Problematic Internet use two decades later: apps to wean us off apps

CNS Spectrums ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (04) ◽  
pp. 371-373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elias Aboujaoude
Keyword(s):  
Operating System ◽  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Treatment Algorithm ◽  
Problematic Internet Use ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Efficacy And Safety ◽  
Problematic Use ◽  
Psychotherapeutic Interventions ◽  
Use Of Internet

Two decades of research into problematic Internet use have not yielded an established definition, much less an accepted treatment algorithm that is based on the psychopharmacological and psychotherapeutic interventions that have been tested. Meanwhile, technology-mediated tools that purport to curb unnecessary use of Internet-related technologies and the associated negative consequences are gaining in popularity, despite the lack of rigorous clinical trials into their efficacy and safety. Some popular new offerings that vary in browser, operating system and platform compatibility are reviewed. While they share similar goals as “traditional” treatments, they may be more efficient, scalable, and affordable. Using technology against itself may be counter-intuitive, but the popularity of these tools and their potential advantages make them worthy of researchers’ attention. Telepsychiatry platforms, which are gaining a foothold in the treatment of established disorders, may, paradoxically, also prove beneficial for the management of problematic use of Internet-related technologies.

scholarly journals The study of the perceptions of internet and social media among adolescents and problematic use of ınternet

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-78
Author(s):  
Mercan Atalay ◽  
Göklem Tekdemir Yurtdaş
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Problematic Internet Use ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Problematic Use ◽  
Poor Students ◽  
Use Of The Internet

The adolescents’ perceptions of social media in relation with problematic internet use were examined in this study. The study group consisted of 209 students (113  girls, 96 boys), who were studying secondary schools in Istanbul. "Problematic Internet Usage Scale-Adolescent" and "Open-ended Questions Form on Internet and Social Networking Sites", were utilized by the researchers, and applied to adolescents in order to determine students' level of problematic use of the internet and their perceptions regarding social media. The analysis revealed that the adolescents who stated that they “needed” to use the internet had the highest level of problematic internet use.  Significant age differences among adolescents with regard to meaning of internet pointed out how the internet played various purposes to individuals in various age groups. It has been determined that students in the 11-12 age group preferred to use the internet for "entertainment” purposes more than for other purposes. It was also found that the problematic use of the internet by these adolescents was associated with their opinions about their own academic achievements - specifically those individuals who thought of themselves as "poor" students showed a higher use of the internet in correlation with high levels of negative consequences. 

Altered Neural Activity in the Anterior and Posterior Insula in Individuals with Problematic Internet Use

2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 307-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
HeungSik Yoon ◽  
Shin Ah Kim ◽  
Hyeon Min Ahn ◽  
Sang Hee Kim
Keyword(s):  
Internet Use ◽  
Imaging Study ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Monetary Reward ◽  
Problematic Internet Use ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Monetary Loss ◽  
Loss Avoidance ◽  
Posterior Insula

Background: Individuals with problematic Internet use (PIU) are known to experience increased craving for immediate monetary reward despite long-term negative consequences. What remains unclear is whether their sensitivity to monetary loss is altered. We investigated neural alterations in brain regions involved in the anticipation of a monetary reward and loss avoidance in order to advance our understanding of the characteristics of PIU. Methods: A total of 11 adults with PIU and 22 age-matched controls participated in this functional magnetic resonance imaging study. Inside the scanner, participants performed a monetary incentive learning task during which they chose one of two fractal stimuli associated with monetary gain (reward trials) or avoidance of monetary loss (avoidance trials). Results: We found that, relative to controls, activity in the posterior insula during reward anticipation was greater in participants with PIU, whereas its activity during avoidance anticipation was reduced. No group differences in activation were found during reception phases. Conclusions: Given the roles of the posterior insula in the cortical representation of somatosensory arousal, our results suggest that individuals with PIU may experience more elaborate somatosensory arousal during the anticipation of monetary reward and yet experience less elaborate somatosensory arousal during the anticipation of loss avoidance compared with typical controls.

scholarly journals Internet Use and Problematic Use in Seniors: A Comparative Study in Switzerland and Poland

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucien Rochat ◽  
Monika Wilkosc-Debczynska ◽  
Ludmila Zajac-Lamparska ◽  
Stéphane Rothen ◽  
Paulina Andryszak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Internet Use ◽  
Negative Emotion ◽  
Linear Regression Analysis ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Problematic Internet Use ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Problematic Use ◽  
Life Dissatisfaction ◽  
Online Activities

Background: Seniors have been only little considered in studies examining problematic internet use and associated health issues, although they may present risk factors that make them particularly vulnerable for the development of problematic internet use.Objectives: (1) To compare Internet use and problematic use among seniors in Switzerland and Poland; (2) To examine the relationships between problematic internet use, impulsivity traits and well-being as previous studies showed that internet can be used to cope with negative emotions or life dissatisfaction.Methods: A cross-sectional survey conducted between June 2016 and April 2017 with 264 older internet users aged above 60 years old recruited in Switzerland (88) and Poland (176) assessing sociodemographic variables, online activities, problematic internet use, impulsivity traits and well-being.Results: The two groups differed in their reported online activities in that Polish participants reported more searching for information and buying, whereas Swiss participants reported significantly greater problematic internet use than Polish participants. Finally, a multiple linear regression analysis performed on the whole sample indicated that lower well-being and being a Swiss participant were both significantly associated with greater problematic internet use, after age, gender, level of education, impulsivity traits have been controlled for.Discussion: Swiss seniors showed a more problematic internet use than Polish participants who focused more in their online activities on utility use of internet. The relationships between problematic internet use and well-being suggest that older adults use internet mainly to cope with negative emotion or life dissatisfaction. Socio-cultural differences that could account for these group differences as well as difference with young adults are discussed.

scholarly journals Impact of problematic internet use on the academic stress and academic performance among adolescents in selected school, Kochi Kerala, India

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-119
Author(s):  
Preeti Mathew ◽  
Raman K
Keyword(s):  
Academic Performance ◽  
Internet Addiction ◽  
Information Exchange ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Academic Stress ◽  
Problematic Internet Use ◽  
Mild Stress ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Use Of Internet

The internet is recognized as a medium for information exchange, in various fields such as in academic research, entertainment, communication and commerce, across the world. Continuous use of internet results in a lot of psychological and mental disorders like anxiety, depression, stress and obsessive-compulsive disorder; as observed in many of the studies carried out recently. Recently, Problematic Internet Use has become a global phenomenon that causes serious problem to the affected individual leading to impairment in psychological well-being by causing excessive stress and affecting the individual’s academic performance. The present study aimed to assess the Problematic Internet Use and its relationship with Academic Stress and Academic Performance among adolescents in selected schools, Kochi, Kerala, India. The study was conducted in Private Aided School, in Muvattupuzha Taluk of Ernakulam Dist, Kerala. A cross-sectional design with a quantitative approach was selected, and the study was conducted in July 2018 among 125 adolescents and participants were selected using random sampling technique. The samples were provided with a self-administered questionnaire after obtaining written consent from their parents and the students. The findings of the study revealed that 59.20% had mild Problematic internet addiction. 65% of the adolescents reported moderate stress and 32% had mild stress. Academic performance-wise, 60% of the adolescents were found to be average in the studies. Karl-Pearson coefficient indicated a significant relation between Academic Stress (r=-1 and p<0.001). Based on the findings one can conclude that the adolescents who were having internet addiction were found to have detrimental effects both in their Academic Performance and academic stress to some extent. As a result, the use of internet in normal limits or in moderation may not cause potential harm to their adolescents.

scholarly journals Review of the efficacy and safety of radiofrequency ablation for the treatment of small renal masses

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Regina El Dib ◽  
Naji J. Touma ◽  
Anil Kapoor
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Radiofrequency Ablation ◽  
Tumour Size ◽  
Treatment Algorithm ◽  
Case Series ◽  
Cancer Control ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Efficacy And Safety ◽  
Small Renal Masses ◽  
Renal Masses

Background: Small renal masses are increasingly being discoveredincidentally on imaging performed for another reason. Thestandard of care for these masses involves excision by open orlaparoscopic techniques. Recently, ablative techniques such asradiofrequency ablation (RFA) and cryoablation have taken a moreprominent role in the treatment algorithm for these masses. Wesought to evaluate the efficacy and safety of radiofrequency ablationin the treatment of renal tumours.Methods: We conducted a review of the literature. There was nolanguage restriction. We obtained studies from the followingsources: the Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, LILACS andCurrent Controlled Trials.Results: We identified no clinical trials in the literature. Thus wedescribed the results from case series and retrospective studieswith a reasonable sample size (number of reported patients in eachstudy > 65). Most patients undergoing RFA had T1a disease witha mean tumour size of about 3 cm. Radiofrequency ablation wasusually performed percutaneously with image guidance. Reportedfollow-up was short and ranged from 1 to 30 months. Most seriesused radiographic response as a surrogate for cancer control. Therates of local recurrence of the tumour were as high as 13.0%(average 8.5%) and were slightly higher than those associated withcryoablation and partial nephrectomy. Complications includedhemorrhage, ureteral strictures and loss of a renal unit.Conclusion: Our review demonstrates that RFA is a suitable andpromising therapy in patients with small renal tumours who areconsidered to be poor candidates for more involved surgery.However, clinical trials with long-term data are needed to establishthe oncological efficacy.Contexte : De petites masses rénales sont de plus en plus souventdécouvertes de façon fortuite lors d’épreuves d’imagerie commandéespour une autre raison. Les soins standard pour ces massesincluent une excision par chirurgie ouverte ou par laparoscopie.Dernièrement, des techniques comme l’ablation par radiofréquence(ARF) et la cryoablation ont pris plus d’importance dans l’algorithmede traitement. Nous examinons l’efficacité et l’innocuité del’ablation par radiofréquence dans le traitement des tumeurs rénales.Méthodologie : Une revue de la littérature a été effectuée, sansrestriction de langue. Des articles ont été obtenus des sources suivantes: la Bibliothèque Cochrane, PUBMED, EMBASE, LILACS etCurrent Controlled Trials.Résultats : Comme aucun essai clinique n’a pu être cerné dans cesbases de données, nous décrivons les résultats d’études de cas etd’analyses rétrospectives avec populations de taille raisonnable(nombre de patients pour chaque étude > 65). La vaste majoritédes patients ayant subi une ARF présentaient une tumeur T1a detaille moyenne d’environ 3 cm. L’ARF était habituellement effectuéepar voie percutanée et guidée par imagerie. Le suivi était court,allant de 1 à 30 mois. La plupart des études sérielles avaient recoursà la réponse radiographique comme paramètre de substitutionde la maîtrise du cancer. Les taux de récidive locale de la tumeuratteignaient 13.0 % (moyenne 8.5%), et étaient en général légèrementplus élevés que les taux notés avec la cryoablation et lanéphrectomie partielle. Les complications signalées étaient les suivantes: hémorragie, sténose urétérale et perte d’une unité rénale.Conclusion : Le présent article montre que l’ARF est une techniqueconvenable et prometteuse chez les patients porteurs depetites tumeurs rénales considérés comme de mauvais candidatspour une intervention plus lourde. Cependant, il est impératifd’effectuer des essais cliniques à long terme afin d’établir dans unavenir rapproché l’efficacité oncologique de cette technique.

scholarly journals Prevalence of excessive internet use and its correlation with associated psychopathology in 11th and 12th grade students

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. e100001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nitin Kumar ◽  
Arvind Kumar ◽  
Subodh Kumar Mahto ◽  
Manish Kandpal ◽  
Smita Neelkanth Deshpande ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Internet Addiction ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
New Delhi ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Internet Users ◽  
12Th Grade ◽  
Excessive Internet Use ◽  
Use Of Internet

BackgroundGlobally, the number of internet users has crossed the three-billion mark, while in India users grew over 17% in the first 6 months of 2015 to 354 million. This study presented a background on internet use and the existence of excessive internet use.AimTo study the extent of internet use in 11th and 12 grade students and the psychopathology, if any, associated with excessive internet use.Methods426 students who met the inclusion criteria were recruited from 11th and 12th grade classes from Kendriya Vidyalaya, New Delhi, India, and were assessed by Young’s Internet Addiction Test and the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire.ResultsAmong the 426 students, the mean internet addiction total score was 36.63 (20.78), which indicated mild level of internet addiction. 1.41% (six students) was diagnosed as excessive internet users, while 30.28% and 23.94% were classified as moderate and mild internet users, respectively. The prevalence of internet addiction between gender was 58.22% in males and 41.78% in females. While both positive (prosocial) and negative (hyperactivity, emotional, conduct and peer problem) impacts of internet use were reported by students, in the current study excessive use of internet had a negative impact on students’ lives as compared with positive impact, which was statistically significant (p<0.0001).ConclusionExcessive internet use led to abnormal behaviours which cause negative consequences to users. Early diagnosis of risk factors related to excessive internet use, provides education about responsible use and supervision of students by family members.

scholarly journals The Self-Absorptive Trait of Dissociative Experience and Problematic Internet Use: A National Birth Cohort Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (22) ◽  
pp. 11848
Author(s):  
For-Wey Lung ◽  
Bih-Ching Shu
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Birth Cohort ◽  
Parental Monitoring ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Depressive Mood ◽  
Problematic Internet Use ◽  
Birth Cohort Study ◽  
Self Identity ◽  
Clinical Prevention ◽  
Use Of Internet

Functional and excessive use of internet are hard to distinguish from each other, and internet use can affect adolescents’ development of self-identity. The aim of our study was to investigate the associated relationships between the risk and protective factors for internet use, including parental monitoring, the absorptive dissociative trait, having been bullied, exercise, self-perceived depressive mood, and happiness of 12-year-old adolescents. The Taiwan Birth Cohort Study dataset, which used a national household probability sampling method and included 17,694 12-year-old adolescents, was used for this study. Our results showed that 5.3% of adolescents reported spending more than five hours online during school days. Additionally, adolescents that spent more than five hours online during school days tended to have a higher absorptive trait, perceived less care from mothers, were more likely to have been bullied, and expressed a higher level of depressed mood, which led to a lower level of perceived happiness. Adolescents that spent more than five hours online during school days, compared to those that spent less than an hour online, were more likely to have been bullied, which effected their level of happiness, showing that they may be a group of higher concern. Therefore, spending more than five hours per day online maybe a clinical prevention indicator for problematic internet use.

scholarly journals Cyberbullying and problematic Internet use in Colombia, Uruguay and Spain: Cross-cultural study

Comunicar ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (56) ◽  
pp. 49-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolina Yudes-Gómez ◽  
Daniela Baridon-Chauvie ◽  
Joaquín-Manuel González-Cabrera
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Study ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Problematic Internet Use ◽  
The Internet ◽  
South American ◽  
Problematic Use ◽  
Cross Cultural Study ◽  
Use Of The Internet

The goal of this cross-cultural study was to analyze and compare the cybervictimization and cyberaggression scores, and the problematic Internet use between Spain, Colombia and Uruguay. Despite cultural similarities between the Spanish and the South American contexts, there are few empirical studies that have comparatively examined this issue. The study sample consisted of 2,653 subjects aged 10-18 years. Data was collected through the cyberbullying questionnaire and the Spanish version of the “Revised generalized and problematic Internet use scale”. Results showed a higher prevalence of minor cyberbullying behavior in Spain between 10-14 years. In the three countries compared, there was a higher prevalence of two types of bystanders: the defender of the victim and the outsider, although in Colombia there were more profiles of assistant to the bully. Regarding the problematic use of the Internet, there were not differences between the three countries. We provide evidence on the relationship between cybervictimization and cyberaggression and problematic use of the Internet. The dimensions of compulsive use and regulation of mood are the best predictors of cyberbullying. We discuss our results in relation to the possible normalization of violence and its lack of recognition as such. El objetivo de este estudio transcultural ha sido analizar y comparar las puntuaciones de cibervictimización y ciberagresión, y el uso problemático de Internet en adolescentes de España, Colombia y Uruguay, ya que pese a las semejanzas culturales existentes entre el contexto latinoamericano y español son escasos los estudios empíricos que los han comparado previamente. La muestra estuvo formada por 2.653 participantes de 10 a 18 años. Se recogieron datos a través del cuestionario de ciberacoso y de la versión en castellano del «Revised generalized and problematic Internet use scale». Los resultados ponen de manifiesto una mayor prevalencia de conductas de ciberacoso leve en España entre los 10-14 años. En los tres países, destacan dos roles de ciberobservador: defensor de la víctima y no comprometido ante la agresión, aunque con más perfiles de apoyo al agresor en Colombia. No se observan diferencias en un uso problemático de Internet entre los tres países. Se proporcionan evidencias sobre la relación de la cibervictimización y ciberagresión con el uso problemático de Internet. Las dimensiones de uso compulsivo y regulación del estado anímico son las que mejor predicen el ciberacoso. Los resultados son discutidos con relación a la posible normalización de la violencia y su falta de reconocimiento como tal.

scholarly journals Internet Addiction and Psychological Health in Adolescent Indian Medical Students- A Cross Sectional Study

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Megha Agrawal ◽  
◽  
Sowmya Rajaram ◽  
Girija Kumar ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Internet Addiction ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Problematic Internet Use ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Indian Medical ◽  
Use Of Internet

Background: With the inclusion of Internet in daily lifestyle, it has become crucial to explore its purpose, effects on mental health and to understand the implications. As adolescence is a vulnerable age group, this study has taken Indian medical students in late adolescence to understand how Internet impacts their lives. Objectives: 1. To explore the severity of problematic Internet use ‘PIU’ in Indian medical students. 2. To assess its effects on psychological health and loneliness. 3. To correlate problematic Internet use with the purpose of use. Materials And Methods:185 first MBBS students of BMCRI (Mean age- 18.075 years) were administered 4 questionnaires- Young’s Internet Addiction test, UCLA loneliness questionnaire (Version 3), General Health Questionnaire (GHQ12) and a self administered questionnaire to assess purpose of Internet usage. Results: Out of 185 students, 67 were average users who showed control over their use of Internet and 118 had PIU (113 with frequent, 5 with significant problems). Significant positive correlation was found between PIU and psychological morbidity (r=0.3442, p<0.0001) as well as loneliness (r=0.2045, p= 0.0051). Daily average use of Internet was mostly for social media (51.2%) followed by academics (20%), others (20%) and gaming (8.2%). PIU was significantly positively correlated to social media usage (r=0.2666, p= 0.0002) as well as negatively correlated to academics (r= -0.372, p<0.0001). Conclusion: In our study, PIU was positively correlated to poor psychological health, loneliness and use for social media. It showed negative correlation with academics. This may suggest that PIU is linked to psychosocial implications. It may be worthwhile correlating purpose of use with severity of PIU. Social media seems to be of importance in India as opposed to China, where gaming is the major concern. As some activities could be more addictive than others leading to dysfunctional lifestyle, Internet use must be regulated and used judiciously.Method: A total of 22 patients (out of initial 24 referrals) who met DSM IV criteria for MDD were enrolled into the study. The subjects all had to fail at least one prior treatment for depression. The patients received the FDA approved protocol of high-frequency (10 Hz) rTMS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Results: Seventeen cases out of twenty-two cases showed significant improvements after two weeks of treatment. Only six patients continued their treatments for the next two to four weeks. Conclusions: We have replicated other studies showing that using rTMS is effective with no major side effects for many patients with MDD and their improvements are measurable mostly after two weeks. Our data highlights the importance of application of more convenient protocols which require fewer sessions on fewer days to help with compliance and outcome particularly in large populated cities and countries like Iran going through economic hardship.

scholarly journals Is problematic Internet use associated with substance use among youth? A systematic review

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
S Lanthier-Labonté ◽  
M Dufour ◽  
D M Milot ◽  
J Loslier
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Cannabis Use ◽  
Problematic Internet Use ◽  
Problematic Use ◽  
The World

Abstract Background Problematic Internet use is an important emerging public health problem. Among youth, the link between problematic Internet use and other risky behaviors needs to be define. The National Institute on Drug Abuse was recently questioning if this new problem can explain the downward trend in substance use among young people. The objective of the systematic review is to explore the association between Internet use (with an average time measure and a problematic Internet use measure) and psychoactive substance use (alcohol, cannabis) among youth. Methods Empirical studies meeting inclusion criteria were chosen from important databases and then screened. Quality assessment and narrative synthesis were executed giving the high heterogeneity. Forty-three studies were eligible. Results A majority of studies found a positive association for the association between Internet problematic use and alcohol use, and between Internet problematic use and cannabis use. High heterogeneity in the assessment of alcohol and cannabis use made the synthesis a great challenge. Studies with substance use assessment that were reflecting a higher risk measure more often found a positive association. Conclusions Despite the diversity of the measures used, it seems that Internet use has a potential association with alcohol and cannabis use among youth around the world. When addressing risky behavior such as substance use among youth, professionals should also address problematic Internet use. Further studies are needed to assess the longitudinal impact of Internet use on youth substance use. A golden standard on how to assess alcohol and cannabis use among youth would be welcomed and certainly help future knowledge synthesis. Key messages Internet problematic use has a potential positive association with alcohol and cannabis use among youth around the world. Prevention programs for youth addressing risky behavior should include problematic Internet use, an important emerging public health problem.

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