Pathological Internet Use and Risk-Behaviors among European Adolescents.

Doina Cosman,Jean‐Pierre Kahn ,Danuta Wasserman,Tony Durkee,Christian Häring ,Vladimir Carli,Marco Sarchiapone,Paul Corcoran,Birgitta Floderus,Michael Kaess,Christina W. Hoven ,Vita Poštuvan ,Julio Bobes,B. Nemeş ,Romuald Brunner,Camilla Wasserman,Alan Apter,Pilar A. Sáiz ,Judit Balázs ,Peeter Värnik

doi:10.3390/ijerph13030294

Abstract

Risk-behaviors are a major contributor to the leading causes of morbidity among adolescents and young people; however, their association with pathological Internet use (PIU) is relatively unexplored, particularly within the European context. The main objective of this study is to investigate the association between risk-behaviors and PIU in European adolescents. This cross-sectional study was conducted within the framework of the FP7 European Union project: Saving and Empowering Young Lives in Europe (SEYLE). Data on adolescents were collected from randomized schools within study sites across eleven European countries. PIU was measured using Young’s Diagnostic Questionnaire (YDQ). Risk-behaviors were assessed using questions procured from the Global School-Based Student Health Survey (GSHS). A total of 11,931 adolescents were included in the analyses: 43.4% male and 56.6% female (M/F: 5179/6752), with a mean age of 14.89 ± 0.87 years. Adolescents reporting poor sleeping habits and risk-taking actions showed the strongest associations with PIU, followed by tobacco use, poor nutrition and physical inactivity. Among adolescents in the PIU group, 89.9% were characterized as having multiple risk-behaviors. The significant association observed between PIU and risk-behaviors, combined with a high rate of co-occurrence, underlines the importance of considering PIU when screening, treating or preventing high-risk behaviors among adolescents.

Highlights

Adolescence is a transitional period characterized by considerable changes in physical, social and psychological attributes [1]
Representative sample of school-based adolescents in Europe, the primary objective of this study is to investigate the association between risk-behaviors and distinct forms of Internet use
A significantly increasing prevalence rate across adaptive Internet users (AIU), maladaptive Internet users (MIU) and pathological Internet users (PIU) groups was observed in all risk categories

Summary

Introduction

Adolescence is a transitional period characterized by considerable changes in physical, social and psychological attributes [1]. Given the extensive platform for fostering social cognition and interpersonal skills [4,5], the Internet has proven to be a new and unique channel for psychosocial development among adolescents [6,7]. Despite these inherent advantages, studies have shown that frequent and prolonged use of online applications has the propensity to displace conventional social interactions and relationships [8,9]. As adolescents are spending more time online, there is a risk that their Internet use can become excessive or even pathological [16]

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