Researcher paper by Internet addiction expert, Dr. Kimberly Young on reports of people becoming addicted to the Internet.

Kimberly S. Young
University of Pittsburgh at Bradford

Published in CyberPsychology and Behavior, Vol. 1 No. 3., pages 237-244

Paper presented at the 104th annual meeting of the
American Psychological Association, Toronto, Canada, August 15, 1996.

ABSTRACT

Anecdotal reports indicated that some on-line users were becoming addicted to the Internet in much that same way that others became addicted to drugs or alcohol which resulted in academic, social, and occupational impairment. However, research among sociologists, psychologists, or psychiatrists has not formally identified addictive use of the Internet as a problematic behavior. This study investigated the existence of Internet addiction and the extent of problems caused by such potential misuse. This study utilized an adapted version of the criteria for pathological gambling defined by the DSM-IV (APA, 1994). On the basis of this criteria, case studies of 396 dependent Internet users (Dependents) and a control group of 100 non-dependent Internet users (Non-Dependents) were classified. Qualatative analyses suggests significant behavioral and functional usage differences between the two groups. Clinical and social implications of pathological Internet use and future directions for research are discussed.

Internet Addiction: The Emergence Of A New Clinical Disorder

Methodology

• Subjects
• Materials
• Procedures

Results

• Demographics
• Usage Differences
• Length Of Time Using Internet
• Hours Per Week
• Applications Used
• Extent Of Problems

Discussion

References

INTERNET ADDICTION:

THE EMERGENCE OF A NEW CLINICAL DISORDER

Recent reports indicated that some on-line users were becoming addicted to the Internet in much the same way that others became addicted to drugs, alcohol, or gambling, which resulted in academic failure (Brady, 1996; Murphey, 1996); reduced work performance (Robert Half International, 1996), and even marital discord and separation (Quittner, 1997). Clinical reseach on behavioral addictions has focused on compulsive gambling (Mobilia, 1993), overeating (Lesieur & Blume, 1993), and compulsive sexual behavior (Goodman, 1993). Similar addiction models have been applied to technological overuse (Griffiths, 1996), computer dependency (Shotton, 1991), excessive television viewing (Kubey & Csikszentmihalyi, 1990; McIlwraith et al., 1991), and obsessive video game playing (Keepers, 1991). However, the concept of addictive Internet use has not been empirically researched. Therefore, the purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate if Internet usage could be considered addictive and to identify the extent of problems created by such misuse.