Lessons Learned from the Impact of Adolescents’ Internet Use Disorders on Adolescents’ Substance Use Disorders

Abstract

Adolescents’ substance use disorders (SUD) and adolescents’ internet use disorders (IUD) have adverse health impacts on adolescents. For example, adolescents’ SUD adverse outcomes have included psychiatric disorders, criminal involvement, school truancy, unintended pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, and physical health problems. Researchers have indicated that some of adolescents’ IUD adverse outcomes are depression, social withdrawal, anxiety, loneliness, decreased sleep, decreased physical activity, poor preparation for college, impaired self-esteem, increased risk for suicide, insecurity, and substance use disorders. Surprisingly, little research attention has been given to the impact of adolescents’ IUD on adolescents’ SUD. The purpose of this article is to describe the impact of adolescents’ IUD on adolescents’ SUD, to discuss the impact of adolescents’ IUD and adolescents’ SUD on gender, and to present research that suggests there is a need for home-based ecological treatments for adolescent females with SUD and IUD. Lessons learned will be presented after each of the aforementioned areas.