Elsevier

Computers in Human Behavior

Volume 18, Issue 5, September 2002, Pages 553-575
Computers in Human Behavior

Problematic Internet use and psychosocial well-being: development of a theory-based cognitive–behavioral measurement instrument

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0747-5632(02)00004-3Get rights and content

Abstract

The paper presents results from an exploratory study that: (1) developed a theory-based measure of PIU and (2) administered the instrument to a sample of undergraduate students to assess the associations among PIU and several psychosocial variables including, depression, self-esteem, loneliness, and shyness. A new instrument, the Generalized Problematic Internet Use Scale (GPIUS) was designed to operationalize Davis's [Computers in Human Behavior, 17 (2001), 187] theoretical construct of generalized PIU. The GPIUS and several measures of psychosocial well-being were administered to 386 undergraduate students. Results from this preliminary study indicate that the GPIUS is both reliable and valid. A factor analysis identified seven unique sub-dimensions of the GPIUS, including: mood alteration, perceived social benefits available online, negative outcomes associated with Internet use, compulsive Internet use, excessive amounts of time spent online, withdrawal symptoms when away from the Internet, and perceived social control available online. All GPIUS subscales were correlated with psychosocial health variables including: depression, loneliness, shyness, and self-esteem. A regression analysis identified several important psychosocial and cognitive–behavioral predictors of negative outcomes associated with generalized PIU. Results also suggest that one's preference for computer-mediated social interaction, as opposed to face-to-face interaction, plays a role in the etiology, development, and outcomes of generalized PIU.

Introduction

Growing concern over the relationship between Internet use and psychosocial well being (e.g. depression, loneliness, low self-esteem) has spawned a surge of research into what scholars have variously termed problematic, pathological, or addictive Internet use (e.g. see Beard and Wolf, 2001, Davis, 2001, Kraut et al., 1998, Morahan-Martin and Schumacher, 2000, Pratarelli et al., 1999, Sanders et al., 2000, Scherer, 1997, Wallace, 1999, Young, 1996, Young, 1998, Young and Rogers, 1998). Despite mounting interest in problematic Internet use (PIU), there is little agreement about how to define or measure the construct. Moreover, the current literature also lacks an empirically testable theory that explains, in detail, how PIU might be related to mental health or social well-being. Such limitations hinder further development of PIU research and limit our understanding of why Internet use appears to be problematic for some individuals. The current study sought to address these limitations.

The first section of this paper reviews extant PIU literature, and argues that current theory development and empirical research in this area is quite limited. The next section presents a promising new model introduced by R. Davis (2001) that may help foster the development of a theory-driven program of empirical research on PIU. After an initial review of the literature, the remainder of the paper presents results from research that: (1) developed a theory-based measure of PIU and (2) employed the instrument in an exploratory study to assess the associations among PIU and several psychosocial variables including, depression, self-esteem, loneliness, and shyness.

Section snippets

Problematic, pathological, or addictive Internet use

A number of scholars note a relationship among people's Internet use, psychosocial health, and negative outcomes at home and work (e.g. Beard and Wolf, 2001, Brenner, 1997, Davis, 2001, Morahan-Martin and Schumacher, 2000, Pratarelli et al., 1999, Sanders et al., 2000, Scherer, 1997, Young, 1996, Young, 1998). Various labels are used to describe people who engage in excessive use of the Internet that results in negative outcomes including, “Internet addicts, computer-mediated communication

Davis's cognitive–behavioral theory of PIU

Recently, Davis (2001) introduced a cognitive–behavioral theory of PIU that attempts to model the etiology, development, and outcomes associated with PIU.1 Although Davis's (2001) model is relatively new, and requires further development, it does sketch out an initial model of the cognitive and behavioral processes

Focus of the current study

The current study sought to design and test a new measure to operationalize the generalized PIU construct based on Davis's (2001) initial theoretical definition. The study employed the measure to explore the generalized PIU construct empirically, and attempted to answer several preliminary questions about the association between generalized PIU and psychosocial well-being. The remainder of this section presents the research questions addressed in the current study.

First, Davis's theoretical

Procedures

A new instrument, the Generalized Problematic Internet Use Scale (GPIUS) was designed to operationalize Davis's (2001) theoretical construct. As part of a larger research program, the GPIUS was administered to 386 undergraduate students (270 females and 116 males). Participants ranged in age from 18 to 57 years old (M=20, SD=2.22 years). Along with the GPIUS, participants also completed several measures of psychosocial well being (e.g. depression, self-esteem, loneliness, and shyness).

The Generalized PIU Scale

The GPIUS was designed to measure the degree to which an individual experiences the types of cognitions, behaviors, and outcomes that Davis describes as constituting generalized PIU. To help ensure the validity of GPIUS scores, the scale's items were developed in several ways: (1) items were written directly from examples of generalized PIU cognitions, behaviors, and outcomes offered by Davis (2001); (2) other PIU scales available in the extant literature (e.g. Armstrong et al., 2000,

Exploratory factor analysis and reliability analyses

To explore the dimensionality of generalized PIU, GPIUS items responses were submitted to an exploratory principal-axis factor analysis with an oblique rotation (different aspects of generalized PIU were expected to be intercorrelated).2

Overview

The study reported earlier was intended to accomplish two basic goals: (1) to develop a valid and reliable theory-based measure of generalized PIU, and (2) to use such a measure to begin a theory-driven research program exploring the associations among Internet-related cognitions and behaviors and psychosocial well-being. After reviewing the results in light of the goals stated earlier, the remainder of this section will present implications of the current data for future research on PIU and

Acknowledgements

The author wishes to thank Dr. Elizabeth Perse, Dr. Charles Pavitt, Dr. Robert Tennyson, Mr. Matthew Davis, and two anonymous reviewers for contributions to this project.

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