Prevalence of pathological Internet use among university students and correlations with self-esteem, the general health questionnaire (GHQ), and disinhibition

Niemz, K., Griffiths, M.D. ORCID: 0000-0001-8880-6524 and Banyard, P. ORCID: 0000-0003-2527-0755, 2005. Prevalence of pathological Internet use among university students and correlations with self-esteem, the general health questionnaire (GHQ), and disinhibition. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 8 (6), pp. 562-570.

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Abstract

Over the last few years, there has been increased interest in the addictive potential of the Internet. The current study was an attempt to replicate common findings in the literature and provide more evidence for the existence of Internet addiction among students—a population considered to be especially vulnerable. A total of 371 British students responded to the questionnaire, which included the Pathological Internet Use (PIU) scale, the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), a self-esteem scale, and two measures of disinhibition. Results showed that 18.3% of the sample were considered to be pathological Internet users, whose excessive use of the Internet was causing academic, social, and interpersonal problems. Other results showed that pathological Internet users had lower self-esteem and were more socially disinhibited. However, there was no significant difference in GHQ scores. These results are discussed in relation to the methodological shortcomings of research in the area as a whole.

Item Type: Journal article
Publication Title: CyberPsychology & Behavior
Creators: Niemz, K., Griffiths, M.D. and Banyard, P.
Date: 2005
Volume: 8
Number: 6
Identifiers:
NumberType
10.1089/cpb.2005.8.562DOI
Rights: © 2005 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
Divisions: Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by: EPrints Services
Date Added: 09 Oct 2015 10:08
Last Modified: 07 Jul 2020 10:10
URI: https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/8193

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