Internet Addiction in Kurdistan University Students: Prevalence and Association with Self-Control

Abstract

This study aims to reveal the prevalence of internet addiction among Kurdish university students and its association with self-control. 623 students form 19 universities in various colleges and schools, 335 boys (54 %) and 288 (46%) girls took part in this study in which they were asked to complete an internet addiction and self-control self-report. The findings indicated that the prevalence of internet addiction among Kurdish university population is very high, concluding that 36.5% of the participants met the internet addiction criteria. In addition, it was found that males and females are equally susceptible to becoming addicted to the internet. The results also showed that internet addiction correlates negatively to the self-control and positively with impulsive behaviour. Based on the regression analysis, 15.7% of the variance of internet addiction can be explained by self-control. Further study should investigate the effect of internet addiction on discomfort intolerance.

Keywords

• Internet addiction,self-control,impulsive behaviour,distress intolerance

Kaynakça

1. Akin, A., & Iskender, M. (2011). Internet addiction and depression, anxiety and stress. International Online Journal of Educational Sciences, 3(1), 138–148.
2. Anderson, K. J. (2001). Internet use among college students: An exploratory study. Journal of the American College Health Association, 50(1), 21–26. http://doi.org/10.1080/07448480109595707
3. Baumeister, R. F. (2003). Ego depletion and self-regulation failure: A resource model of self-control. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 27(2), 281–284. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.ALC.0000060879.61384.A4
4. Baumeister, R. F., Vohs, K. D., & Tice, D. M. (2007). The strength model of self-control. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 16(6), 351–355. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8721.2007.00534.x
5. Bayer, J. B., Ellison, N. B., Schoenebeck, S. Y., & Falk, E. B. (2016). Sharing the small moments: ephemeral social interaction on Snapchat. Information Communication and Society, 19(7), 956–977. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2015.1084349
6. Beard, K. W., & Wolf, E. M. (2001). Modification in the proposed diagnostic criteria for internet addiction. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 4(3), 377–383. https://doi.org/10.1089/109493101300210286
7. Bozkurt, H., Coskun, M., Ayaydin, H., Adak, I., & Zoroglu, S. S. (2013). Prevalence and patterns of psychiatric disorders in referred adolescents with Internet addiction. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 67(5), 352–359. https://doi.org/10.1111/pcn.12065
8. Cao, F., & Su, L. (2007). Internet addiction among Chinese adolescents: Prevalence and psychological features. Child: Care, Health and Development, 33(3), 275–281. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2214.2006.00715.x

9. Cheung, L. M., & Wong, W. S. (2011). The effects of insomnia and internet addiction on depression in Hong Kong Chinese adolescents: An exploratory cross-sectional analysis. Journal of Sleep Research, 20(2), 311–317. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2869.2010.00883.x
10. Chou, C., & Hsiao, M. C. (2000). Internet addiction, usage, gratification, and pleasure experience: The Taiwan college students’ case. Computers and Education, 35(1), 65–80. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0360-1315(00)00019-1
11. Craparo, G., Messina, R., Severino, S., Fasciano, S., Cannella, V., Gori, A., … Baiocco, R. (2014). The relationships between self-efficacy, internet addiction and shame. Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine, 36(3), 304. https://doi.org/10.4103/0253-7176.135386
12. Davis, R. A. (2001). Cognitive-behavioral model of pathological Internet use. Computers in Human Behavior, 17(2), 187–195. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0747-5632(00)00041-8
13. Ferrari, J. R., Stevens, E. B., & Jason, L. A. (2009). The role of self-regulation in abstinence maintenance: Effects of communal living on self-regulation. Journal of Groups in Addiction and Recovery, 4(1–2), 32–41. https://doi.org/10.1080/15560350802712371
14. Fu, K. W., Chan, W. S. C., Wong, P. W. C., & Yip, P. S. F. (2010). Internet addiction: Prevalence, discriminant validity and correlates among adolescents in Hong Kong. British Journal of Psychiatry, 196(6), 486–492. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.109.075002
15. Griffiths, M. (2000). Internet addiction - time to be taken seriously? Addiction Research, 8(5), 413–418. https://doi.org/10.3109/16066350009005587
16. Griffiths, M. D. M. (1999). Internet addiction: Internet fuels other addictions. Student British Medical Journal, 7, 428–429.
17. Huang, R. L., Lu, Z., Liu, J. J., You, Y. M., Pan, Z. Q., Wei, Z., … Wang, Z. Z. (2009). Features and predictors of problematic internet use in Chinese college students. Behaviour and Information Technology, 28(5), 485–490. https://doi.org/10.1080/01449290701485801
18. Jelenchick, L. A., Becker, T., & Moreno, M. A. (2012). Assessing the psychometric properties of the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) in US college students. Psychiatry Research, 196(2–3), 296–301. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2011.09.007
19. Kandell, J. J. (1998). Internet addiction on campus: The vulnerability of college students. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 1(1), 11–17. https://doi.org/10.1089/cpb.1998.1.11
20. Kim, E. J., Namkoong, K., Ku, T., & Kim, S. J. (2008). The relationship between online game addiction and aggression, self-control and narcissistic personality traits. European Psychiatry, 23(3), 212–218. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpsy.2007.10.010
21. Kim, K., Ryu, E., Chon, M. Y., Yeun, E. J., Choi, S. Y., Seo, J. S., & Nam, B. W. (2006). Internet addiction in Korean adolescents and its relation to depression and suicidal ideation: A questionnaire survey. International Journal of Nursing Studies. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2005.02.005
22. Ko, C.-H., Yen, J.-Y., Chen, C.-C., Chen, S.-H., & Yen, C.-F. (2005). Gender differences and related factors affecting online gaming addiction among Taiwanese adolescents. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 193(4), 273–277. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.nmd.0000158373.85150.57
23. Ko, C. H., Yen, J. Y., Liu, S. C., Huang, C. F., & Yen, C. F. (2009). The associations between aggressive behaviors and internet addiction and online activities in adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health, 44(6), 598–605. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2008.11.011
24. Kraut, R., Patterson, M., Lundmark, V., Kiesler, S., Mukopadhyay, T., & Scherlis, W. (1998). Internet paradox: A social technology that reduces social involvement and psychological well-being? American Psychologist, 53(9), 1017–1031. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.53.9.1017
25. Kuss, D. J., Griffiths, M. D., & Binder, J. F. (2013). Internet addiction in students: Prevalence and risk factors. Computers in Human Behavior, 29(3), 959–966. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2012.12.024
26. Lee, O., & Shin, M. (2004). Addictive consumption of avatars in cyberspace. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 7(4), 417–420. https://doi.org/10.1089/cpb.2004.7.417
27. Leung, L. (2004). Net-generation attributes and seductive properties of the internet as predictors of online activities and internet addiction. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 7(3), 333–348. https://doi.org/10.1089/1094931041291303
28. Luka´cs, A., Boussouf, N., Deneche, I., Albane, A., Varga, B., De´chelotte, P., & Tavolacci, M. (2015). University, prevalence of internet addiction risk in students in Algeria, France and Hungary: Joel Ladner. European Journal of Public Health, 25(3), ckv170.005. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckv170.005
29. Mohammadbeigi, A., Hashiani, A., Ghamari, F., & Mohammadsalehi, N. (2011). Internet addiction and modeling its risk factors in medical students, Iran. Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine, 33(2), 158–162. https://doi.org/10.4103/0253-7176.92068
30. Niemz, K., Griffiths, M., & Banyard, P. (2005). Prevalence of pathological internet use among university students and correlations with self-esteem, the general health questionnaire (GHQ), and disinhibition. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 8(6), 562–570. https://doi.org/10.1089/cpb.2005.8.562
31. Oh, W. O. (2003). Factors influencing internet addiction tendency among middle school students in Gyeong-buk area. Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing, 33(8), 1135–1144. https://doi.org/10.4040/jkan.2003.33.8.1135
32. Orsal, O., Orsal, O., Unsal, A., & Ozalp, S. S. (2013). Evaluation of internet addiction and depression among university students. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 82, 445–454. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.06.291
33. Poli, R., & Agrimi, E. (2012). Internet addiction disorder: Prevalence in an Italian student population. Nordic Journal of Psychiatry, 66(1), 55–59. https://doi.org/10.3109/08039488.2011.605169
34. Rothbaum, F., Weisz, J. R., & Snyder, S. S. (1982). Changing the world and changing the self: A two-process model of perceived control. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 42(1), 5–37. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.42.1.5
35. Shapira, N. A., Goldsmith, T. D., Keck, P. E., Khosla, U. M., & McElroy, S. L. (2000). Psychiatric features of individuals with problematic internet use. Journal of Affective Disorders, 57(1–3), 267–272. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0165-0327(99)00107-X
36. Siomos, K. E., Angelopoulos, N. V., Mouzas, O. D., Dafouli, E. D., & Braimiotis, D. A. (2008). Internet addiction among greek adolescent students. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 11(6), 653–657. https://doi.org/10.1089/cpb.2008.0088
37. Tangney, J. P., Baumeister, R. F., & Boone, A. L. (2004). High self-control predicts good adjustment, less pathology, better grades, and interpersonal success. Journal of Personality, 72(2), 271–324. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0022-3506.2004.00263.x
38. Wei, H. T., Chen, M. H., Huang, P. C., & Bai, Y. M. (2012). The association between online gaming, social phobia, and depression: An internet survey. BMC Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-244X-12-92
39. Young, K. S. (1998). Internet Addiction: The emergence of a new clinical disorder. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 1(3), 237–244. https://doi.org/10.1089/cpb.1998.1.237
40. Young, K. S. (2004). Internet addiction: A new clinical phenomenon and its consequences. American Behavioral Scientist, 48(4), 402–415. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764204270278
41. Yuen, C. N., & Lavin, M. J. (2004). Internet Dependence in the Collegiate Population: The Role of Shyness. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 7(4), 379–383. https://doi.org/10.1089/cpb.2004.7.379