STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM. While some authors state that the use of the internet per se tends to create psychosocial problems (Kraut et al., 1998), Davis proposes that existing psychopathology (depression, loneliness, low-self-esteem, shyness) predispose individuals to develop Problematic Internet Use (PIU), a multidimensional syndrome of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral symptoms resulting in difficulties with managing one’s offline life. The present study intended to test Davis's theory. It is hypothesized that the higher the person’s depression, loneliness, shyness and the lower self-esteem, the higher the PIU. PARTICIPANTS. 161 undergraduate students (37 male and 124 female) enrolled at Florence University. Ages ranged from 18 to 29 years (M=24.59±2.20). PROCEDURE. Generalized Problematic Internet Use Scale, Cheek and Buss Shyness Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Beck Depression Inventory II, and Italian Loneliness Scale were used. Participants were asked to report how many hours they spent online in a week. A forced entry regression analysis with PIU scores as the dependent variable, and shyness, self-esteem, depression, loneliness and time spent online as predictors was performed. Bivariate correlations were preliminary computed. RESULTS. 100% of respondents use Internet with an average of 10h/week. No significant relationships were found between the amount of time online and psychosocial variables. The final regression model, as a whole, was significant, F (13, 131) = 5.843 p < .001. Together, all of the variables explained 37% of variance in PIU scores. Loneliness (Std. B = -.343; p <.05) and the amount of time online (Std. B = .230; p <.05) were significant predictors of PIU. CONCLUSION. Consistently with Davis, loneliness was significant predictor of PIU while depression, self-esteem and shyness were not. In addition, the amount of time online had a role in determining PIU but it was not associated with psychosocial variables, suggesting that the quantity of the activity online, per se, may be problematic and not due to low psychosocial health.
Psychosocial correlates of problematic Internet use among Italian students / S. Casale; G. Fioravanti; S. Sirigatti. - ELETTRONICO. - (2010), pp. 0-0. (Intervento presentato al convegno 118th American Psychological Association Annual Convention tenutosi a San Diego (USA:CA) nel 12th-15th August 2010).
Psychosocial correlates of problematic Internet use among Italian students
CASALE, SILVIA;FIORAVANTI, GIULIA;SIRIGATTI, SAULO
2010
Abstract
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM. While some authors state that the use of the internet per se tends to create psychosocial problems (Kraut et al., 1998), Davis proposes that existing psychopathology (depression, loneliness, low-self-esteem, shyness) predispose individuals to develop Problematic Internet Use (PIU), a multidimensional syndrome of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral symptoms resulting in difficulties with managing one’s offline life. The present study intended to test Davis's theory. It is hypothesized that the higher the person’s depression, loneliness, shyness and the lower self-esteem, the higher the PIU. PARTICIPANTS. 161 undergraduate students (37 male and 124 female) enrolled at Florence University. Ages ranged from 18 to 29 years (M=24.59±2.20). PROCEDURE. Generalized Problematic Internet Use Scale, Cheek and Buss Shyness Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Beck Depression Inventory II, and Italian Loneliness Scale were used. Participants were asked to report how many hours they spent online in a week. A forced entry regression analysis with PIU scores as the dependent variable, and shyness, self-esteem, depression, loneliness and time spent online as predictors was performed. Bivariate correlations were preliminary computed. RESULTS. 100% of respondents use Internet with an average of 10h/week. No significant relationships were found between the amount of time online and psychosocial variables. The final regression model, as a whole, was significant, F (13, 131) = 5.843 p < .001. Together, all of the variables explained 37% of variance in PIU scores. Loneliness (Std. B = -.343; p <.05) and the amount of time online (Std. B = .230; p <.05) were significant predictors of PIU. CONCLUSION. Consistently with Davis, loneliness was significant predictor of PIU while depression, self-esteem and shyness were not. In addition, the amount of time online had a role in determining PIU but it was not associated with psychosocial variables, suggesting that the quantity of the activity online, per se, may be problematic and not due to low psychosocial health.
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