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New areas of research should include the development of standard diagnostic instruments to assess cyber-disorders and systematic intake evaluations to further understand the role of compulsive use of the Internet in other established addictions (e.g., alcoholism, sexual compulsivity, pathological gambling) and psychiatric conditions (e.g., major depression, bipolar disorder, ADD).
Research should also include the development of models that identify or explain the motivation underling such pathological online behavior. For example, The ACE Model developed by Young (1999) explains how Accessibility, Control, and Excitement play a significant role in the development of Internet compulsions.12 According to the model, Internet addiction develops due to three discriminate underlying rewards. The three variables include: (a) the accessibility of information, interactive areas, and pornographic images; (b) the personal control and perceived privacy of electronic interactions; and (c) internal feelings excitement leading to a mental "high" related to Net usage. Models such as this facilitate our general understanding of the disorder and guide in later treating planning.
Most important, as young children frequent the Internet, it is important that research also investigate the growing incidence of on-line pedophilia and the risks posed to children. Furthermore, it is important to note that the diagnosis of pedophilia only requires that an individual entertain intense reoccurring sexual fantasies about children13 and does not require that actual molestation to take place. Therefore, as a growing number of criminal cases involve the possession of illegal images downloaded from the Internet, the psychological field should closely examine the relationship between viewing child pornography and the actual risk of child molestation. Finally, the limitations of this study such as a low sample size, the lack of randomization, and the questionable accuracy of online survey methods are recognized, and therefore, these results should be interrupted with caution.
Table 1: Primary Client Complaints and Clinical Response
| Questions |
Yes
|
No
|
| 1. Have you seen a rise in the number of clients who spend an excessive amount of time using the Internet? |
80%(28) |
20%(7) |
| 2. Have you seen clients who appear "addicted" to the Internet? |
85%(30) |
15%(5) |
| 3. Have you seen clients who present themselves as having relationship difficulties (e.g. breakups, withdrawn from others, few friends) and later discover it is related to addictive use of the Internet? |
74%(26) |
16%(9) |
| 4. Have you seen clients who present themselves with clinically related issues (e.g. depression, bi-polar disorder, anxiety) and later discover it is related to addictive use of the Internet? |
30%(10) |
70%(25) |
| 5. Have you seen clients who are addicted to the Internet who also suffer from a prior addiction history (alcoholism, over-eating, or sex addictions)? |
60%(21) |
40%(14) |
| 6. Has your program considered a support group for those clients who suffer from an addiction to the Internet? |
40%(14) |
60%(21) |
| 7. Do you feel the problem is more widespread than the number of cases indicates? |
94%(33) |
6% (2) |
| 8. Do you believe moderation is possible to treat addictive Internet use? |
60%(21) |
40%(14) |
| 9. Did your clients form new relationships on-line? |
91%(32) |
9% (3) |
| 10. Did your clients form a new persona on-line? |
66%(23) |
34%(12) |
Table 2: Attitudes of Therapists treating cases of Pathological Internet Use
| Statement |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
| I feel that addictive use of the Internet may become a significant problem in our society. |
35% |
55% |
10% |
0% |
0% |
| I feel that mental health practitioners need to pay more attention to the ramifications of addictive use of the Internet. |
40% |
55% |
0% |
5% |
0% |
| I feel that addictive use of the Internet can be as serious as other established addictions (e.g. alcoholism) in terms of psychological and family problems. |
50% |
35% |
10% |
0% |
5% |
| I feel that counselors do not take Internet addiction seriously as a legitimate disorder. |
30% |
20% |
35% |
10% |
0% |
| I feel that more research is needed to better understand the nature of addictive Internet use. |
0% |
5% |
10% |
30% |
50% |
next: Are You Addicted to Cybersex?
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