The prevalence and mental comorbidity of internet-dependent behavior in adolescents of Central Siberia

Close metadata

OBJECTIVE

To study the prevalence of Internet addiction (IA) in adolescents in Central Siberia and the association of IA with mental health problems.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The study included 2950 adolescents (44.7% boys and 54.3% girls), aged 11-18 years (mean age 14.5±1.3). Younger adolescents (11-14 years old) accounted for 52.4%, senior ones (15-18 years old) did 47.6%. The Chen scale (CIAS) with a cutoff level of 65 points was used to evaluate IA. The overall CIAS value of 27-42 points was regarded to be adaptive Internet use (AIU); 43-64 points being non-adaptive Internet use (NIU); 65 points and above were considered to be IA. Mental health was assessed using SDQ, which includes five scales: 1) prosocial behavior; 2) emotional symptoms; 3) behavior problems; 4) hyperactivity; 5) peer problems.

RESULTS

The prevalence of AIU is 50.3% (55.9% among boys and 45.6% among girls, p<0.01), NIU was found in 42.9% (38.9/46.3%, p<0.001), IA occurred in 6.8% (5.1/8.2%, p<0.001). The prevalence of IA among adolescents, aged 11-14 years old, was 5.9%, between the ages of 15-18 it was 7.8% (p=0.04). In the AIU group, emotional symptom** were observed in 5.1% of adolescents, behavior problems in 6.1%, hyperactivity in 3.6%; in the NIU group — in 14.9%, 11.7% and 9.4% of adolescents; in the IA group, there were 34%, 24% and 26% of adolescents, respectively. In terms of odds ratio (OR), the greatest effect size was observed for hyperactivity (OR=5.23, p<0.001) and emotional disorders (OR=4.85, p<0001).

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of IA is 6.8%. IA is more common in girls and increases with age. IA is associated with mental health problems, the greatest effect size is observed for hyperactivity and emotional disorders. The incidence of psychopathological manifestations increases depending on the degree of impairment in network behavior.

Keywords:

adolescents

internet

addictive behavior

addiction

mental health

Authors:

Semenova N.B.

Krasnoyarsk Scientific Centre of Siberian Division of Russian Academy of Sciences — Scientific Research Institute for Medical Problems of the North

ORCID: 0000-0002-6120-7860

Tereshchenko S.Yu.

Scientific Research Institute for Medical Problems of the North of the Krasnoyarsk Scientific Center of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Evert L.S.

Scientific Research Institute for Medical Problems of the North of the Krasnoyarsk Scientific Center of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Shubina M.V.

Scientific Research Institute for Medical Problems of the North of the Krasnoyarsk Scientific Center of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Received:

22.07.2020

Accepted:

03.09.2020

List of references:

Kaess M, Durkee T, Brunner R, et al. Pathological Internet use among European adolescents: psychopathology and self-destructive behaviours. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2014;23(11):1093-1102. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-014-0562-7
Mak KK, Lai CM, Ko CH, et al. Psychometric properties of the Revised Chen Internet Addiction Scale (CIAS-R) in Chinese adolescents. J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2014;42(7):1237-1245. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-014-9851-3
Pontes HM, Kuss D, Griffiths M. Clinical psychology of Internet addiction: a review of its conceptualization, prevalence, neuronal processes, and implications for treatment. Neurosci Neuroecon. 2015;4:11-23. https://doi.org/10.2147/nan.s60982
Shaw M, Black DW. Internet addiction: definition, assessment, epidemiology and clinical management. CNS Drugs. 2008;22(5):353-365. https://doi.org/10.2165/00023210-200822050-00001
Brezing C, Derevensky JL, Potenza MN. Non-substance-addictive behaviours in youth: pathological gambling and problematic Internet use. Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am. 2010;19(3):625-641. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chc.2010.03.012
Wartberg L, Brunner R, Kriston L, et al. Psychopathological factors associated with problematic alcohol and problematic Internet use in a sample of adolescents in Germany. Psychiatry Res. 2016;240:272-277. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2016.04.057
Griffiths M. A ‘components’ model of addiction within a biopsychosocial framework. J Subst Use. 2005;10(4):191-197. https://doi.org/10.1080/14659890500114359
Durkee T, Kaess M, Carli V, et al. Prevalence of pathological Internet use among adolescents in Europe: demographic and social factors. Addiction. 2012;107(12):2210-2222. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1360-0443.2012.03946.x
Durkee T, Carli V, Floderus B, et al. Pathological Internet use and risk-behaviours among European adolescents. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2016;13(3):294. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph13030294
Bozkurt H, Coskun M, Ayaydin H, Adak I. Prevalence and patterns of psychiatric disorders in referred adolescents with Internet addiction. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2013;67(5):352-359. https://doi.org/10.1111/pcn.12065
Ho RC, Zhang MW, Tsang TY, et al. The association between internet addiction and psychiatric co-morbidity: a meta-analysis. BMC Psychiatry. 2014;14:183. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-244X-14-183
Rücker J, Akre C, Berchtold A, Suris JC. Problematic Internet use is associated with substance use in young adolescents. Acta Paediatrica. 2015; 104(5):504-507. https://doi.org/10.1111/apa.12971
Ko CH, Liu TL, Wang PW, et al. The exacerbation of depression, hostility, and social anxiety in the course of Internet addiction among adolescents: a prospective study. Compr Psychiatry. 2014;55(6):1377-1384. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2014.05.003
Lau JTF, Walden DL, Wu AMS, et al. Bidirectional predictions between Internet addiction and probable depression among Chinese adolescents. J Behav Addict. 2018;7(3):633-643. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.7.2018.87
Park S, Hong KE, Park EJ, et al. The association between problematic internet use and depression, suicidal ideation and bipolar disorder symptoms in Korean adolescents. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2013;47(2):153-159. https://doi.org/10.1177/0004867412463613
Fischer G, Brunner R, Parzer P, et al. Depression, deliberate self-harm and suicidal behaviour in adolescents engaging in risky and pathological internet use. Prax Kinderpsychol Kinderpsychiatr. 2012;61(1):16-31. https://doi.org/10.13109/prkk.2012.61.1.16
Cao F, Su L. Internet addiction among Chinese adolescents: prevalence and psychological features. Child Care Health Dev. 2007;33(3):275-281. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2214.2006.00715.x
Critselis E, Janikian M, Paleomilitou N, et al. Predictive factors and psychosocial effects of Internet addictive behaviors in Cypriot adolescents. Int J Adolesc Med Health. 2014;26(3):369-375. https://doi.org/10.1515/ijamh-2013-0313
Yen JY, Ko CH, Yen CF, et al. The comorbid psychiatric symptoms of Internet addiction: attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, social phobia, and hostility. J Adolesc Health. 2007;41(1):93-98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2007.02.002
Lyubov EB, Palaeva RI. ‘Young’ suicides and the Internet: good, bad, evil. Suitsidologiya. 2018;9(2):72-81. (In Russ.).
Uzlov ND, Semenova MN. Game, transgression and network suicide. Suitsidologiya. 2017;8(3):40-53. (In Russ.).
Totaro S, Toffol E, Scocco P. Suicide prevention and the Internet: risk and opportunity. Suitsidologiya. 2016;7(4):32-41. (In Russ.).
Müller KW, Dreier M, Duven E, et al. Adding clinical validity to the statistical power of large-scale epidemiological surveys on internet addiction in adolescence: a combined approach to investigate psychopathology and development-specific personality traits associated with internet addiction. J Clin Psychiatry. 2017;78(3):244-251. https://doi.org/10.4088/jcp.15m10447
Chen S, Weng L, Su Y, et al. Development of a chinese internet addiction scale and its psychometric study. Chin J Physiol. 2003;45(3):279-294.
Malygin VL, Feklisov KA. Internet-zavisimoe povedenie. Kriterii i metody diagnostiki: uchebnoe posobie. M. 2011. (In Russ.).
Goodman R, Ford T, Simmons H, et al. Using the strengths and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ) to screen for child psychiatric disorders in a community sample. Br J Psychiatry. 2000;177:534-539. https://doi.org/10.1080/0954026021000046128
Goodman R, Slobodskaya HR, Knyazev GG. Russian child mental health — a cross-sectional study of prevalence and risk factors. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2005;14(1):28-33. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-005-0420-8
Malygin VL, Khomeriki NS, Antonenko AA. The individual psychological properties of adolescents as risk factors for the formation of Internet-dependent behavior. Meditsinskaya psikhologiya v Rossii. 2015;1:7. (In Russ.).
Tsitsika A, Janikian M, Schoenmakers TM, et al. Internet addictive behavior in adolescence: a cross-sectional study in seven European countries. Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw. 2014;17(8):528-535. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2013.0382
Yen CF, Chou WJ, Liu TL, et al. The association of Internet addiction symptoms with anxiety, depression and self-esteem among adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Compr Psychiatry. 2014;55(7):1601-1608. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2014.05.025
Kahraman Ö, Demirci EÖ. Internet addiction and attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder: Effects of anxiety, depression and self-esteem. Pediatr Int. 2018;60(6):529-534. https://doi.org/10.1111/ped.13573
Ozturk FO, Ekinci M, Ozturk O, Canan F. The relationship of affective temperament and emotional-behavioral difficulties to internet addiction in Turkish teenagers. ISRN Psychiatry. 2013;28(2013):961734. https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/961734
Zhang HX, Jiang WQ, Lin ZG, et al. Comparison of psychological symptoms and serum levels of neurotransmitters in Shanghai adolescents with and without internet addiction disorder: a case-control study. PLoS One. 2013;8(5):e63089. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0063089
Strittmatter E, Parzer P, Brunner R, et al. A 2-year longitudinal study of prospective predictors of pathological Internet use in adolescents. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2016;25(7):725-734. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-015-0779-0

Close metadata