College Students and Problematic Internet Use: A Pilot Study Assessing Self-Appraisal and Independent Behavior Change

Problematic Internet Use (PIU) is a growing health concern; universal screening and validated interventions remain elusive. This pilot study's purpose was to assess participants’ self-appraisal of PIU risk, and the subsequent frequency and outcome of behavior change after validated PIU screenin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of adolescent health 2019-01, Vol.64 (1), p.131-133
Main Authors: Moreno, Megan A., Eickhoff, Jens, Zhao, Qianqian, Suris, Joan-Carles
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Appraisal
Behavior change
Behavior modification
Behavior, Addictive - epidemiology
Behavior, Addictive - psychology
Clinical assessment
College students
Female
Humans
Internet
Internet - statistics & numerical data
Intervention
Longitudinal
Male
Pilot Projects
Problematic internet use
Risk Factors
Screening
Self-Assessment
Selfappraisal
Students - psychology
Students - statistics & numerical data
Universities
Young Adult
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Description
Summary:Problematic Internet Use (PIU) is a growing health concern; universal screening and validated interventions remain elusive. This pilot study's purpose was to assess participants’ self-appraisal of PIU risk, and the subsequent frequency and outcome of behavior change after validated PIU screening. In this 3-year study, college student participants reported yearly self-appraised PIU risk, and then completed a problematic and risky internet use screening scale. At Time 3, participants reported behavior change based on Time 2 screening. Our 283 participants were 57% female and 75% Caucasian. Participants’ self-appraisal of PIU risk had a sensitivity of 23%–39%. Of 29 participants at risk at Time 2, six (20.6%) reported attempted behavior change at Time 3, though 83.3% remained at risk. College students have varied capacity to assess and implement effective behavior change regarding PIU. The role of providers in identification and intervention for PIU remains critical.
ISSN:1054-139X
1879-1972
DOI:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2018.06.029