Objective: This study aimed to examine the differences in personality characteristics between adolescents with and without Internet addiction and substance use experience as defined by the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ), and to compare personality characteristics among groups of adolescents with both Internet addiction and substance use experience (comorbid group), those with only Internet addition (Internet addiction group), those with only substance use experience (substance experience group), and those without Internet addiction or substance use experience (control group).
Method: In the cross-sectional investigation, we recruited 3662 students (2328 boys and 1334 girls) from high schools in southern Taiwan. Our investigation was conducted using the TPQ, the Chen Internet Addiction Scale, and Questionnaires for Experience in Substance Use.
Results: Adolescents with Internet addiction were more likely to have substance use experience. High novelty seeking (NS), high harm avoidance (HA), and low reward dependence (RD) predicted a higher proportion of adolescents with Internet addiction. High NS, low HA, and low RD predicted a higher proportion of adolescents with substance use experience. Of the 4 groups, the Internet addiction group had the highest HA scores and the comorbid group had the lowest HA scores.
Conclusion: Adolescents with high NS and low RD should be provided with effective strategies for preventing Internet addiction and substance use. In addition, the Internet addiction group and the comorbid group should be provided with different preventative strategies focused on HA.