Psychosocial correlates of internet use among Italian students

Abstract

Davis (2001) introduced a cognitive-behavioral theory of generalized pathological internet use (GPIU) that attempts to model the etiology, development, and outcomes associated with PIU. According to this model, pre-existing psychosocial problems (depression, loneliness, or low levels of social support) predispose an individual to GPIU cognitions, behaviors, and negative outcomes. An exploratory study intended to investigate whether GPIU is associated with psychosocial health (loneliness, depression, self-esteem, and shyness), also taking account of types of internet services used, was conducted in a sample of Italian undergraduate students. A cross-sectional and descriptive correlational design was used. The participants were 157 undergraduate students (34 male and 123 female) enrolled at The University of Florence. The results revealed a stronger correlation between the frequency of use of communicative services (as opposed to leisure or informational services) and GPIU levels. Among services, the most significant predictor of GPIU was the frequency of use of chat rooms and "adult" websites. All psychosocial health variables were correlated with GPIU, with the exception of shyness; however, general loneliness was the only significant predictor of GPIU. Depression and self-esteem were not significant predictors of GPIU. These results are consistent with the assumption that GPIU is related to the social aspect of the internet (e.g., online chatting) and arises from the unique communicative environment found online. In accordance with recent studies, social wellbeing (i.e. loneliness) seems to play a greater role than psychological health in deriving negative effects from internet use.

14. Generalized Problematic Internet Use Scale 2: update on the psychometric properties among Italian young adults

“…In comparison to the Internet Addiction Test (IAT; Young, 1998), the most used instrument for assessing PIU, the GPIUS2 is specifically focused on problematic use that arises due to the unique communicative context of the Internet. For these reasons, both the first and the second version of the GPIUS have been used recently in a variety of contexts for the assessment of GPIU (e.g., Ang, Chong, Chye, & Huan, 2012;Casale & Fioravanti, 2011;Casale, Tella, & Fioravanti, 2013;Chittaro & Vianello, 2013;Fioravanti et al, 2012;Fioravanti, Primi, & Casale, 2013;Gámez-Guadix et al, 2012) with the aim of reporting the properties of the scale across various cultures. Among Mexican adolescents, the GPIUS2 has demonstrated adequate psychometric qualities, including construct validity, convergent validity, and internal consistency (Gámez-Guadix et al, 2012).…”

Problematic Internet Use: Variants of Cognitive-Behavioural Model under Path Analysis

“…Additionally, these studies had only examined relationships or partial pathways between these variables and GPIU, with contradictory findings. For example, there were studies [10,11] that reported conflicting results with regards to the role of depression predicting PIU. These issues have led to questions regarding the applied value of Davis's original conceptualisation.…”

“…Many studies [3,[10][11][12][13] based on Davis's [1] model investigated only some related variables (e.g., depression) based on the original model and included some other variables (e.g., loneliness) that were not included in the original conceptualisation. Additionally, these studies had only examined relationships or partial pathways between these variables and GPIU, with contradictory findings.…”

Social anxiety moderates the links between excessive chatting and compulsive Internet use

“…What effect this constant online connectivity may have for young people's development is a highly complex issue with no simple answers. One important consequence of excessive chatting seems to be compulsive Internet use, which in turn is associated with depressive symptoms and loneliness (Caplan, 2003;Casale & Fioravanti, 2011;van der Aa et al, 2009). Thus, even though early adolescents may be constantly connected with others, it is not certain that they will be less lonely or feel better as a result.…”

“…Compulsive Internet use has been defined as experiences of discomfort when the Internet is unavailable, continued use of the Internet despite wanting to cut down or stop, using the Internet to avoid unpleasant feelings, allowing Internet use to dominate one's behaviors and cognitions, and resulting in conflicts with others or the self . Compulsive Internet use has been linked to various poor psychosocial outcomes such as depressive symptoms and loneliness (e.g., Caplan, 2003;Casale & Fioravanti, 2011;van der Aa et al, 2009). As such, it is a suitable framework when examining problematic use of the Internet without categorizing or diagnosing participants.…”