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Psychologists have found that psychiatric illnesses such as depression are often associated with addictions such as alcoholism and gambling. Furthermore, psychologists have also found that addictive and compulsive behaviors such as gambling and eating disorders also overlap with depression. However, in 1998, little research had been done to investigate the link between depression and Internet abuse, or pathological Internet use (PIU). In this study, psychologists Kimberly S. Young and Robert C. Rodgers came together to discuss just that as well as how treatment protocols for psychiatric patients should emphasize their primary diagnosis if related to a subsequent impulse control problem such as pathological internet use.
(Young & Rodgers) Young and Rodgers also hypothesized that managing psychiatric symptoms could ultimately indirectly correct Internet abuse in addition to treating mental illnesses such as depression.
An online survey conducted by the Young, Rodgers and the University of Pittsburgh was submitted to popular search engines such as Google and Yahoo. In addition to being submitted to several popular search engines, the survey was advertised on prominent online support groups geared toward Internet addiction such as the Internet Addiction Support Group and the Web-aholics Support Group with a brief description of the study at hand.
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“ She followed all my directions. It was really easy to contact her and respond very fast as well. ”
The subjects of this research study were therefore self-selected Internet users who responded to postings on these electronic addiction support groups as well as people who searched for the key words Internet and addiction on the various popular search engines in which the survey was submitted to.
The survey was conducted on the University of Pittsburgh’s website.
The survey consisted of a diagnostic questionnaire that altered the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders’ criteria for pathological gambling, a compulsive disorder with symptoms that can be compared to that of pathological Internet use. This diagnostic questionnaire was implemented to categorize subjects as addicted or non-addicted. Other resources used to create the questions for this online survey included the Sixteen Personality Factor Inventory, Zuckerman’s Sensation Seeking Scale, and the Beck Depression Inventory. In addition to these questions, demographic information such as age, sex, occupation, and level of education was recorded from each subject. Finally, the results of the online survey were comprised into a text file and sent to the primary research investigator’s e-mail for analysis. Subjects who answered “yes” to five or more questions on the survey were classified as addicted to the Internet.
A total of 312 responses were collected from subjects resulting in a massive sample of 259 addicted Internet users. This sample included 130 males with a mean age of 31 and 129 females with a mean age of 33, an almost even ratio of male and female Internet addicts. 30% of this sample had a high school education or less, 38% had an associate’s or bachelor’s degree, 10% had a master’s degree or doctorate, and 22% were still in school. 15% of the sample had no vocational background (e.g., homemakers and retirees), 31% were students, 6% were blue collar workers (e.g., plumbers and mechanics), 22% were non-tech white collar workers (e.g., bank tellers), and 26% were high-tech white collar workers (e.g., computer scientists and tech support agents).
The results of the online survey were interpreted and researchers found that the occupations of the subjects correlated deeply with their level of Internet usage. It was established that high-tech and non-tech white collar workers alike were more likely to become addicted to the Internet than blue collar workers. However, it was realized that this is most likely because white collar workers are more likely to have access to computers within their occupations than blue collar workers as well as a salary that makes purchasing a home computer more attainable.
As mentioned before, the survey also utilized the Beck Depression Inventory which is a more psychometrically and clinically valid instrument used to further investigate the effects of depression on pathological Internet use as opposed to the Zung Depression Inventory. Results from the Beck Depression Inventory were a mean of 11.2, indicating mild to moderate levels of depression compared to normative data. (Young & Rodgers) A research study prior to that of Young and Rodgers used the Zung Depression Inventory when analyzing the connection between depression and pathological Internet use, scoring a mean of 38.56 which is considered as moderate levels of depression. Thus, the Beck Depression Inventory shared similar results to the prior research study that used the Zung Depression Inventory, suggesting that depression is a compelling factor in the development of pathological Internet use.
In conclusion, it was found that Internet addicts in this study were using the internet on an average of 38 hours per week for non-academic and non-occupational purposes whereas non-addicts only used the internet leisurely on an average of 8 hours per week. It was also concluded that internet usage caused detrimental effects such as poor grade performance among students and poor job performance among workers of all classes. Studies showed that people affected by depression in particular are drawn to communication over the Internet because of the comfort and anonymity associated with choosing a username or handle to hide their identity behind. Communication via the Internet is also less threatening to depressives due to the absence of body language that would be seen when talking to a person in the real world such as hand gestures, tone of voice, and eye contact. Thus, depressives are able to feel comfortable sharing ideas with others and also have the ability to think and plan what they are going to say before sending a message when communicating via the Internet. Therefore, online chat rooms and games were seen to be the most addictive interactive capabilities of the Internet.
After reading this study, I realized that the results of these studies are very akin to my own usage of the Internet. As somebody who struggles depression and anxiety, I very much so agree that communicating with others over the Internet — whether it be via text message or social media — is easier for me, as I do not have to deal with the vulnerability that comes with communicating with people in person. Therefore, it is much easier for me to make friends and harvest relationships via the Internet. Though I did realize that meeting and communicating with people was something I enjoyed doing more online rather than in real-life, not once did I link this back to my depression until I read this study. In addition, one of the main findings of this study was that treating the psychiatric symptoms of depression can correct pathological Internet usage. This study has also made me notice now that I actually did start using my electronics less and enjoying real life more when I started getting treated for my mental illness. In conclusion, I was able to relate to the findings of this study in more ways than one and enjoyed reading it as well, so much that if I were to do this study today, I would approach it with a more modern hypothesis such as studying the relationship between depression and social media rather than the relationship between depression and the Internet usage of online games and chat rooms. I would also pick a more diverse sample of subjects that were not self-selected, varying in age, sex, gender-identity, and class as well as a more modern way of using the internet via cell phones.
Pathological Use of the Internet. (2022, Apr 16). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/pathological-use-of-the-internet-essay
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