Problematic internet use among adults: a cross-cultural study in 15 countries

Lopez-Fernandez, O., Romo, L., Kern, L., Rousseau, A., Lelonek-Kuleta, B., Chwaszcz, J., Männikkö, N., Rumpf, H.-J., Bischof, A., Király, O., Gässler, A.-K., Graziani, P., Kääriäinen, M., Landrø, N.I., Zacarés, J.J., Chóliz, M., Dufour, M., Rochat, L., Zullino, D., Achab, S., Demetrovics, Z., Griffiths, M.D. ORCID: 0000-0001-8880-6524 and Kuss, D.J. ORCID: 0000-0001-8917-782X, 2023. Problematic internet use among adults: a cross-cultural study in 15 countries. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 12 (3): 1027. ISSN 2077-0383

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Abstract

Background: The present study compared adult usage patterns of online activities, the frequency rate of problematic internet use (PIU), and risk factors (including the psychopathology associated with PIU, i.e., distress and impulsivity) among adults in 15 countries from Europe, America, and Asia.

Methods: A total of 5130 adults from Belgium, and Indonesia completed an online survey assessing PIU and a number of psychological variables (i.e., depression, anxiety, stress, and impulsivity). The sample included more females, with a mean age of 24.71 years (SD = 8.70).

Results: PIU was slightly lower in European countries (rates ranged from 1.1% in Finland to 10.1% in the UK, compared to 2.9% in Canada and 10.4% in the US). There were differences in specific PIU rates (e.g., problematic gaming ranged from 0.4% in Poland to 4.7% in Indonesia). Regression analyses showed that PIU was predicted by problematic social networking and gaming, lack of perseverance, positive urgency, and depression.

Conclusions: The differences in PIU between countries were significant for those between continental regions (Europe versus non-European countries). One of the most interesting findings is that the specific PIU risks were generally low compared to contemporary literature. However, higher levels of PIU were present in countries outside of Europe, although intra-European differences existed.

Item Type: Journal article
Publication Title: Journal of Clinical Medicine
Creators: Lopez-Fernandez, O., Romo, L., Kern, L., Rousseau, A., Lelonek-Kuleta, B., Chwaszcz, J., Männikkö, N., Rumpf, H.-J., Bischof, A., Király, O., Gässler, A.-K., Graziani, P., Kääriäinen, M., Landrø, N.I., Zacarés, J.J., Chóliz, M., Dufour, M., Rochat, L., Zullino, D., Achab, S., Demetrovics, Z., Griffiths, M.D. and Kuss, D.J.
Publisher: MDPI
Date: 29 January 2023
Volume: 12
Number: 3
ISSN: 2077-0383
Identifiers:
NumberType
10.3390/jcm12031027DOI
1641454Other
Rights: © 2023 by the authors. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Divisions: Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by: Jeremy Silvester
Date Added: 03 Mar 2023 13:55
Last Modified: 03 Mar 2023 13:55
URI: https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/48455

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