To date, there is no consensus on the diagnostic criteria for Internet addiction (Hinic, 2011; Tonioni & coll., 2012; Weinstein & Lejoyeux, 2010). Nonetheless, some people consider themselves cyberdependent and request treatment services in the addiction rehabilitation centers (ARC) of the province of Quebec. These admissions have led the Health and Social Services Agency of Montreal to ask for the realization of a descriptive study on Internet addiction.
Objectives: 1) Describe the socio-demographical characteristics of cyberdependent individuals receiving treatment in the ARC; 2) Document their associated problems, such as problems related to alcohol and drug abuse, gambling, self-esteem, and symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Methodology: The study was conducted in eight ARC's of the province of Quebec. A convenience sample of 57 people was recruited over a period of 24 months, from 2010 to 2012. To participate in this study, individuals had to be 18 years or older, identify themselves as cyberdependent, and request help for an Internet addiction problem in a public ARC. The Internet Addiction Test (Young, 1998), in its validated French version (Khazaal & coll., 2008), was used to assess the severity of Internet use habits. The associated problems were assessed using the following questionnaires: the Beck Anxiety Inventory (Beck, Epstein, Brown & Steer, 1988); the Beck Depression Inventory, in its validated French version (Bourque & Beaudette, 1982); the DÉBA-Alcool/Drogues/Jeu (Dépistage-évaluation du besoin d'aide), an instrument used to screen and assess the need for help in problems related to alcohol, drugs, and gambling (Tremblay & Blanchette-Martin, 2009), and the Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965).
Results: Fifty-seven people agreed to participate in the study. A large majority of these cyberdependent individuals were male (88%), the mean age was 30 years old, had low incomes and were living with their parents. They consulted following the pressure of their entourage and reported many consequences due to their Internet addiction problem.They spent, on average, 65.8 hours per week on the Internet and reported having several problematic applications. Amongst these problematic applications, the most frequently reported were the role playing game (MMORPG) (57.8%), the streaming on entertainment sites (35.1%), and the chat rooms (29.8%). Regarding the self-esteem scale, 66.6% of participants presented a very low or low self-esteem, while 21.1% presented an above average self-esteem. According to Beck Depression and Anxiety Inventories, 3.5% (n=2) of the sample reached the clinical threshold for depression, while 7.5% (n=4) reached it for anxiety. Almost half (45.6%) of the participants were taking psychotropic medication for a mental health problem, and 33.3% had a chronic physical health problem.
Conclusion: This study highlights the characteristics of a still unknown group in the population, that of cyberdependent people. Individuals having an Internet addiction problem live significant consequences due to the loss of control on their Internet use. In addition, when they are admitted into treatment, even if the subjective psychological distress is not always high, participants present a complex clinical profile, where comorbidity is the rule rather than the exception. We believe that the current data show enough similarities with other addictive disorders, to allow clinicians to work taking into consideration their experience with other addictive behaviours.