Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate psychopathological symptoms, behaviors and hours spent online in patients with intemet addiction disorder (IAD) at a new psychiatric service for IAD inside a policlinic. Method: Eighty-six subjects participated in the study. Thirty-three patients asking for psychiatric consultation regarding their excessive use of the interne were assessed with IAD interview, interne addiction test (IAT), Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) and a brief sociodemographic survey. Moreover, patients had to respond to the following question: Over the last month, how much time have you spent online per week? At the end of psychiatric assessment, 21 of the 33 patients satisfied inclusion (IAD interview) and exclusion (psychotic disorders, neurocognitive deficits, dementia, serious mental delay, current alcohol or drug abuse) criteria. Twenty-one patients of the clinical group were compared with 65 subjects of a control group who were recruited online using IAT. Results: IAD patients showed significantly higher scores on the IAT compared to subjects of the control group. Only item 7 (How often do you check your e-mail before something else that you need to do?) showed a significant inverse trend. SCL-90-R anxiety and depression subscale scores and item 19 (How often do you choose to spend more time online over going out with others?) of the IAT were positively correlated with number of weekly hours spent online in IAD patients. Conclusion: Findings suggest that a misuse of intemet, characterized by many hours spent online avoiding interpersonal relationships with real and known people, could be an important criterion in the clinical interview in order to diagnose the IAD. The association between the lost interest in communicating with real people and psychological symptoms such as anxiety and depression could be relevant to detect IAD patients. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Internet addiction: hours spent online, behaviors and psychological symptoms / Federico, Tonioni; Lucio, D'Alessandris; Lai, Carlo; David, Martinelli; Stefano, Corvino; Massimo, Vasale; Fabrizio, Fanella; Paola, Aceto; Pietro, Bria. - In: GENERAL HOSPITAL PSYCHIATRY. - ISSN 0163-8343. - STAMPA. - 34:1(2012), pp. 80-87. [10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2011.09.013]

Internet addiction: hours spent online, behaviors and psychological symptoms

LAI, CARLO;
2012

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate psychopathological symptoms, behaviors and hours spent online in patients with intemet addiction disorder (IAD) at a new psychiatric service for IAD inside a policlinic. Method: Eighty-six subjects participated in the study. Thirty-three patients asking for psychiatric consultation regarding their excessive use of the interne were assessed with IAD interview, interne addiction test (IAT), Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) and a brief sociodemographic survey. Moreover, patients had to respond to the following question: Over the last month, how much time have you spent online per week? At the end of psychiatric assessment, 21 of the 33 patients satisfied inclusion (IAD interview) and exclusion (psychotic disorders, neurocognitive deficits, dementia, serious mental delay, current alcohol or drug abuse) criteria. Twenty-one patients of the clinical group were compared with 65 subjects of a control group who were recruited online using IAT. Results: IAD patients showed significantly higher scores on the IAT compared to subjects of the control group. Only item 7 (How often do you check your e-mail before something else that you need to do?) showed a significant inverse trend. SCL-90-R anxiety and depression subscale scores and item 19 (How often do you choose to spend more time online over going out with others?) of the IAT were positively correlated with number of weekly hours spent online in IAD patients. Conclusion: Findings suggest that a misuse of intemet, characterized by many hours spent online avoiding interpersonal relationships with real and known people, could be an important criterion in the clinical interview in order to diagnose the IAD. The association between the lost interest in communicating with real people and psychological symptoms such as anxiety and depression could be relevant to detect IAD patients. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
2012
internet addiction disorder; addictive behavior; internet addiction test
01 Pubblicazione su rivista::01a Articolo in rivista
Internet addiction: hours spent online, behaviors and psychological symptoms / Federico, Tonioni; Lucio, D'Alessandris; Lai, Carlo; David, Martinelli; Stefano, Corvino; Massimo, Vasale; Fabrizio, Fanella; Paola, Aceto; Pietro, Bria. - In: GENERAL HOSPITAL PSYCHIATRY. - ISSN 0163-8343. - STAMPA. - 34:1(2012), pp. 80-87. [10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2011.09.013]
File allegati a questo prodotto
Non ci sono file associati a questo prodotto.

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11573/435544
 Attenzione

Attenzione! I dati visualizzati non sono stati sottoposti a validazione da parte dell'ateneo

Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? 30
  • Scopus 128
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 117
social impact