Problematic Technology Use Research Articles

Problematic technology use, leisure time activities and executive functions in adolescents

Problematic technology use, leisure time activities and executive functions in adolescents

The relationship between maladaptive personality functioning and problematic technology use in adolescence: A cluster analysis approach.

In the last two decades, scientific research has explored the problematic use of internet, videogames and mobile phones. However, there is still little consistent knowledge regarding the co-occurrence of problematic technology use and the role of maladaptive personality characteristics in adolescence. The present study aimed to investigate adolescents' styles of technology use with a cluster analysis approach focusing on personality functioning. The sample comprised 408 Italian adolescents (46.3% males) aged 11 to 18years (M age =13.80; SD=2.08). Data were collected using the Internet Addiction Test, the Videogame Dependency Scale, the Test of Mobile-Phone Dependence Brief Form and the Personality Inventory for DSM5 Brief Form. Results provided a four-cluster solution based on the co-occurrence of problematic technology use. The four clusters were labeled as follows: cluster 1: "Above average internet and mobile-phone use"; cluster 2: "Below average technology use"; cluster 3: "Above average videogame use"; and cluster 4: "Problematic technology use." Analyses on demographic variables (e.g., gender and age) demonstrated significant differences between the four groups. Adolescents with high levels of problematic technology use reported greater overall personality dysfunction than the other three groups. This finding supported our hypothesis on maladaptive personality functioning in adolescents at risk for addiction. Finally, the Antagonism domain played a specific role in differentiating the severity of adolescents' involvement in technology use. Further studies are needed to confirm our findings and to plan preventive interventions as well as therapeutic treatments.

Original Research Article: Sensation seeking and problematic use of technology among youth

Original Research Article: Sensation seeking and problematic use of technology among youth

A Gender Specific Survey Assessment of Internet Home-Use in Malaysia

This research consists of five categories which are: social media, online shopping, playing games, watching videos and reading blogs. In this research, a survey was conducted to assess the internet dependency among the young housewives in Klang Valley. Data collected from an online survey which was responded by 200 respondents is analysed for usage pattern and allowing the identification of the seriousness of internet addiction for segment. It is found that there are many problematic use of the technology which may impact life quality of the housewives, children under their care, and the family at large. Recommendation are made to towards a more appropriate use of the technology.

Problematic Technology Use and Well-Being in Adolescence: The Personal and Relational Effects of Technology

Problematic Technology Use and Well-Being in Adolescence: The Personal and Relational Effects of Technology

Fear of Missing Out Predicts Employee Information Security Awareness Above Personality Traits, Age, and Gender.

The role of human factors in employee information security awareness (ISA) has garnered increased attention, with many researchers highlighting a potential link between problematic technology use and poorer online safety and security. This study aimed to present additional evidence for this by exploring the relationship between of Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) and ISA in employees. A total of 718 participants completed an online questionnaire that included a measure of FoMO, ISA, as well as the Big Five personality inventory. Participants who reported higher levels of FoMO had lower overall ISA, as well as having poorer knowledge, a more negative attitude, and engaged in riskier behaviors in relation to ISA. FoMO was also demonstrated to be the largest single negative predictor for ISA, above that of age, gender, and the key personality traits tested. The potential reasons for the influence of FoMO over ISA are discussed, as well as the implications for organizational information security.

Problematic Facebook use and anxiety concerning use of social media in mothers and their offspring: An actor–partner interdependence model

Previous research has shown significant and positive associations between social anxiety of parents and their adolescent offspring. The main aim of this study was to investigate this relationship in the social media (SM) context. We tested one hundred and fifty-two couples comprising mothers and their adolescent offspring (12–14 years old) on their levels of problematic Facebook use (PFU) and social anxiety concerning SM use. An actor–partner interdependence model highlighted the positive relationship between the PFU scores of mothers and their offspring on the levels of SM social anxiety in the offspring. We discuss the results in the context of intergenerational transfer of problematic technology use and social anxiety.

Techno stress among medical freshmen: An exploratory study.

INTRODUCTION:Use of technology and ICT tools is ubiquitous among college students including medical students. However overuse or misuse may lead to many physical and psychological problems including the risk of harming professional standing in the long term. The purpose of this study was to explore techno stress among freshmen at a medical institute and to suggest measures to reduce problematic use of technology pertaining to internet.OBJECTIVES:(i) To explore the extent of technology use including internet among medical freshmen, (ii) To identify the content of usage (iii) To quantify the extent of techno stress and iv. To suggest measures to reduce problematic use of technology.MATERIALS AND METHODS:The sample comprised all the freshmen at a medical institute (n = 61). A semi structured questionnaire was used to collect socio demographic details of students and their patterns of technology usage. Perceived Stress Scale was used to measure stress.RESULTS:The mean age of the sample was 18.34 (±0.58) years comprising 68% males and 32% females. Students spent a mean time of 3.96 h/day on the technology tools (standard deviation = 4.99). Ninety-two percent of the students used technology for educational purposes followed by entertainment (89%), social networking (77.78%), watching films (70.37%), communication (66.67%) and watching pornography (46.3%). 11.47% had symptoms suggestive of problematic internet use. One percent had craving suggestive of addiction. All these had stress out of which 43% had high and 57% had moderate levels of stress.DISCUSSION:Considering the students’ present usage of social media, it can serve as a potent academic tool. However, awareness is required to be raised with regard to its use as a medical professional.CONCLUSION:Use of technology is crucial in the current academic world and restrictions on usage may neither be practical nor feasible. However, understanding patterns of usage among students is a preliminary step that can enable educators and administrators to formulate guidelines to channelise their usage in more productive ways.

Psychopathological Consequences Related to Problematic Instagram Use Among Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Body Image Dissatisfaction and Moderating Role of Gender

In a minority of cases, problematic use of technology can negatively impact on adolescents and impair some aspects of their social, emotional, and psychological development. The purpose of the present study was to examine the direct and indirect effects of problematic Instagram use (PIU) on different psychopathological outcomes including loneliness, depression, anxiety, and social anxiety via body image dissatisfaction (BID). Additionally, moderating role of gender on the relationships among variables was investigated. A total of 491 adolescents (Mage = 15.92 years, SDage = 1.07; range = 14 to 19 years) were recruited for the study to complete a questionnaire that included the relevant assessment tools for the aforementioned variables. Mediation and moderation analyses showed that among male adolescents, PIU was directly associated with loneliness, depression, general anxiety, and social anxiety and BID partially mediated these associations. Among females, PIU was directly associated with depression and indirectly with general anxiety and social anxiety via BID. Gender significantly moderated the direct relationships of PIU with loneliness, general anxiety, and social anxiety. PIU was directly associated with loneliness, general anxiety, and social anxiety among males only, whereas among females, PIU was indirectly associated with general and social anxiety via BID but was not related to loneliness. Results of this study indicate that PIU has different negative psychological effects on male and female adolescents and that BID appears to be one explanatory factor for these impairments especially among females.

Addressing FoMO and telepressure among university students: Could a technology intervention help with social media use and sleep disruption?

The fear of missing out (FoMO) and telepressure are two individual difference characteristics linked to increased technology and social media use. FoMO and telepressure have also been linked to negative health outcomes among university students, including poor sleep hygiene. In a sample of 97 university students we tested the potential buffering effects of a sleep and technology educational intervention on relations among FoMO and telepressure and sleep hygiene, social media use, and sleep-disruptive technology use (i.e., technology use before and during sleep). At time one, students were administered either a sleep hygiene intervention, a sleep hygiene plus technology education intervention, or information regarding sleep with no intervention (i.e., a control group). Students also completed a series of self-report measures assessing technology use before sleep, technology use during sleep, social media use, and sleep hygiene. There were no differences between conditions at post-intervention in any outcome variable. However, we found relations among FoMO and social media use were weaker for individuals in both intervention conditions. Our findings have implications for the improvement of health and well-being among students particularly prone to problematic technology use.

Is smartphone addiction really an addiction?

AimsIn light of the rise in research on technological addictions and smartphone addiction in particular, the aim of this paper was to review the relevant literature on the topic of smartphone addiction and determine whether this disorder exists or if it does not adequately satisfy the criteria for addiction.MethodsWe reviewed quantitative and qualitative studies on smartphone addiction and analyzed their methods and conclusions to make a determination on the suitability of the diagnosis “addiction” to excessive and problematic smartphone use.ResultsAlthough the majority of research in the field declares that smartphones are addictive or takes the existence of smartphone addiction as granted, we did not find sufficient support from the addiction perspective to confirm the existence of smartphone addiction at this time. The behaviors observed in the research could be better labeled as problematic or maladaptive smartphone use and their consequences do not meet the severity levels of those caused by addiction.Discussion and conclusionsAddiction is a disorder with severe effects on physical and psychological health. A behavior may have a similar presentation as addiction in terms of excessive use, impulse control problems, and negative consequences, but that does not mean that it should be considered an addiction. We propose moving away from the addiction framework when studying technological behaviors and using other terms such as “problematic use” to describe them. We recommend that problematic technology use is to be studied in its sociocultural context with an increased focus on its compensatory functions, motivations, and gratifications.

The Mediating Role of Self/Everyday Creativity and Depression on the Relationship Between Creative Personality Traits and Problematic Social Media Use Among Emerging Adults

Personality is one of the important contributory factors in the development of problematic technology use. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the direct and indirect associations of creative personality traits with problematic social media use via self/everyday creativity, depression, and loneliness. A total of 460 Turkish emerging adults aged between 18 and 26 years (61% female) were surveyed. Findings indicated that (i) task-orientedness was indirectly associated with problematic social media use via self/everyday creativity, (ii) self-confidence was directly and indirectly associated with problematic social media use via self/everyday creativity and depression, (iii) risk-taking was indirectly associated with problematic social media use via depression, and (iv) self/everyday creativity and depression were directly associated with problematic social media use. The present study is the first to suggest that creative personality traits (i.e., task-orientedness, self-confidence, and risk-taking) and self/everyday creativity are associated with problematic social media use and that these factors should be taken into account when considering the etiology of problematic social media use.

El uso de la tecnología de la información y la comunicación entre adolescentes

En este siglo, el uso de la tecnología se ha incrementado dramáticamente en España e Internet se ha convertido en un contexto social importante para el desarrollo de los adolescentes. El objetivo de esta investigación es analizar el uso de las Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación (TIC) en una muestra de 175 adolescentes canarios (12 y 16 años). Asimismo, se explora la prevalencia del uso problemático de la tecnología (PTU), Internet, videojuegos y teléfonos móviles, y su relación con el bienestar psicológico. Los resultados muestran que el uso de Internet y del teléfono móvil aumenta con la edad. Aunque no se observan diferencias de género en el tiempo de uso, sí se observan diferencias en el tipo de uso y de contenido. Se discuten las implicaciones de estos resultados para la práctica educativa familiar.

Withdrawn and wired: Problematic internet use accounts for the link of neurotic withdrawal to sleep disturbances.

Objective Although neuroticism is the strongest personality predictor of sleep disturbance, it is not clear whether dysphoric (Withdrawal) or angry (Volatility) aspect of neuroticism is more important and whether problematic technology use plays an intervening role. To this end, this study examined distinct contributions of neurotic withdrawal and volatility in predicting self-reported sleep disturbance while testing the mediating role of problematic internet use. Methods: One-hundred and fourty-three college students completed an online survey that included measures of neuroticism, sleep quality, and problematic internet use. Results: Although both aspects of neuroticism predicted poor sleep, Withdrawal emerged as a stronger and the only unique predictor. Furthermore, problematic internet use explained a portion of Withdrawal’s relationship to worse sleep, especially nighttime and daytime disturbances. Discussion: The findings suggest that dysphoric rather than angry features of neuroticism are more important for sleep problems and that the problematic use of modern technology may be an important contributing factor.

Technoference: Parent Distraction With Technology and Associations With Child Behavior Problems.

Heavy parent digital technology use has been associated with suboptimal parent-child interactions, but no studies examine associations with child behavior. This study investigates whether parental problematic technology use is associated with technology-based interruptions in parent-child interactions, termed "technoference," and whether technoference is associated with child behavior problems. Parent reports from 170 U.S. families (child Mage =3.04years) and actor-partner interdependence modeling showed that maternal and paternal problematic digital technology use predicted greater technoference in mother-child and father-child interactions; then, maternal technoference predicted both mothers' and fathers' reports of child externalizing and internalizing behaviors. Results suggest that technological interruptions are associated with child problem behaviors, but directionality and transactional processes should be examined in future longitudinal studies.

Exploratory investigation of theoretical predictors of nomophobia using the Mobile Phone Involvement Questionnaire (MPIQ)

Despite the advantages that the development of new technologies has brought to our lives, it is also true that the problematic use of technology can have negative effects on some people, as the prevalence of nomophobia, defined as the fear and anxiety of being unreachable via one's mobile phone. While some authors are beginning to study the relationship of nomophobia with variables such as age, no investigation has yet been carried out into psychological variables. Our study contributes to the literature by looking at personality, self-esteem, gender and age as predictors of nomophobia, evaluated by the Mobile Phone Involvement Questionnaire (MPIQ). The study comprised 242 Spanish students (46.7% men and 53.3% women; 49.2% studying for a high school certificate and 50.8% for a university degree). Multiple regressions were conducted, finding that self-esteem, extraversion, conscientiousness and emotional stability predict nomophobia. Finally, we discuss these results and provide suggestions for future research.

Association between working memory, impulsivity and problematic technology use

Association between working memory, impulsivity and problematic technology use

Analysis of nomofobic behaviors of adolescents regarding various factors

Although the developments in technology have made our lives and daily activities easier, it is believed that problematic and excessive use of technology could have some negative effects on people. One of these negative effects is the prevalence of nomophobia, which is considered as a new phobia in recent years. Nomophobia is defined as the fear and anxiety when an individual cannot access his or her mobile/smart phone or cannot have the chance to communicate online and offline via mobile devices. Nomophobic tendencies can change individuals’ daily habits. Negative emotions due to nomophobic tendencies like fear and anxiety especially in young people is thought to affect their school lives and academic achievements. The purpose of this research is to analyze the prevalence of nomophobia among high school students regarding various factors. The Nomophobia Scale (NMP-Q), which was used in this study, was developed by Yildirim and Correia (2015), and adapted into Turkish by Yildirim, Sumuer, Adnan and Yildirim (2015). The study group consists of 475 high school students attending six different schools situated in diverse socio-economic areas in Izmir and Edirne in 2015-2016 education year. The study was conducted in survey model and descriptive statistics. T-test for independent samples and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) techniques were used at the analysis stage. According to the findings, mean scores obtained from the scale demonstrated that the levels of nomophobic behaviors of high school students were above the average. Besides, female students have higher nomophobia levels compared to male students in terms of gender variable and a significant difference was found in terms of the duration of mobile internet usage. A significant difference could not be found in terms of the variables such as grade, parents’ education levels, and the duration of smartphone usage. Furthermore, the study has revealed that high school students use their smartphones and mobile internet largely for social networks, music, communication, photographs, education, research, games and videos.

Internet addiction disorder and problematic use of Google Glass™ in patient treated at a residential substance abuse treatment program

IntroductionInternet addiction disorder (IAD) is characterized by the problematic use of online video games, computer use, and mobile handheld devices. While not officially a clinical diagnosis according to the most recent version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), individuals with IAD manifest severe emotional, social, and mental dysfunction in multiple areas of daily activities due to their problematic use of technology and the internet. MethodWe report a 31year-old man who exhibited problematic use of Google Glass™. The patient has a history of a mood disorder most consistent with a substance induced hypomania overlaying a depressive disorder, anxiety disorder with characteristics of social phobia and obsessive compulsive disorder, and severe alcohol and tobacco use disorders. ResultsDuring his residential treatment program at the Navy's Substance Abuse and Recovery Program (SARP) for alcohol use disorder, it was noted that the patient exhibited significant frustration and irritability related to not being able to use his Google Glass™. The patient exhibited a notable, nearly involuntary movement of the right hand up to his temple area and tapping it with his forefinger. He reported that if he had been prevented from wearing the device while at work, he would become extremely irritable and argumentative. ConclusionsOver the course of his 35-day residential treatment, the patient noted a reduction in irritability, reduction in motor movements to his temple to turn on the device, and improvements in his short-term memory and clarity of thought processes. He continued to intermittently experience dreams as if looking through the device. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of IAD involving problematic use of Google Glass™.

Internet and video game addictions: a cognitive behavioral approach

Background: While several benefits are attributed to the Internet and video games, an important proportion of the population presents symptoms related to possible new technological addictions and there has been little discussion of treatment of problematic technology use. Although demand for knowledge is growing, only a small number of treatments have been described. Objective: To conduct a systematic review of the literature, to establish Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) as a possible strategy for treating Internet and video game addictions. Method: The review was conducted in the following databases: Science Direct on Line, PubMed, PsycINFO, Cochrane Clinical Trials Library, BVS and SciELO. The keywords used were: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; therapy; treatment; with association to the terms Internet addiction and video game addiction. Given the scarcity of studies in the field, no restrictions to the minimum period of publication were made, so that articles found until October 2013 were accounted. Results: Out of 72 articles found, 23 described CBT as a psychotherapy for Internet and video game addiction. The manuscripts showed the existence of case studies and protocols with satisfactory efficacy. Discussion: Despite the novelty of technological dependencies, CBT seems to be applicable and allows an effective treatment for this population.