Problematic Internet Use in the Czech Republic: Comparison Across Age Groups
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| Year of publication | 2009 |
| Type | R&D Presentation |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
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| Description | Problematic Internet use is often described in psychological studies as online addiction or Internet addictive behavior. Although problematic Internet does not have its own diagnoses, there are several scales evaluating the prevalence of this phenomenon in population. In our research, we developed a scale evaluating the following dimensions of excessive Internet use: cognitive and behavioural salience, tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, conflicts, and problems with limiting time online. Our scale is based mainly on research from Beard and Wolf (2001) who have modified DSM IV criteria for Internet use. The survey study conducted within the World Internet Project in the Czech Republic was carried out in September 2008 using face-to-face interviews. The survey addressed 2,215 respondents of 12 years of age or more, of which 1,470 were Internet users. The research sample was made representative for the Czech Republic as far as the variables of sex, education, age, region, and the size of the respondent's domicile are concerned. We revealed that 3.7 % of the Czech population scored high in all dimensions of excessive Internet use. We also present the prevalence of this phenomenon across different age groups. The highest prevalence among all age groups was found in the age group of 12 to 15 years old adolescents (8.0 %), constituting a warning of teen Internet use and also a possible direction for future research. It seems that the youngest age groups are most prone to problematic Internet use. We also discuss the propriety of current scales evaluating excessive Internet use among adolescent population. We demonstrate that the dimension of the conflict is problematic because the conflict itself is often developmentally present and relatively common in this age group. |
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