Search

The paper examines the multi-dimensional nature of Internet Addiction (IA) and its influence on Well-Being (WB) amongst a representative sample of 320 young urban Indian internet users. Nine hypotheses are proposed through a conceptual model to assess the multi-dimensional nature of IA and its relationship with WB. Partial Least Squares – Structure Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was conducted to assess the hypothesised relationships. Of the proposed nine hypotheses, seven were accepted. The result indicated IA as a four-dimensional construct – Internet Control Disorder (ICD), Internet Craving (IC), Internet Obsession (IO), and Addictive Behaviour (AB). The findings supported that ICD positively and significantly influences IC. IC and AB both have a significant impact on IO. ICD and IC have a significant impact on the individual's AB. ICD and IO significantly influence WB. With respect to the dimensions IC, AB, and IO, the model is successful in explaining around 26%, 45%, and 33% of the variation. IA as a multi-dimensional phenomenon and its relationship with WB in a young-demographic nation like India has immense academic and societal value. The study provides critical actionable insights for users, educators, health counsellors, parents, and policymakers regarding interventions for controlling internet addiction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the general assumption that even problematic behaviours are associated with an inherently health-promoting motivation to cope with unpleasant or unsatisfying life situations, the compensatory model of media use focuses on how psychosocial vulnerabilities moderate links between media behaviours and adverse outcomes. The present paper means to further develop this approach by exploring the moderating role of state- and trait-level factors (state: perceived stress; trait: social interaction anxiety and loneliness) on the relation between video game consumption (i.e. playing duration and habitual gaming), motivations (i.e. achievement, social, immersion), and engagement (harmonious and obsessive engagement) within a large-scale sample of mostly heavy gamers. Overall, results provided further evidence for the compensatory approach, with perceived stress emerging as a critical psychosocial factor that intensified positive and negative relations between several gaming behaviours and harmful outcomes. Moreover, our results reiterated the heuristic importance of intra- and interpersonally pressured (i.e. obsessive) engagement to explain adverse gaming outcomes as well as self-determined (i.e. harmonious) engagement as a potentially fruitful gateway toward more healthy gaming. These findings constitute solid empirical groundwork that may contribute to effective prevention and intervention methods against problematic gaming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While video games can be helpful in personal development, participating in certain gaming activities may lead to negative effects such as video game addiction. The overuse of computer games, which can lead to reduced quality of life and affect a person's practical skills. Around 3% of adolescents suffer from Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD), there is currently no universally accepted psychometric method. The AICA-S scale was applied to results from 3,901 respondents aged between 11 and 19. During the 2017/2018 school year, a battery of questionnaires in "pen and paper" form was administered to students at primary schools and secondary schools. The respondents were selected from all the regions of the Czech Republic through a random stratified selection to ensure that the respondents were an accurate representation of students across the Czech Republic. The results were obtained using statistical methods such as ANOVA, chi-square tests and t-tests. These results affirm the psychometric quality of AICA-S and note the prevalence of IGD among Czech adolescents. Based on our results, 0.8% of our respondents fulfilled the criteria for an IGD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Positive outcomes of social networking use in both informal and non-educational settings have attracted significant research attention. These benefits include social capital formation, higher job performance and satisfaction, an increased sense of belonging, improved knowledge management skills, and enabling of life-long learning opportunities. Compulsive use of social networking, however, remains a major issue among the younger users, potentially leaving a long-lasting impact on the younger population. Concerns have been raised regarding links between the compulsive use of social media and individual academic, social and physical performance. This study explores the motivations for social networking use, their relations to compulsive use, and implications for academic, physical and social performance, in an effort to inform strategies for the appropriate adoption and utilisation of social networking technologies. The study employs a finite mixture approach to segmenting the sample, and results show that two distinct groups motivated by utilitarian and social objectives respectively drive compulsive use by British students. Unlike previous studies, the UK sample does not display differences in terms of age or gender. This finding highlights the trend of gender agnostic views of social platforms by developers. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications for practice and future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]