Internet use
13869949
Integrating psychological and neurobiological considerations regarding the development and maintenance of specific Internet use disorders: An Interaction of Person Affect Cognition Execution (I PACE) model
Within the last two decades, many studies have addressed the clinical phenomenon of Internet use disorders, with a particular focus on Internet gaming disorder. Based on previous theoretical considerations and empirical findings, we suggest an Interaction of Person Affect Cognition Execution (I PACE) model of specific Internet use disorders. The I PACE model is a theoretical framework for the processes underlying the development and maintenance of an addictive use of certain Internet applications or sites promoting gaming, gambling, pornography viewing, shopping, or communication. The model is composed as a process model. Specific Internet use disorders are considered to be the consequence of interactions between predisposing factors, such as neurobiological and psychological constitutions, moderators, such as coping styles and Internet related cognitive biases, and mediators, such as affective and cognitive responses to situational triggers in combination with reduced executive functioning. Conditioning processes may strengthen these associations within an addiction process. Although the hypotheses regarding the mechanisms underlying the development and maintenance of specific Internet use disorders, summarized in the I PACE model, must be further tested empirically, implications for treatment interventions are suggested.
Neuroscience Biobehavioral Reviews
Matthias Brand Kimberly S Young Christian Laier Klaus Wolfling Marc N Potenza
10175734
Loneliness and Social Internet Use: Pathways to Reconnection in a Digital World?
With the rise of online social networking, social relationships are increasingly developed and maintained in a digital domain. Drawing conclusions about the impact of the digital world on loneliness is difficult because there are contradictory findings, and cross sectional studies dominate the literature, making causation difficult to establish. In this review, we present our theoretical model and propose that there is a bidirectional and dynamic relationship between loneliness and social Internet use. When the Internet is used as a way station on the route to enhancing existing relationships and forging new social connections, it is a useful tool for reducing loneliness. But when social technologies are used to escape the social world and withdraw from the "social pain" of interaction, feelings of loneliness are increased. We propose that loneliness is also a determinant of how people interact with the digital world. Lonely people express a preference for using the Internet for social interaction and are more likely to use the Internet in a way that displaces time spent in offline social activities. This suggests that lonely people may need support with their social Internet use so that they employ it in a way that enhances existing friendships and/or to forge new ones.
Perspectives on psychological science a journal of the Association for Psychological Science
Rebecca Nowland Elizabeth A Necka John T Cacioppo
52986097
A review of Internet use among older adults
As the world population ages and older adults comprise a growing proportion of current and potential Internet users, understanding the state of Internet use among older adults as well as the ways their use has evolved may clarify how best to support digital media use within this population. This article synthesizes the quantitative literature on Internet use among older adults, including trends in access, skills, and types of use, while exploring social inequalities in relation to each domain. We also review work on the relationship between health and Internet use, particularly relevant for older adults. We close with specific recommendations for future work, including a call for studies better representing the diversity of older adulthood and greater standardization of question design.
New Media Soc.
Amanda Hunsaker Eszter Hargittai
4589797
Health Related Internet Use by Children and Adolescents: Systematic Review
Background The internet is widely used by children and adolescents, who generally have a high level of competency with technology. Thus, the internet has become a great resource for supporting youth self care and health related services. However, few studies have explored adolescents' internet use for health related matters. Objective The objective of this systematic literature review was to examine the phenomenon of children and adolescents' health related internet use and to identify gaps in the research. Methods A total of 19 studies were selected from a search of major electronic databases: PubMed, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and PsycINFO using the following search terms: "health related internet use," "eHealth," "Internet use for health related purpose," "Web based resource," "health information seeking," and "online resource," combined with "child," "adolescent," "student," "youth," and "teen." The children's and adolescents' ages were limited to 24 years and younger. The search was conducted from September 2015 to October 2017. The studies identified to contain youth <24 years) health related internet use were all published in peer reviewed journals in the past 10 years; these studies examined general internet use seeking health care services, resources, information, or using the internet for health promotion and self care. Studies were excluded if they explored the role of the internet as a modality for surveys, recruitment, or searching for relevant literature without specifically aiming to study participants' health related internet use; focused solely on quality assurance for specific websites; or were designed to test a specific internet based intervention. Results Interesting patterns in adolescents' health related internet use, such as seeking preventative health care and specific information about medical issues, were identified. Quantitative studies reported rates of the internet use and access among youth, and the purpose and patterns of health related internet use among youth were identified. A major objective of health related internet use is to gain information, but there are inconsistencies in adolescents' perceptions of health related internet use. Conclusions This study's findings provide important information on how youth seek information and related support systems for their health care on the internet. The conceptual and methodological limitations of the identified studies, such as the lack of a theoretical background and unrepresentative samples, are discussed, and gaps within the studies are identified for future research. This review also suggests important features for potential Web based health interventions for children and adolescents.
Journal of medical Internet research
Eunhee Park Misol Kwon
152003110
Internet use and Problematic Internet Use: a systematic review of longitudinal research trends in adolescence and emergent adulthood
Abstract The aim of this systematic literature review is to map the longitudinal research in the field of Internet Use (IU) and Problematic Internet Use (PIU) in adolescents and emergent adults. Further, this study endeavours to examine the terminology and instruments utilized in longitudinal IU and PIU research and investigate whether statistically significant results have arisen from the areas of research focus. In a total of 29 studies, trends in the research of adolescent/emergent adult IU and PIU were discovered. These trends were conceptualized into individual, contextual and activity related factors. Findings suggested that individual factors are the most researched and have demonstrated significant relationships with adolescent/young adult PIU. However, more research on contextual and activity related factors is needed in order to achieve a clearer understanding of young people's IU and PIU behaviours, and to incorporate into a comprehensive model that will guide future research in this growing field.
Emma Anderson Eloisa Steen Vasileios Stavropoulos
3641409
A systematic review of the relationship between internet use, self harm and suicidal behaviour in young people: The good, the bad and the unknown
Background Research exploring internet use and self harm is rapidly expanding amidst concerns regarding influences of on line activities on self harm and suicide, especially in young people. We aimed to systematically review evidence regarding the potential influence of the internet on self harm/suicidal behaviour in young people. Methods We conducted a systematic review based on an electronic search for articles published between 01/01/2011 and 26/01/2015 across databases including Medline, Cochrane and PsychInfo. Articles were included if: the study examined internet use by individuals who engaged in self harm/ suicidal behaviour, or internet use clearly related to self harm content; reported primary empirical data; participants were aged under 25 years. New studies were combined with those identified in a previous review and subject to data extraction, quality rating and narrative synthesis. Results Forty six independent studies (51 articles) of varying quality were included. Perceived influences were: positive for 11 studies (38191 participants) negative for 18 studies (119524 participants) and mixed for 17 studies (35235 participants) In contrast to previous reviews on this topic studies focused on a wide range of internet mediums: general internet use; internet addiction; online intervention/treatment; social media; dedicated self harm websites; forums; video/image sharing and blogs. A relationship between internet use and self harm/suicidal behaviour was particularly associated with internet addiction, high levels of internet use, and websites with self harm or suicide content. While there are negative aspects of internet use the potential for isolation reduction, outreach and as a source of help and therapy were also identified. Conclusions There is significant potential for harm from online behaviour (normalisation, triggering, competition, contagion) but also the potential to exploit its benefits (crisis support, reduction of social isolation, delivery of therapy, outreach) Young people appear to be increasingly using social media to communicate distress, particularly to peers. The focus should now be on how specific mediums' (social media, video/image sharing) might be used in therapy and recovery. Clinicians working with young people who self harm or have mental health issues should engage in discussion about internet use. This should be a standard item during assessment. A protocol for this review was registered with the PROSPERO systematic review protocol registry: (http:/www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.asp?ID=CRD42015019518)
PloS one
Amanda Marchant Keith Hawton Ann Stewart Paul Montgomery Vinod Singaravelu Keith R Lloyd Nicola Purdy Kate Daine Ann John
3247324
Internet addiction and problematic Internet use: A systematic review of clinical research.
AIM To provide a comprehensive overview of clinical studies on the clinical picture of Internet use related addictions from a holistic perspective. A literature search was conducted using the database Web of Science. METHODS Over the last 15 years, the number of Internet users has increased by 1000% and at the same time, research on addictive Internet use has proliferated. Internet addiction has not yet been understood very well, and research on its etiology and natural history is still in its infancy. In 2013, the American Psychiatric Association included Internet Gaming Disorder in the appendix of the updated version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM 5) as condition that requires further research prior to official inclusion in the main manual, with important repercussions for research and treatment. To date, reviews have focused on clinical and treatment studies of Internet addiction and Internet Gaming Disorder. This arguably limits the analysis to a specific diagnosis of a potential disorder that has not yet been officially recognised in the Western world, rather than a comprehensive and inclusive investigation of Internet use related addictions (including problematic Internet use) more generally. RESULTS The systematic literature review identified a total of 46 relevant studies. The included studies used clinical samples, and focused on characteristics of treatment seekers and online addiction treatment. Four main types of clinical research studies were identified, namely research involving (1) treatment seeker characteristics; (2) psychopharmacotherapy; (3) psychological therapy; and (4) combined treatment. CONCLUSION A consensus regarding diagnostic criteria and measures is needed to improve reliability across studies and to develop effective and efficient treatment approaches for treatment seekers.
World journal of psychiatry
Daria J Kuss Olatz Lopez-Fernandez
3414716
The Dark Side of Internet Use: Two Longitudinal Studies of Excessive Internet Use, Depressive Symptoms, School Burnout and Engagement Among Finnish Early and Late Adolescents
Recent research shows an increased concern with well being at school and potential problems associated with students' use of socio digital technologies, i.e. the mobile devices, computers, social media, and the Internet. Simultaneously with supporting creative social activities, socio digital participation may also lead to compulsive and addictive behavioral patterns affecting both general and school related mental health problems. Using two longitudinal data waves gathered among 1702 (53 female) early (age 12 14) and 1636 (64 female) late (age 16 18) Finnish adolescents, we examined cross lagged paths between excessive internet use, school engagement and burnout, and depressive symptoms. Structural equation modeling revealed reciprocal cross lagged paths between excessive internet use and school burnout among both adolescent groups: school burnout predicted later excessive internet use and excessive internet use predicted later school burnout. Reciprocal paths between school burnout and depressive symptoms were also found. Girls typically suffered more than boys from depressive symptoms and, in late adolescence, school burnout. Boys, in turn, more typically suffered from excessive internet use. These results show that, among adolescents, excessive internet use can be a cause of school burnout that can later spill over to depressive symptoms.
Journal of youth and adolescence
Katariina Salmela-Aro Katja Upadyaya Kai Hakkarainen Kirsti Lonka Kimmo Alho
38862939
Internet use by pregnant women seeking pregnancy related information: a systematic review
BackgroundThe Internet has become one of the most popular sources of information for health consumers and pregnant women are no exception. The primary objective of this review was to investigate the ways in which pregnant women used the Internet to retrieve pregnancy related information.MethodsWe conducted a systematic review to answer this question. In November 2014, electronic databases: Scopus, Medline, PreMEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and PubMed were searched for papers with the terms "Internet" "pregnancy" "health information seeking" in the title, abstract or as keywords. Restrictions were placed on publication to within 10 years and language of publication was restricted to English. Quantitative studies were sought, that reported original research and described Internet use by pregnant women.ResultsSeven publications met inclusion criteria and were included in the review. Sample size ranged from 182 1347 pregnant women. The majority of papers reported that women used the Internet as a source of information about pregnancy. Most women searched for information at least once a month. Fetal development and nutrition in pregnancy were the most often mentioned topics of interest. One paper included in this review found that women with higher education were three times more likely to seek advice than women with less than a high school education, and also that single and multiparous women were less likely to seek advice than married and nulliparous women. The majority of women found health information on the Internet to be reliable and useful.ConclusionMost women did not discuss the information they retrieved from the Internet with their health providers. Thus, health providers may not be aware of potentially inaccurate information or mistaken beliefs about pregnancy, reported on the Internet. Future research is needed to address this issue of potentially unreliable information.
BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth
Padaphet Sayakhot Mary C Carolan-Olah
61646034
The Accuracy of Self Reported Internet Use A Validation Study Using Client Log Data
ABSTRACT The vast majority of empirical research on online communication, or media use in general, relies on self report measures instead of behavioral data. Previous research has shown that the accuracy of these self report measures can be quite low, and both over and underreporting of media use are commonplace. This study compares self reports of Internet use with client log files from a large household sample. Results show that the accuracy of self reported frequency and duration of Internet use is quite low, and that survey data are only moderately correlated with log file data. Moreover, there are systematic patterns of misreporting, especially overreporting, rather than random deviations from the log files. Self reports for specific content such as social network sites or video platforms seem to be more accurate and less consistently biased than self reports of generic frequency or duration of Internet use. The article closes by demonstrating the consequences of biased self reports and discussing possible solutions to the problem.
Michael Scharkow