Prevalence and Risk Factors of Internet Addiction among Hungarian High School Teachers

The relationship between problematic internet use and psychological distress in older Chinese teachers (40+) during different stages of the COVID-19 pandemic: three cross-sectional studies

Background

Despite a consensus on the negative implications of problematic internet use (PIU) for mental health, there is a notable gap in research concerning older demographics, particularly older teachers. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of PIU and its impact on the mental wellbeing of this population.

Methods

Three sub-studies were conducted: Study 1 (2020) investigated how fear induced by COVID-19 influenced PIU and psychological distress among 3,929 older teachers. Study 2 (2021) examined the effects of PIU on psychological needs thwarting (the frustration of basic psychological needs) and psychological distress, involving 3,502 participants. Study 3 (2022) explored the impact of PIU on occupational burnout and psychological distress, with 1,276 participants. The Generalized Linear Model in Jamovi 2.3.23 was used to evaluate the three mediation models.

Results

The three sub-studies revealed a high prevalence of PIU among older teachers (27.4% in Study 1, 27.4% in Study 2, and 24.5% in Study 3). High levels of PIU were associated with elevated psychological distress during the 3 years of the COVID-19 pandemic. In Study 1, fear of COVID-19 indirectly influenced psychological distress through PIU as a mediator. In Studies 2 and 3, respectively, psychological needs thwarting and occupational burnout mediated the relationship between PIU and psychological distress.

Conclusion

This study confirmed the high prevalence of PIU among older school teachers and the detrimental effect of PIU on psychological needs thwarting, occupational burnout, and psychological distress. Given these findings, education authorities and school management should take proactive steps to mitigate PIU and ensure the health and wellbeing of older teachers.

Association between internet use and primary headache severity among Hungarian university students: a cross-sectional study

Background

Recent studies suggest that increased digital technology usage could be a factor in the rising occurrence and severity of headache episodes. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to determine whether the severity of primary headaches (migraine and tension-type headache) is associated with problematic internet use taking many covariates into account.

Methods

We conducted an online cross-sectional survey using a quantitative, descriptive questionnaire, targeting university students enrolled in correspondence courses, aged 18 to 65. The survey included socio-demographic parameters, risk factors, concomitant diseases, medical history of headaches, and details of online activities. Psychometric measurements contained the Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire, the 9-item short version of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-SF), and the Athens Insomnia Questionnaire.

Results

A total of 550 responders (n = 480 female; n = 70 male) completed the online questionnaire package. Among the participants, 202 individuals (36.7%) reported experiencing headaches, 74 had migraines and 119 had tension-type headache. Internet addiction was detected in 46 (8.4%) participants. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) showed that significant risk factors of all primary headaches severity included being <30 years (p = 0.044, OR = 3.439), not having children (p = 0.014, OR = 2.493), being married (p = 0.035, OR = 2.528), spending more than 4 h per day on the internet (p = 0.021, OR = 1.088), experiencing mood disturbances (p = 0.033, OR = 1.345) and the presence of insomnia (p = 0.048, OR = 1.667). Furthermore, a slight positive correlation was identified between the amount of time individuals spent on the Internet and the severity of headaches (r = 0.138, r2 = 0.019, ß = 1.068, p = 0.049). Patients with migraine or tension-type headache showed different predecessors, internet use was only associated with the severity of tension-type headache (night-time internet use, OR = 3.075, p = 0.043, and internet addiction, OR = 1.221, p = 0.003).

Conclusion

This research marks one of the initial epidemiological investigations in Hungary concentrating on the possible adverse impact of online activities on the severity of headache. Although our study could find slight correlation between the role of online activities and internet addiction on the severity of primary headaches, the topic merits further investigation.

Problematic Internet use and attitudes towards persons with disabilities - cross-sectional research among Polish students

BACKGROUND

Problematic Internet use (PIU) can have detrimental effects on physical, emotional, psychological, and social functioning. Besides well-described PIU correlations in psychological domains such as personality traits, or life satisfaction, and self-assessment, the social aspect of PIU risk also appeared to be important. This study aimed to investigate the association between PIU and attitudes towards persons with disabilities.

METHODS

A total of 595 Polish students aged 18-29 participated in this research by completing the Internet Addiction Test, Multidimensional Attitudes Scale Towards Persons With Disabilities, and personal information form.

RESULTS

The findings revealed that 30.6% of the respondents were at high risk for PIU. Moreover, heightened levels of PIU were more prevalent among male participants and students in technical fields of study than in those in medical and social fields of study. Increased PIU was also associated with more negative attitudes towards persons with disabilities in general and in the domains of emotions and behaviours. Additionally, prior personal contact with individuals with disabilities was related to both PIU rates and attitudes towards persons with disabilities in the domain of emotions and beliefs.

CONCLUSIONS

This study highlights the prevalence of PIU among Polish students and emphasizes the need for preventive measures, particularly targeting male students and those in technical fields of study. The results indicate a relationship between PIU and attitudes towards individuals with disabilities. Further research is required to determine the direction of the relationship. It is recommended that educational programs provide opportunities for interaction with individuals with disabilities to promote understanding and acceptance.

Problematic Internet Use among Polish Students: Prevalence, Relationship to Sociodemographic Data and Internet Usage Patterns

Problematic Internet Use (PIU) is a broad term that covers problems with Internet use that result in psychological, social, academic or professional difficulties. The aim of our study was to identify individuals particularly vulnerable to developing PIU among Polish students, taking into account sociodemographic characteristics and Internet use patterns. A total of 1008 students of Polish universities took part in the survey. The research tool was The Problematic Internet Use Test-the Polish version of the Internet Addiction Test. Among the respondents, 10.2% showed signs of PIU-high or very high risk of addiction. Significantly higher levels of PIU were found in males than females, science students than medical and humanities students, and Internet users using a computer, as opposed to students using only a phone/tablet. A decrease in PIU was observed as students improved their assessment of their material situation. The severity of PIU increased significantly as the importance of Internet use for entertainment increased. Our research indicates that it is worth implementing measures to prevent the development of PIU in Poland, e.g., screening educational campaigns, especially for science students. It is also necessary to offer students at lower levels of education, especially the less affluent, forms of leisure time other than computer activity with the use of the Internet.

Evaluating a cross-lagged panel model between problematic internet use and psychological distress and cross-level mediation of school administrator support on problematic internet use: The serial mediating role of psychological needs thwarting of online teaching and psychological distress

Background

To reduce the transmission of COVID-19, many teachers across the globe, including teachers in China, were required to teach online. This shift to online teaching can easily result in psychological need thwarting (PNT) of teachers' psychological basic needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness), leaving them vulnerable to negative psychological outcomes. Resulting negative emotional state may lead to problematic internet use (PIU), which can lead to further psychological distress, forming a vicious cycle.

Methods

The present study was conducted using a cross-lagged panel model (with longitudinal data) and hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) (with cross-sectional data). The aims were to investigate (i) the reciprocal relationships between two specific forms of PIU [problematic social media use (PSMU) and problematic gaming (PG)] and psychological distress among schoolteachers, and (ii) the influence of administrators' support on schoolteachers' PIU through a cross-level serial mediation model (PNT of online teaching was the first mediator and psychological distress was the second mediator affected by PNT of online teaching). Primary and secondary schoolteachers (N = 980; mean age = 34.76; 82.90% females) participated in two surveys (Time 1: mid-November 2021; Time 2: early-January 2022).

Results

Results indicated that (i) high psychological distress at Time 1 was associated with increased levels of PSMU and PG at Time 2. Inversely, PG at Time 1 was associated with increased psychological distress at Time 2, although PSMU at Time 1 did not have a significant influence on psychological distress at Time 2; (ii) during Time 1, increased administrative support contributed to alleviating teachers' psychological needs thwarting of online teaching, thereby lowering their psychological distress which, in turn, resulted in a decrease in PG.

Conclusion

PG had a stronger negative influence on teachers' psychological distress than PSMU. To relieve teachers' PG, administrative support can alleviate teachers' psychological needs thwarting of online teaching and psychological distress. Based on this finding, school managers must consider effective ways to support teachers during mandatory online teaching.

Prevalence of Problematic Internet Use during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The present paper reviews recent studies on problematic Internet use (PIU) prevalence before and during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Several pre-pandemic meta-analyses reported PIU prevalence estimates ranging from 6% to 9.7%. Experts in the field of online addictions speculated that PIU would increase during the pandemic because of increased time spent on the Internet. However, it is still unclear if increased time on the Internet resulted in higher PIU prevalence estimates during the pandemic. Prevalence estimates differed greatly across studies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Possible inconsistencies are outlined together with future directions for PIU prevalence studies.

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Problematic Internet Use among Hungarian Adult Recreational Esports Players

Background: Esports are highly prevalent in modern culture, particularly among young people, and are a healthy hobby for the majority of users. However, there is a possible link between video gaming (including esports) and problematic internet use (so-called internet addiction, IA), mostly involving adolescents. Methods: Here we present an online survey focusing on the prevalence and risk factors of internet addiction among adult esports players. Demographics included age, gender, family type, type of work, working years and daily internet use. Medical conditions associated with IA such as smoking, alcohol and drug intake, hypertension, diabetes, ischemic heart disease, musculoskeletal pain and history of depression were also recorded. Results: Overall, 2313 players including 176 females (7.6%) and 2137 males (92.4%) participated in our online survey. Age distribution was the following: 18−25 years 90.3% (2088/2313), 26−35 years 7.95% (184/2313), 36−45 years 0.86% (20/2313), 46−55 years 0.82% (19/2313), 56−62 years 0.04% (1/2313) and 62 years or older 0.04% (1/2313). Internet addiction was detected in 19.9% of players (461/2313) based on the Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire. In a multivariate analysis internet addiction was significantly associated with age between 18 and 25 (OR: 1.675, p = 0.002), being single (OR = 1.505, p = 0.014), internet use > 6 h daily (OR = 4.338, p < 0.001), having < 3 children (OR: 2.037, p = 0.023) and having secondary employment (OR = 1.789, p = 0.037). Regular alcohol intake (OR = 18.357, p < 0.001) and history of depression (OR= 5.361, p = 0.032) were also strongly correlated with IA. Conclusion: This is the first study from Hungary investigating the prevalence and risk factors of internet addiction among adult esports players. One out of five adult gamers suffered from IA. Our study also draws attention to increased risk within this group and risk factors such as younger age, family status and type of employment.

The Association of Internet Addiction with Burnout, Depression, Insomnia, and Quality of Life among Hungarian High School Teachers

The extensive availability of Internet has led to the recognition of problematic Internet use (so called Internet addiction, IA) mostly involving adolescents. There are limited data about the prevalence and consequences of IA in adults especially among high school teachers. Here, we present a cross-sectional prospective study focusing on the association of Internet addiction with burnout, depression, insomnia, and lower quality of life among high school teachers taking many co-variates into account. Overall, 623 males (34.3%) and 1194 females (65.7%) participated in our study. Internet addiction was detected in 5.2% (95/1817) based on the Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire. Internet addiction was associated with severe burnout (10.5 vs. 2.7%, p < 0.001), moderate (36.8 vs. 1.7%, p < 0.001), and severe (6.3 vs. 0.1%, p < 0.001) depression, insomnia (23.1 vs. 11.4%, p < 0.001), and severe sleep disturbance (severe insomnia, 27.4 vs. 3.8%, p < 0.001) and lower quality of life in all domains (p < 0.001). There was also a significant correlation of the severity of the above-mentioned parameters and the severity of IA (overall scores, p < 0.001 in all cases). In a multivariate analysis including demographic criteria, risk factors medical conditions and the above-mentioned parameters as co-variates internet addiction was significantly associated with depression (OR = 3.836, CI: 2.92-5.44, p = 0.03), and insomnia (OR: 3.932, CI: 3.6-5.69, p = 0.002). This is the first study from Hungary and is one of the first studies showing the association of IA with mental issues, burnout, and lower quality of life among adults. It underlines the clinical importance of problematic Internet use among adults.

The Effect of Primary and Middle School Teachers' Problematic Internet Use and Fear of COVID-19 on Psychological Need Thwarting of Online Teaching and Psychological Distress

Problematic Internet use (PIU) is a risk factor for psychological distress during COVID-19, as teachers are a psychologically vulnerable population. We explored the role of PIU in terms of primary and middle school teachers' fear of COVID-19 and psychological need thwarting (PNT) of online teaching. We empirically evaluated the relationships among these research variables in explaining teachers' psychological distress during COVID-19. Online survey data were collected from 9030 teachers. A high proportion of participants demonstrated psychological distress: depression (20.4%), anxiety (26.4%), and stress (10.2%). Structural equation modeling was used to test our proposed conceptual model, wherein PIU behaviors served as predictors, mediated by fear of COVID-19 and PNT of online teaching, for teachers' psychological distress. With ideal model fit, the results of the path coefficients indicated that PIU behaviors were associated with fear of COVID-19 (p < 0.001); fear of COVID-19 and PNT of online teaching were associated with psychological distress (p < 0.001); and fear of COVID-19 was also positively associated with PNT of online teaching (p < 0.001). PSU and PSMU had an indirect positive effect on psychological distress through the mediator of fear of COVID-19 and PNT of online teaching. As such, we suggest that school administrators pay greater attention to teachers' psychological needs through efforts to enhance teachers' autonomy and relatedness from interpersonal relationships, alleviating PNT of online teaching. Our PNT of online teaching scale may also serve as a contribution for further research and practice.

Behaviour of Children and Adolescents and the Use of Mobile Phones in Primary Schools in the Czech Republic

Today’s young people spend most of their time in contact with mobile devices. Their excessive use carries many risks, such as addiction, cyberbullying and social disruption. Based on this, this study analysed the mobile phone use of young Czechs between 7 and 17 years old (n = 27.177) and assessed the differences in their behaviour according to the mobile device use policies of their schools. The results show that the use of mobile phones was linked to the one of the social networks, YouTube and videogames for the most part. Similarly, those young people who had them at school preferred to use them, instead of practicing sports or social activities. On the other hand, in the centres in which the use of mobile phones was prohibited, they felt bored and without activities to do. Therefore, it will be necessary for schools to implement educational policies that encourage activities and areas of social interaction in the school, especially during recess. However, at the same time, it is recommended not to prohibit the use of technological devices in the educational centre, since this fact encourages students to use them secretly and increases their desire to use them. To this end, its use in the classroom is advocated from an educational perspective, thus promoting collaborative learning and increasing student motivation.

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Internet Addiction among Hungarian High School Students

Introduction: The extensive availability of the internet has led to the recognition of problematic internet use (so-called internet addiction—IA) mostly concerning adolescents. Aim: Here, we present a study focusing on the prevalence and risk factors of internet addiction in Hungarian high school students, using a questionnaire-based survey. Results: Overall, 3000 paper-based questionnaires were successfully delivered and 2540 responses were received (response rate of 84.6%). A total of 1309 males (mean age 17.6 ± 1.43 years) (51.5%) and 1231 females (mean age 17.5 ± 1.4 years) (48.5%) took part in our study. Internet addiction was detected in 486 (19.1%) students (232 males, mean age 17.6 ± 1.35 years, and 254 females, mean age 17.34 ± 1.37 years) based on the Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire. In a multivariate analysis, age (age of 17, OR = 3.688, p < 0.001), family status (living without parents) (OR = 2.091, p = 0.034), the size of the household (more than five people per household) (OR = 2.546, p = 0.026), spending more than 6 h online (OR = 5.457, p < 0.001), and daily time interval (OR = 84.316, p < 0.001) were significantly associated with internet addiction. Alcohol use (OR = 10.341, p = 0.001), drug intake (OR = 6.689, p = 0.001) and musculoskeletal disorders (OR = 3.966, p = 0.047) were also strongly associated with IA. Conclusion: A significant proportion of our students suffered from IA, which is associated with substance intake (possible abuse) and musculoskeletal pain in the multivariate analysis. Our study also draws attention to the preventable risk factors of IA, such as working hours or nighttime internet use, number of hours spent online and family surroundings.

The Impact of Internet Addiction and Job Satisfaction on Mental Health Symptoms among a Sample of Portuguese Workers

Not many studies assessing the impact of internet addiction (IA) and job satisfaction (JS) on mental health symptoms (MHS) among active workers exist. Therefore, the purpose of this study was as follows: (a) to assess the presence of criteria for IA among a sample of active workers; (b) to analyze differences in IA, JS and MHS, by gender; (c) to analyze association levels among IA, JS, and MHS; and (d) to determine the predictive effect of IA and JS on MHS. In total, 1064 participants (M_age = 40.66; SD = 12.02) completed a survey containing four categories of measures: demographic information, internet addiction, job satisfaction, and mental health symptoms (anxiety and depression). Results showed a presence of 13.3% for IA among the sample. Male participants showed higher scores of IA and JS but lower scores of overall MSH than female participants did. Significant positive correlations were found between overall IA and MHS, and significant negative correlations were found between IA and JS, and MHS and JS. Hierarchical linear regression analysis showed that strong predictors of MHS were age (being older), gender (being female), not having enough economic funds, being unsatisfied with the leadership in the job, being unsatisfied with the nature of the job, and having higher scores in salience and excessive use regarding IA. In conclusion, addiction to internet technology is a risk factor with implications for occupational satisfaction and mental health.