Problematic internet and cell-phone use: Psychological, behavioral, and health correlates (2007)

Comments: Study – “heavy Internet use is associated with high anxiety; high cell-phone use is associated to being female, and having high anxiety and insomnia.”  This was before smartphones.


 
Cristina Jenaro1†, Noelia Flores1, María Gómez-Vela1, Francisca González-Gil1 and Cristina Caballo1

1INICO (Instituto Universitario de Integración en la Comunidad), Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de Salamanca, Avda. de la Merced, 109-131, 37005-Salamanca (España)
†Correspondence: Cristina Jenaro, INICO, Facultad de Psicología, Departamento de Personalidad, Evaluación y Tratamiento Psicológicos, Universidad de Salamanca, Avda. de la Merced, 109-131, 37005-Salamanca (España), +34-923 294695, +34-923 29 46 85

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 (α = 0.88 and α = 0.87, 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.