Problematic internet use in adolescents: A phenomenological study.

WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: Problematic internet use (PIU) negatively affects adolescents' lives biopsychosocially. There is limited qualitative research examining the problem of PIU in adolescents. These studies focused more on the non-clinical population. Adolescents' perceptions of the internet, their thoughts, feelings and behaviours in situations where they can and cannot access the internet have rarely been examined. WHAT DOES THE PAPER ADD TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: This research provides an in-depth look at the experiences of adolescents with PIU in a clinical population. Unlike previous studies, adolescents mentioned that they turned to the internet for reasons such as lack of activity, their need to spend time with their friends and better getting along with people they met on the internet. They also described a world without internet as apocalypse, desert and grave. In this study, a holistic emphasis was placed on the thoughts, feelings and behaviours of adolescents in situations where they could and could not access the internet. This may contribute especially to mental health nurses working in clinics in terms of understanding the thought-emotion and behaviour patterns of adolescents with PIU. Adolescents also stated that their lives were affected positively and negatively as a result of PIU. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: Mental health nurses can use activity therapy, behaviour modification: social skills, coping enhancement, parent education: adolescent, self-awareness enhancement, cognitive restructuring, emotion and behaviour management interventions to reduce the risk of PIU and the problems it causes for adolescents. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: Mental health nurses can use activity therapy, behaviour modification: social skills, coping enhancement, parent education: adolescent, self-awareness enhancement, cognitive restructuring, emotion and behaviour management interventions to reduce the risk of PIU and the problems it causes for adolescents. ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION: Studies on problematic internet use (PIU) are mostly on the non-clinical population. Understanding the experiences of adolescents with PIU is critical in shaping nursing interventions and improving the quality of care. AIMS: A comprehensive description of the experiences of adolescents with PIU. METHODS: In the study, descriptive phenomenology design, one of the qualitative research methods, was used. Data were collected using a personal information form and a semi-structured interview form and analysed using Giorgi's phenomenological method (n = 11). RESULTS: As a result of the content analysis, five main themes were identified: reasons of PIU, internet-related perceptions, experiences in accessing the internet, experiences in not being able to access the internet and consequences of internet use. DISCUSSION: Different from previous studies, adolescents stated that they use the internet because of their lack of activity and their need to spend time with their friends. They stated that when they could not access the internet, they thought they could never live without the internet and started quarrel.

Mindfulness for internet use disorder: a study protocol of a systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Internet use disorder (IUD) is on the rise and is associated with detrimental health consequences. Growing evidence suggests that mindfulness-either as a trait or cultivated in mindfulness-based programmes (MBPs)-is promising in preventing and treating IUD. With this systematic review and meta-analysis, we will examine (1) the association between trait mindfulness (TM) and IUD and (2) the effectiveness of MBPs in reducing IUD. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: In October 2022, we will screen Medline, PsycINFO, PSYINDEX, CINAHL, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials without language or publication date restrictions. We will conduct backward and forward citation searches of included studies and relevant reviews. We will include studies that evaluate either (1) the association between TM and IUD or (2) the effectiveness of MBPs in reducing IUD. Two reviewers will independently screen records, select and extract data, and rate the risk of bias. In total, we will conduct three meta-analyses: a first meta-analysis will be on the correlation between TM and IUD, a second meta-analysis will be on between-group data examining the effectiveness of MBPs in reducing IUD in randomised controlled trials (RCTs), and a third meta-analysis will be on within-group pre-postdata examining the effectiveness of MBPs in reducing IUD in all kinds of intervention studies. For the second and third meta-analyses, the primary outcome will be changes in IUD. We will explore moderators and sources of between-study heterogeneity and pursue a narrative synthesis of results. We will use the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation system to assess the overall quality of evidence across intervention studies. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics approval is not required. Results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at (inter)national conferences. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42022350071.

Molecular genetics of neurotransmitters and neuropeptides involved in Internet use disorders including first insights on a potential role of hypothalamus' oxytocin hormone.

This chapter covers the phenomenon of Internet use disorders (IUDs) and putative associations with different neurotransmitter and neuropeptide systems. Genes coding for such messengers can be seen as an important starting point in the complicated quest to understand human behavior including new phenomena such as IUDs. Therefore, a special focus of this chapter will lie on individual differences in molecular genetic underpinnings of neurotransmitter and neuropeptide systems and their associations with individual differences in tendencies towards IUDs. By shedding light on these associations, putative predisposing molecular genetic factors for the emergence and maintenance of IUDs can be carved out. Therefore, first an introduction to IUDs and a model that can guide research on putative associations of IUDs with different specific neurotransmitters and neuropeptides will be presented. Subsequently, twin studies on the heritability of IUDs are reviewed. Finally, studies on differences in molecular genetic predispositions and their associations with differences in IUDs will be presented and discussed, including targets related to the dopaminergic and serotonergic system as well as the hypothalamic neuropeptide oxytocin. The chapter closes with a conclusion about what is already known and what needs to be investigated in future studies to gain further insights into putative associations between molecular genetic markers and IUDs.

Cyberbullying victimization and problematic Internet use among Chinese adolescents: Longitudinal mediation through mindfulness and depression.

Although previous research has demonstrated that the experience of cyberbullying victimization is associated with behavioral and psychological health problems, it is still unclear how cyberbullying victimization affects physical and mental health issues. Our aim was to test the longitudinal linkage between cyberbullying victimization and problematic Internet use (PIU) via the possible mediating roles of mindfulness and depression. This study employed a two-wave longitudinal design. 661 Chinese junior high school students were assessed using self-reported questionnaires about cyberbullying victimization, mindfulness, severity of depression, and PIU. The results revealed that the experience of cyberbullying victimization was positively related to PIU through the mediating variables of mindfulness and depression.

Designing Effective Digital Advertisements to Prevent Online Consumption of Child Sexual Exploitation Material.

The necessity of developing effective and innovative primary prevention strategies is a pressing objective in stemming the harm caused by the production and consumption of child sexual exploitation material (CSEM). Digital media interventions - including search engine advertisements - hold promise as prevention tools to deflect potential users away from CSEM and redirect them to therapeutic services. This study aimed to establish an evidence base for effective advertising in this context by creating mock-up helpline advertisements and testing them in focus groups and interviews with staff and clients of New Zealand's major treatment service providers for harmful sexual behavior. Prior to testing these advertisements in situ (on online platforms), this paper reports on a foundational creative and qualitative investigation of effective advertisements - what imagery, text, and design features are most likely to succeed in diverting people away from seeking CSEM and encouraging them to reach out to a helpline? The findings of this study offer deeper understanding of the mindset, emotions, and barriers to reaching out that are experienced by onset CSEM users, as well as suitability of certain imagery and text for advertising in this context, and thereby contribute to strengthening primary prevention efforts in combatting CSEM consumption.

Does the Effect of Internet Use on Chinese Citizens' Psychological Well-Being Differ Based on Their Hukou Category?

This paper draws support from the 2018 wave of the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS 2018) and uses unconditional quantile regression, re-centered influence function (RIF) decomposition, linear structural equation modelling, extended regression modelling and censored regression to explore the heterogeneity of the impact of Internet use on the psychological well-being of Chinese non-agricultural and agricultural hukou holders. We find that Internet use better improves the psychological well-being of non-agricultural hukou holders, thereby widening the gap in psychological well-being between urban and rural residents in China. Through RIF decomposition, we observe that, except for the 10th quantile, the expansion effect of Internet use on the inequality in psychological well-being between agricultural and non-agricultural hukou holders is mainly reflected in the structure effect, which shows that compared to non-agricultural hukou holders, the return rate of Internet use on the psychological well-being of agricultural hukou holders is lower. Further mechanism analysis shows that using the Internet to socialize, obtain information and understand politics is more beneficial for the psychological well-being of non-agricultural hukou holders; moreover, Internet use can further exert different effects on the psychological well-being of the two groups by differently influencing their job satisfaction, government evaluation, and sleep quality. This study also confirms that relying only on external scientific and technological progress has a limited corrective effect on existing inequalities.

Determination of the Popularity of Dietary Supplements Using Google Search Rankings.

The internet provides access to information about dietary supplements and allows their easy purchase. We aimed to rank the interest of Google users in dietary supplements and to determine the changes that occurred in their popularity from 2004 to 2019. We used Google Trends to generate data over time on regional interest in dietary supplements (n = 200). We categorized each included supplement and calculated the interest in all topics in proportion to the relative search volume (RSV) of "lutein". We analyzed the trends over time of all topics and categories. Globally, the topics with the highest popularity were "magnesium", which was 23.72 times more popular than "lutein", "protein" (15.22 times more popular), and "iron" (15.12). The categories of supplements receiving most interest were protein (9.64), mineral (5.24), and vitamin (3.47). The RSV of seven categories of topics (amino acid, bacterial, botanical, fiber, mineral, protein, and vitamin) increased over time while two categories (enzyme and fat or fatty acid) saw a drop in their RSV. Overall, 119 topics saw an increase in interest over time, 19 remained stable, and 62 saw interest in them decrease. Google Trends provides insights into e-discourse and enables analysis of the differences in popularity of certain topics across countries and over time.