Problematic internet use profiles and psychosocial risk among adolescents

Abstract

Objective Although Problematic Internet Use (PIU) is an emerging area of study in psychology, little is known about the unique features of specific subgroups of internet users and their psychosocial vulnerabilities within robust and nationwide populations. Methods The aim of this study was to identify distinct latent groups of internet users based on their PIU risk and to compare their psychosocial outcomes. To achieve this, a nationally representative sample of adolescents of the same grade (N = 1,066, Meanage = 13.46 years, range = 12–16) was recruited from several schools in Slovenia through stratified random sampling. Results A Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) revealed a two-class solution, with Class 1 (n = 853, 80%) featuring ‘low PIU risk’ participants and Class 2 (n = 213, 20%) including ‘high PIU risk’ participants. Behaviorally, the main feature of Class 1 denoted ‘time management difficulties’ while Class 2 was best characterized by ‘mood and time management issues’. Further frequentist and Bayesian analyses indicated that Class 2 presented greater psychosocial risk compared to Class 1 due to significantly higher levels of PIU (generalized and across specific PIU subfactors) coupled with lower levels of subjective well-being and self-control. Conclusions Contrary to what was initially envisaged, the two classes did not differ in terms of perceived quality in parent-child relationship. This study shows that PIU patterns and symptom-severity may be developmentally specific, further highlighting the need for clinically age-adjusted PIU screening practices within epidemiological and healthcare settings.

Psychometric Assessment and Gender Invariance of the Polish Version of the Gaming Disorder Test

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Psychometric properties of three online-related addictive behavior instruments among Bangladeshi school-going adolescents

“…Technology use and devices help boosting users' communication levels, social group connections, self-reported life satisfaction and wellbeing levels [1][2][3]. Despite such positive outcomes, previous studies reported that excessive technology use may lead to detrimental outcomes, with adolescents being considered to be more susceptible to harmful digital technology use [4], particularly in relation to Problematic Internet Use (PIU) [5,6], with electronic gaming also being a highly popular activity among adolescents due to the latest technological advancements, enticing graphics with realistic images and complex gaming systems [7,8].…”

A network analysis of the Internet Disorder Scale–Short Form (IDS9-SF): A large-scale cross-cultural study in Iran, Pakistan, and Bangladesh

“…In conclusion, the IDS9-SF can help mental health professionals screen individuals who are at risk of generalized internet addiction. Furthermore, researchers may also use the IDS9-SF to estimate the underlying internet addiction for their target participants and further explore and investigate the phenomenon related to internet addiction in large-scale epidemiological research as is typically done (Pontes and Macur, 2021 ). Additionally, the IDS9-SF should be used with caution to compare the levels of internet addiction between genders or between country residents given that significant differences were found in the network analysis regarding the associations between the nine items across these subgroups.…”