The Psychology of Internet Addiction

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+ Introduction

For most of us, Internet usage has no harmful effects, while

for others poorly controlled and excessive preoccupations

with the Internet lead to significant distress. The research on

this particular topic is thriving, with fascinating findings

being published worldwide.

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1.2 million South Korean high school students are believed to be

at risk for Internet addiction (Kim, 2007).

A survey of British students revealed 18.3% were considered

pathological users of the Internet (Niemz, Griffiths & Banyard,

2005).

3% of the German population (an estimated 1.5 million) are

believed to be at risk of Internet addiction (Woefling, Buhler,

Lemenager, Mairsen, & Mann, 2009).

Of 17,251 survey respondents in the US, 6% fulfilled the Internet

addiction criteria (Greenfield, 1999).

Cross-Cultural Prevalence Statistics (See end of Research Map for full reference list)

+ Diagnosing Problematic Internet Usage

Internet Addiction is not currently listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), and so there are no widely accepted diagnostic criteria. However, it is proposed to be included in the future DSM-V (May 2013). In the meantime, experts have suggested the components essential to the diagnosis:

1. Excessive Internet use, associated with loss of time;

2. Withdrawal effects: tension, depression, anger;

3. Intense need for more hours of use and more computer equipment;

4. Adverse effects of Internet use: fatigue and social isolation for instance.

See this article published in the American Journal of Psychiatry for more details on diagnosis criteria.

+ How to Measure Internet Addiction

The Internet Addiction Scale is the most commonly used

questionnaire for diagnosis and has been validated in Korea,

Finland, the States and the UK, with a cut-off point score of 70 or

above (Weinstein & Lejoyeux, 2010).

Other popular questionnaires include:

The Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire (PIUQ; validated in

Hungary; Demetrovics, Szeredi, & Razsa, 2008).

The Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS; validated in Holland;

Meerkerk, Van Den Eijnden, Vermulst, & Garretsen, 2009).

+ Internet Addiction and Sleep

A study of high school Korean students with Internet addiction

identified a 37.7% prevalence of excessive day time sleepiness

(Choi et al., 2009).

A high co-morbidity between Internet addiction and insomnia has

also been reported (Cheung & Wong, 2011).

+ Internet Addiction, IQ and Social Effects

In a study comparing Internet-addicted students (n=59) with non-

addicted students (n=43), it was discovered that the former group

scored significantly lower on the comprehension items of an IQ

test.

These comprehension items reflected reality testing and ethical

judgement, thus indicating possible links between Internet

addiction and weak social intelligence (Park et al., 2011).

+ Internet Addiction and its Association with other Disorders

Interestingly, numerous studies have

shown that Internet Addiction does not

necessarily occur alone. Rather, other

well-recognised disorders co-occur

(co-morbidity), or predict the

occurrence of problematic Internet

usage.

+ Internet Addiction and its Association with other Disorders

A prospective study on a sample of adolescents found Depression, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and social phobia to predict Internet addiction at the follow-up data collection phase two years later (Ko, Yen, Chen, Yeh, & Yen, 2009).

Davis (2001) found that the existence of a depressive disorder is one of the most significant predictors of excessive Internet use, while Fergusson, Boden, & Horwood (2009) found the reverse relationship: depressive symptoms are a consequence of excessive Internet use.

Other studies suggest Internet addiction is associated with impulse control disorders and various chemical dependencies (e.g., Caplan, 2003; Shapira, Goldsmith, Keck, Kholsa, & McElroy, 2000).

+ Treating Internet Addiction

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) has been suggested as a suitable treatment. In particular, cognitive behavioural therapy-Internet addiction (CBT-IA): a three phase approach has been proposed:

Phase 1) Behaviour modification is applied to gradually decrease the time the individual spends on the Internet.

Phase 2) Cognitive therapy is applied to focus on the denial often experienced by the addicts with regards to their excessive online use.

Phase 3) Harm reduction therapy (HRT) is applied to identify/ treat other issues present in the development of problematic Internet use.

For anyone interested in this area, check out ‘CBT-IA: The First Treatment Model for Internet Addiction’ published in the Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy: An International Quarterly (2011), by Dr Kimberly Young.

+ Useful Journals

Cyberpsychology & Behavior

Cyberpsychology, Behavior & Social Networking

Communication Research

Psychology of Addictive Behaviors

Psychology of Popular Media Culture

Addiction Research & Theory

+ Useful Books

Caught in the Net by Dr Kimberly Young

Internet Addiction: A Handbook and

Guide to Evaluation and Treatment by

Dr Kimberly Young and Cristiano Nabuco

de Abreu

Internet Addiction: Psychology of

Emotions, Motivations and Actions by

Hannah Price

The Multiplicities of Internet Addiction:

The Misrecognition of Leisure and

Learning by Nicola Johnson

+ Experts

Dr David Greenfield – Founder of The Center for Internet and Technology Addiction (virtual-addiction.com).

Dr John Grohol – CEO and founder of Psych Central who also sits on the editorial board of the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking.

Dr. Kimberly Young – has developed the first empirically-based treatment plan for Internet addiction – CBT-IA. She is an internationally known expert on Internet addiction and is a licensed psychologist.

+ Videos

Internet Addiction, the New Disorder?

Click here to watch

The Neuroscience of Internet Addiction

Click here to watch

Psychologist Discusses Facebook Addiction

Click here to watch

+ Web Resources / Articles

American Psychological Association – Is Internet addiction real?

NHS Choices – Confusing claims over internet addiction

PsychCentral – Internet Addiction Guide

PsychCentral – Internet Addiction Quiz

AllPsych Journal – Internet Addiction Disorder

About.com – Pathological Internet Use – Some Examples

Netaddiction.com – The Center for Internet Addiction…

Fenichel.com – “Internet Addiction”: Addictive Behavior, Transference or More?

+ News Reports

The Guardian – Can you really be addicted to the internet?

The Guardian – Addiction to internet ‘is an illness’

BBC News – ‘Internet addiction’ linked to depression, says study

The Telegraph – Internet addiction: commentary

The Independent – Addicted! Scientists show how internet dependency alters the human brain

+ Journal References

Block, J. J. (2008). Issues for DSM-V: Internet Addiction. American Journal of Psychiatry, 165, 306-307.

Caplan, S. E. (2003). Preference for online social interaction. A theory of problematic Internet use and psychosocial well-being. Communication Research, 30, 625-648.

Cheung, L. M., & Wong, W. S. (2011). The effects of insomnia and internet addiction on depression in Hong Kong Chinese adolescents: an exploratory cross-sectional analysis. Journal of Sleep Research, 20, 311-317.

Choi, K., Son, H., Park, M., Han, J., Kim, K., Lee, B., & Gwak, H. (2009). Internet overuse and excessive daytime sleepiness in adolescents. Psychiatry Clinical Neuroscience, 63, 455-462.

Davis, R. A. (2001). A cognitive-behavioral model of pathological Internet use. Computers in Human Behavior, 17, 187-195.

Demetrovics, Z., Szeredi, B., & Razsa, S. (2008). The three-factor model of Internet addiction: The development of the Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire. Behavior Research Methods, 40, 563-574.

Fergusson, D. M., Boden, J. M., & Horwood, L. J. (2009). Tests of causal links between alcohol abuse or dependence and major depression. The Archives of General Psychiatry, 66, 260-266.

Greenfield, D. N. (1999). Psychological characteristics of compulsive Internet use: A preliminary analysis. Cyberpsychology Behavior, 2, 403-412.

Kim, B. N. (2007). From Internet to “family-net”: Internet addict vs. digital leader. In International Symposium on the Counseling and Treatment of Youth Internet Addiction. Seoul, Korea, National Youth Commission, p.196.

+ Journal References

Ko, C. H., Yen, J. Y., Chen, C. S., Yeh, Y. C., & Yen, C. F. (2009). Predictive values of psychiatric symptoms for Internet addiction in adolescents: A 2-year prospective study. Archives of Paediatric & Adolescent Medicine, 163, 937-943.

Meerkerk, G. J., Van Den Eijnden, R. J., Vermulst, A. A., & Garretsen, H. F. (2009). The Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS): Some psychometric properties. Cyberpsychology Behaviour, 12, 1-6.

Niemz, K., Griffiths, M., & Banyard, P. (2005). Prevalence of pathological Internet use among university students and correlations with self-esteem, the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), and disinhibition. Cyberpsychology Behaviour, 86, 562-570.

Park, M., Park, E., Choi, J., Chai, S., Lee, J., Lee, C., & Kim, D. (2011). Preliminary study of Internet addiction and cognitive function in adolescents based on IQ tests. Psychiatry Research, 190, 275-281.

Shapira, N. A., Goldsmith, T. D., Keck, P. E., Kholsa, U. M., & McElroy, S. L. (2000). Psychiatric features of individuals with problematic Internet use. Journal of Affective Disorders, 57, 267-272.

Weinstein A., & Lejoyeux, M. (2010). Internet addiction or excessive Internet use. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 36, 277-283.

Woefling, K., Buhler, M., Lemenager, T., Mairsen, C., & Mann, K. (2009). Gambling and Internet addiction: Review and research agenda. Nervenarzt, 80, 1030-1039.

Young, K. S. (2011). CBT-IA: The first treatment model for internet addiction. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy, 25, 304-312.