Gibson, W and Griffiths, MD ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8880-6524, 2014. Problematic Internet use in British adolescents: An exploration of the addictive symptomatology. Computers in Human Behavior, 35, pp. 224-233. ISSN 0747-5632

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Abstract

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 scalewas 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 1,097 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.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Computers in Human Behavior
Creators:	Lopez-Fernandez, O., Honrubia-Serrano, M.L., Gibson, W. and Griffiths, M.D.
Publisher:	Pergamon Press
Date:	June 2014
Volume:	35
ISSN:	0747-5632
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1016/j.chb.2014.02.042 DOI
Divisions:	Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	Linda Sullivan
Date Added:	02 Dec 2015 09:26
Last Modified:	09 Jun 2017 13:58
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/26569

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