Problematic Internet and Cell-Phone Use: Psychological, Behavioral, and Health Correlates

[EN]This study aimed to assess pathological Internet and cell-phone use in college students, and to identify psychological, health, and behavioral correlates. A cross-sectional design was utilized to gather data from 337 students. We developed two measures, termed the Internet Over-use Scale (IOS),...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Jenaro Río, Cristina, Flores Robaina, Noelia, Gómez Vela, María, González Gil, Francisca, Caballo Escribano, Cristina
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2007
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Salamanca (USAL)
Repositorio:GREDOS. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Salamanca
OAI Identifier:oai:gredos.usal.es:10366/131712
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10366/131712
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Pathological Internet use
Pathological cell-phone use
Behavioral addictions
Assessment
Test construction
Descripción
Sumario:[EN]This study aimed to assess pathological Internet and cell-phone use in college students, and to identify psychological, health, and behavioral correlates. A cross-sectional design was utilized to gather data from 337 students. We developed two measures, termed the Internet Over-use Scale (IOS), and the Cell-Phone Over-Use Scale (COS). Additional measures utilized were the Beck Anxiety Inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the General Health Questionnaire-28. Results provide support for internal consistency of the IOS and the COS (alpha=.88 and alpha=.87, respectively) as well as for construct validity. Logistic regression analyses indicated that heavy Internet use is associated with high anxiety; high cell-phone use is associated to being female, and having high anxiety and insomnia. The developed measures seem to be promising tools for assessing these new behavioral addictions.