Pathological Internet Use Is on the Rise Among European Adolescents

Michael Kaess; Peter Parzer; Romuald Brunner; Julian Koenig; Tony Durkee; Vladimir Carli; Camilla Wasserman; Christina W Hoven; Marco Sarchiapone; Julio Bobes; Doina Cosman; Airi Värnik; Franz Resch; Danuta Wasserman

doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2016.04.009

Pathological Internet Use Is on the Rise Among European Adolescents

J Adolesc Health. 2016 Aug;59(2):236-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2016.04.009. Epub 2016 Jun 3.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Clinic of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany; Section for Translational Psychobiology in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Centre for Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany. Electronic address: michael.kaess@med.uni-heidelberg.de.
² Clinic of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
³ Section for Translational Psychobiology in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Centre for Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
⁴ National Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention of Mental Ill-Health (NASP), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
⁵ Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University, New York, New York; Department of Health Sciences, University of Molise, Campobasso, Italy.
⁶ Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University, New York, New York; Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York.
⁷ Department of Health Sciences, University of Molise, Campobasso, Italy.
⁸ Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, CIBERSAM, University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain.
⁹ Department of Clinical Psychology, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
¹⁰ Estonian-Swedish Mental Health and Suicidology Institute (ERSI), Tallinn University, Tallinn, Estonia.

PMID: 27267140
DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2016.04.009

Abstract

Purpose: Increased Internet accessibility has been accompanied by an increased awareness of pathological Internet use (PIU). The aim of the study was to investigate a potential increase of PIU among European adolescents.

Methods: Comparable data from two large cross-sectional multicentre, school-based studies conducted in 2009/2010 and 2011/2012 in five European countries (Estonia, Germany, Italy, Romania, and Spain) were used. The Young's Diagnostic Questionnaire was used to assess the prevalence of PIU.

Results: The comparison of the two samples provides evidence that the prevalence of PIU is on the rise (4.01%-6.87%, odds ratio = 1.69, p < .001) except in Germany. Comparison with data on Internet accessibility suggests that the rise in prevalence of adolescent PIU may be a consequence of increased Internet accessibility.

Conclusions: Our findings are the first data to confirm the rise of PIU among European adolescents. They definitively warrant further efforts in the implementation and evaluation of preventive interventions.

Keywords: Adolescents; Internet addiction; Pathological Internet use; Prevalence; SEYLE; WE-STAY.

Publication types

Multicenter Study

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Adolescent Behavior / psychology*
Behavior, Addictive / epidemiology*
Cross-Sectional Studies
Europe / epidemiology
Female
Humans
Internet / statistics & numerical data*
Male
Prevalence
Risk-Taking
Sex Factors