Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-t5pn6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-18T23:10:35.958Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The relationship between impulsivity and Internet addiction in a sample of Chinese adolescents

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 August 2007

Fenglin Cao ,
Linyan Su ,
TieQiao Liu  and
Xueping Gao
Fenglin Cao
Affiliation:
The 2nd Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, No. 139 Renmin Road, Changsha, Hunan410011, P.R. China School of Nursing, Shandong University, No. 44 Wenhua Xi Road, Jinan, Shandong250012, P.R. China
Linyan Su*
Affiliation:
The 2nd Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, No. 139 Renmin Road, Changsha, Hunan410011, P.R. China
TieQiao Liu
Affiliation:
The 2nd Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, No. 139 Renmin Road, Changsha, Hunan410011, P.R. China
Xueping Gao
Affiliation:
The 2nd Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, No. 139 Renmin Road, Changsha, Hunan410011, P.R. China
*
∗Corresponding author. Tel./fax: 86 731 5531781. E-mail address: caofenglin@gmail.com (L. Su).
Get access

Abstract

Objective

Previous studies regarding internet addiction have investigated associated psychological variables such as shyness, loneliness, self-consciousness, anxiety, depression and interpersonal relations. Few studies about the relationship between internet Addiction and impulsivity have been done. This study aimed to assess whether internet addiction is related to impulsivity among Chinese adolescents.

Method

This study was performed in two stages. We screened for the presence of internet Addiction among 2620 high school students(age ranging from 12 years to 18 years) from four high schools of Changsha City using Diagnostic Questionnaire for internet Addiction (YDQ). According to the modified YDQ criteria by Beard, 64 students were diagnosed as internet addiction. Excluding current psychiatric comorbidity, 50 students who were diagnosed as internet Addiction (mean age, 14.8 ± 1.4 years) and 50 normal students in internet usage(mean age, 14.5 ± 1.8 years) were included in a case control study. The two groups were assessed using Barratt Impulsiveness Scale 11 (BIS-11) and behavioral measure of impulsivity (GoStop Impulsivity Paradigm).

Results

Sixty-four students met the modified YDQ criteria by Beard, of whom 14 students suffered from comorbid psychiatric disorders, especially comorbid ADHD. The internet Addiction group had significantly higher scores on the BIS-11 subscales of Attentional key, Motor key, and Total scores than the control group (P < 0.05). The internet Addiction group scored higher than the control group on the failure to inhibit responses of GoStop Impulsivity Paradigm (P < 0.05). There was a significant positive correlation between YDQ scores and BIS-11subscales and the number of failure to inhibit responses of GoStop Impulsivity Paradigm.

Conclusion

This study suggests that adolescents with internet addiction exhibit more impulsivity than controls and have various comorbid psychiatric disorders, which could be associated with the psychopathology of internet addiction.

Keywords

internetDisorders of environmental originBehaviorAddictionImpulsivityAdolescents
Type
Original article
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 22 , Issue 7 , October 2007 , pp. 466 - 471
Copyright
Copyright © Elsevier Masson SAS 2007

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

Abbreviations: YDQ, Diagnostic Questionnaire for internet Addiction; BIS-11, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale 11; GoStop, GoStop Impulsivity Paradigm.

References

Barnes, G.M., Welte, J.W., Hoffman, J.H., Dintcheff, B.A.Shared predictors of youthful gambling, substance use, and delinquency. Psychol Addict Behav 2005;19:165–174.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Beard, K.W., Wolf, E.M.Modification in the proposed diagnostic criteria for internet addiction. Cyberpsychol Behav 2001;4:377–383.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Beard, K.W.internet addiction: a review of current assessment techniques and potential assessment questions. Cyberpsychol Behav 2005;8:7–14.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brenner, V.Psychology of computer use: XLVII. parameters of internet use, abuse and addiction: the first 90 days of the internet usage survey. Psycho Rep 1997;80:879–882.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Caplan, S.E.Problematic internet use and psychosocial well-being: development of a theory based cognitive-behavioral measurement instrument. Comput Human Behav 2002;18:553–575.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cavedini, P., Riboldi, G., Keller, R., D'annucci, A., Bellodi, L.Frontal lobe dysfunction in pathological gambling patients. Biol Psychiatry 2002;51:334–341.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chou, C., Hsiao, M.C.internet addiction, usage, gratification, and pleasure experience: the Taiwan college students' case. Comput Educ 2000;35:65–80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Davis, R.A.A cognitive-behavioral model of pathological internet use. Comput Human Behav 2001;17:187–195.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dougherty, D.M., Mathias, C.W., Marsh, D.M.Laboratory behavioral measures of impulsivity. Behav Res Methods 2005;37:82–90.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hall, A.S., Parsons, J.internet addiction: college student case study using best practices in cognitive behavior therapy. J Mental Health Counseling 2001;23:312–327.Google Scholar
Johansson, A., Götestam, K.G.internet addiction: characteristics of a questionnaire and prevalence in Norwegian youth (12–18 years). Scand J Psychol 2004;45:223–229.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leung, L.Net-Generation attributes and seductive properties of the internet as predictors of online activities and internet addiction. Cyberpsychol Behav 2004;7:333–348.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Li, F., Su, Ly., Geng, Y.G.Reliability and validity of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale in Chinese children. Chin J Clin Psychol 2006;14:115–117.Google Scholar
Lin, S.S.J., Tsai, C.C.Sensation seeking and internet dependence of Taiwanese high school adolescents. Comput Human Behav 2002;18:411–426.10.1016/S0747-5632(01)00056-5CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moeller, F.G., Dougherty, D.M., Barratt, E.S., Schmitz, J.M., Swann, A.C., Grabowski, J.The impact of impulsivity on cocaine use and retention in treatment. J Subst Abuse Treat 2001;21:193–198.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Morahan-Martin, J., Schumacher, P.incidence and correlates of pathological internet use among college students. Comput Human Behav 2000;16:13–29.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Patton, J.H., Stanford, M.S., Barratt, E.S.Factor structure of the Barratt impulsiveness scale. J Clin Psychol 1995;51:768–774.3.0.CO;2-1>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Treuer, T., Fabian, Z., Furedi, J.internet addiction associated with features of impulse control disorder: is it a real psychiatric disorder?. J Affect Disord 2001;66:283.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vitaro, F., Arseneault, L., Tremblay, R.E.Impulsivity predicts problem gambling in low SES adolescent males. Addiction 1999;94:565–575.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wu, H.R., Zhu, K.J.Path analysis on related factors causing internet addiction disorder in college students. Chin J Public Health 2004;20:1363–1364.Google Scholar
Yoo, H.J., Cho, S.C., Ha, J., Yune, C.K., Kim, S.J., Hwang, J.et al.Attention deficit hyperactivity symptoms and internet addiction. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2004;58:487–494.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Young, K.S., Rogers, R.C.The relationship between depression and internet addiction. Cyberpsychol Behav 1998;1:25–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Young, K.S. internet addiction: The emergence of a new clinical disorder [onLine]. 1996. Available at: <http://www.netaddiction.com/articles/newdisorder.html>..>Google Scholar
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.