Internet addiction: Do two diagnostic criteria measure the same thing?

Abstract

Aim and Objective: To assess the agreement or concordance between two diagnostic criteria for Internet addiction (IA) and to study the relationship between IA as per these criteria and socio-demographic and Internet use profile. Methodology: A cross-sectional design was followed. Six hundred participants, aged 18-40 years, having a personal Internet connection and using Internet for at least 1 year were evaluated using a semi-structured interview, on the Young's Diagnostic Questionnaire, and IA diagnostic criteria developed by Tao et al., (2009). Results: Prevalence of IA varied from 1.2% to 21% depending on the assessment instrument. There is good level of concordance between Young's IA criteria and Tao et al. 2 + 1 criteria, but the level of concordance reduced with the use of course and dysfunction criteria of Tao et al. Among the different Internet variables, age at first use, age at which the person starts regular use and total duration of nonessential use were related to development of IA. Conclusion: Findings of the present study suggest that there is good level of concordance between Young's IA criteria and Tao et al. 2 + 1 criteria but the level of concordance reduces with the use of course and dysfunction criteria. This study also suggests that chances of IA increases with regular use of Internet and for a longer duration for nonessential uses.