The Effect of Suicide-Related Internet Use on Users’ Mental Health

Crisis ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 348-353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hajime Sueki
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Panel Study ◽  
Psychological Effects ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Suicide Methods ◽  
Internet Users

Background: Previous studies have shown that suicide-related Internet use can have both negative and positive psychological effects. Aims: This study examined the effect of suicide-related Internet use on users’ suicidal ideation, depression/anxiety tendency, and loneliness. Method: A two-wave panel study of 850 Internet users was conducted via the Internet. Results: Suicide-related Internet use (e.g., browsing websites about suicide methods) had negative effects on suicidal ideation and depression/anxiety tendency. No forms of suicide-related Internet use, even those that would generally be considered positive, were found to decrease users’ suicidal ideation. In addition, our results suggest that the greater the suicidal ideation and feelings of depression and loneliness of Internet users, the more they used the Internet. Conclusion: Since suicide-related Internet use can adversely influence the mental health of young adults, it is necessary to take measures to reduce their exposure to such information.

scholarly journals The Association of Internet Use with Wellbeing, Mental Health and Health Behaviours of Persons with Disabilities

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (18) ◽  
pp. 3252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariusz Duplaga ◽  
Katarzyna Szulc
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Health Behaviours ◽  
Psychological Help ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
Internet Users ◽  
Degree Of Disability ◽  
Use Of The Internet

Introduction: There is strong evidence that people with disabilities suffer from a significant digital divide. However, there are reports indicating that Internet use may result in many benefits for those with disabilities. The aim of the study was to assess the impact that the use of the Internet has on the wellbeing and health behaviours of persons with disabilities. Methods: An analysis was carried out using the dataset obtained from Social Diagnosis, a panel study undertaken on a nationally representative sample. The records of persons with disabilities were retrieved from the dataset which was established in 2015. An analysis of the association between Internet use and the wellbeing, mental health and health behaviours of the respondents was undertaken. The variables reflecting the self-assessment of their own life and experience of loneliness were treated as being indicators of their wellbeing and the prevalence of suicidal thoughts or making use of psychological help as indicators of mental health. The health behaviours analysed in the study included smoking, excessive consumption of alcohol and undertaking physical activity. For all these variables, multivariate logistic regression models were developed. The effect of Internet use was adjusted for sociodemographic variables and the degree of disability. An analysis was performed after applying post-stratification weights available from the Social Diagnosis study. Results: The weighted study group consisted of 2529 people having a mean age of 59.33 ± 16.89 years. The group included 20.71% (N = 524) respondents with a mild, 41.58% (N = 1052) with a moderate, and 26.54% (N = 671) with a severe disability. The proportion of Internet users was 37.07% (N = 937). In all the regression models, Internet use had a significant impact on the dependent variables. After adjustment for sociodemographic variables and the degree of disability, the Internet users more frequently assessed their lives as happy (odds ratio, 95% confidence interval: 1.86, 1.47–2.37) and less frequently experienced loneliness (0.63, 0.49–0.81) or suicidal thoughts (0.47, 0.35–0.65). In addition, they needed psychological help less frequently (0.50, 0.35–0.72). Interestingly, Internet users undertook some form of physical activity or sport more often (2.41, 1.87–3.13) and fewer smoked cigarettes (0.70, 0.54–0.91) or consumed alcohol excessively (0.32, 0.19–0.56). Conclusions: The use of the Internet by people with disabilities was associated with improved wellbeing, better mental health and more beneficial health behaviours. These findings support the development of intensive actions to reduce the digital divide for the population of people with disabilities.

scholarly journals How does Internet use relate to change in health status? A panel study of young adults (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Hunsaker ◽  
Eszter Hargittai ◽  
Marina Micheli
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Health Status ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Panel Study ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Online Activity ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Health Content

BACKGROUND Using the Internet for health information is a widespread phenomenon that considerable scholarship has documented. Less common, however, is the analysis of panel data to examine how Internet use may relate to change in health status over time. OBJECTIVE This study examines whether Internet use and Internet use related to health are associated with a change in health status among young adults. METHODS We use a unique panel survey data set collected about young adults’ Internet uses in 2012 and 2016 (N=384). We apply logistic regression to examine the relationships between sociodemographics, Internet experiences, frequency of health-related Internet use, and sharing health content online with change in health status over time. We additionally examine the variables characterizing sharing health content online (via Facebook, Twitter, and email) in separate models. RESULTS In the second wave, over half of the sample (61%) used the Internet for health at least weekly. Approximately one-third (37%) used Facebook for health-content sharing, while using Twitter and using email for sharing health content were far less frequent (4%, and 14%, respectively). A change in health status occurred for 43% of the sample; 19% reported an improvement while 25% reported a decline. Greater frequency of Internet use is associated with health decline over time (B =-.58, P=.02). We also find that frequent health-related Internet use related to enhanced health or maintained health (B=.58, P=.03). Sharing health content on social media or email, however, is not related to young adults’ health changes. CONCLUSIONS Young adults exhibit a pattern of using the Internet for health that influences their health status. Our finding that frequent health-related Internet use may promote improved or maintained health suggests that this type of online activity might also support healthy living. CLINICALTRIAL

Cyber Behavior and its Impact in Japan

2012 ◽  
pp. 1305-1315
Author(s):  
Kei Fuji ◽  
Fujio Yoshida
Keyword(s):  
Social Behavior ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Mobile Internet ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Research Directions ◽  
Internet Users ◽  
Future Research Directions

With the rapid growth of Internet in Japan, many researches have examined whether Internet use affects social behavior on daily life positively or negatively. Early seminal researches in Japan demonstrated that the negative effects of the Internet are not universal, but such effects are dependent on the circumstances and on how the Internet is utilized by each user. Recent studies have been focusing on various activities on the Internet analyzing “what kind of user is using the Internet for what purpose.” This chapter will introduce these studies in terms of three main characteristics of Internet users in Japan. These three characteristics are: preferences for weblog, participation in online communities, and switching to mobile Internet. At the end of this chapter, future research directions will be discussed, while introducing recently developed scales designed to measure various behaviors on the Internet from three aspects: self-expression, relationships with others, and balance with reality.

scholarly journals Does the Internet Use Improve the Mental Health of Chinese Older Adults?

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lin Xie ◽  
Hua-lei Yang ◽  
Xue-yu Lin ◽  
Shi-ming Ti ◽  
Yuan-yang Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Digital Information ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Chinese Older Adults

Purpose: The Internet has become an important part of daily life. However, older adults in China remain digital refugees amid the rapid development of digital information technology. This study attempts to scientifically answer how Internet use affects the subjective welfare of older adults.Method: Using data from the 2014 and 2016 China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey (CLASS), a combination of ordinary least squares, ordered logit regression models, and propensity score matching (PSM) models were used to analyze the effects of Internet use on the mental health of Chinese older adults.Results: Our findings suggest that Internet use affects the mental health of older adults and increases the incidence of their depressive symptoms. These findings are robust to changing the key indicators, research method, and sample. Further heterogeneity analysis reveals that the negative effects on mental health are more evident for specific groups of older adults, such as those who are women, younger and middle-aged, high-income, non-rural Hukou, less educated, and living with others.Conclusions: Cultivating the ability of older adults to use the Internet and maintain a rational attitude while doing so can prevent its negative impact on their life satisfaction. Moreover, it can improve their attitudes toward using the technology and reduce their anxiety.

A cross-sectional survey among physicians on Internet use for epilepsy-related information (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Brigo ◽  
Simona Lattanzi ◽  
Giorgia Giussani ◽  
Laura Tassi ◽  
Nicola Pietrafusa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Internet Use ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Internet Users ◽  
Therapeutic Decisions ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Web

BACKGROUND The Internet has become one of the most important sources of health information, accessed daily by an ever-growing number of both patients and physicians, seeking medical advice and clinical guidance. A deeper insight into the current use of the Web as source of information on epilepsy would help in clarifying the individual attitude towards this medium by Internet users. OBJECTIVE We investigated views towards the Internet in a sample of Italian healthcare specialists involved in epilepsy field, to explore factors which explained the influence of information found on the internet. METHODS This study was a self-administered survey conducted in a group of members of the Italian Chapter of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) in January 2018. RESULTS 184 questionnaires were analyzed. 97.8% of responders reported to seek online information on epilepsy. The Internet was most frequently searched to obtain new information (69.9%) or to confirm a diagnostic or therapeutic decision (37.3%). The influence of consulting the Internet on clinical practice was associated with registration to social network(s) (OR: 2.94; 95%CI: 1.28-6.76; p=0.011), higher frequency of Internet use (OR: 3.66; 95%CI: 1.56-9.21; p=0.006) and higher confidence in reliability of online information (OR: 2.61; 95%CI: 1.09-6.26; p=0.031). No association was found with age, sex, years in epilepsy practice or easiness to find online information. CONCLUSIONS Internet is frequently used among healthcare professionals involved in the epilepsy to obtain information about this disease. The attitude of being influenced by the Internet for diagnostic and/or therapeutic decisions in epilepsy is independent on age and years of experience in epilepsy, and probably reflects an individual approach towards the Web.

scholarly journals The Effect Of Internet Use Habit Toward English Achievement: Survey Study In Smp Al Azhar 8 Bekasi

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (7) ◽  
pp. 431
Author(s):  
Okfida Yani Syaf
Keyword(s):  
Internet Use ◽  
Survey Methods ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Online Media ◽  
International Language ◽  
Internet Users ◽  
Class Viii ◽  
English Achievement

Students nowadays interact more frequently through the internet using English. As an international language, English is used by most internet users, both by application companies and social networks, as well as by users. Internet usage can be more easily obtained, especially in big cities. This affects the students’ way of thinking, learning and behaving because they can learn everything easily and quickly through online media available at the internet. The aim of this research is to show the effect of internet use habit on English achievement for class VIII students at SMPI Al Azhar 8 in Bekasi. This research based on survey methods using technical correlational analysis. While the data and information were obtained by a questionnaire. The sample is taken with purposive sampling technique that is 44 students. Based on the results of the study, it can be concluded that: There is a significant effect of the habit of interacting through the internet on the English achievement. This is evidenced by the acquisition of the results of the Sig. 0,000 <0,05dan t value = 4,365 which means there is a significant effect.

scholarly journals An overview of internet use among professionals of Moradabad: a critical appraisal

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 198
Author(s):  
Neha Priya ◽  
Samreen Khan ◽  
Sachin Lal
Keyword(s):  
Social Networking ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Internet Usage ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Internet Users ◽  
Use Of Internet

Background: Internet is a boon and has certainly helped to bring the world closer. It has been a great medium for students to communicate and get information by transforming the academic landscape. However the excessive and undisciplined use of internet by individuals especially in the last decade, has led to the emergence of the concept of internet addiction. Therefore, a cross sectional study has been conducted to investigate the use of internet facility among undergraduate students from Teerthankar Mahaveer University using a validated questionnaire. There were about 42 million active internet users in urban India in 2008 when compared to 5 million in 2000. India now has the world’s third-largest national digital population, with approximately, 159 million Internet users in 2014, which is projected to reach 314 million by 2017 (IMRB 2014). The aim was to study prevalence and pattern of internet usage among undergraduate students in Moradabad. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among medical students (n=382) belonging to all the professionals of medical college, to assess the pattern of internet usage. A semi-structured proforma along with Young’s internet addiction scale was used. Results: Of the 382 adolescents who took part in the study, 150 (39.27%) were female and 232 (60.73%) were males. Their mean age was 16.20 years. Using Young’s original criteria, 22 (5.76%) were found to be addicts, 230 (60.21%) were moderately addicted, 45 (11.78%) were average users while in 85 (22.25%) of student’s internet use was less than average. Most of internet use was for social networking 183(47.9%), downloading media files 125 (32.7%), online gaming 45 (11.8%), academic purposes 10 (2.6%) and others 19 (5%). About 275 (72%) of the students were using smart phones to access the internet. Conclusions: Most of the internet usage was for the purpose of social networking (Facebook, Whats App, Mails, etc). Availability of high speed free wi-fi internet on mobile phones as well as more reliance on virtual friendship than real may be the reason for spending more time on social network websites. 

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