Adolescent health brief
College Students and Problematic Internet Use: A Pilot Study Assessing Self-Appraisal and Independent Behavior Change

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2018.06.029Get rights and content

Abstract

Purpose

Problematic Internet Use (PIU) is a growing health concern; universal screening and validated interventions remain elusive. This pilot study's purpose was to assess participants’ self-appraisal of PIU risk, and the subsequent frequency and outcome of behavior change after validated PIU screening.

Methods

In this 3-year study, college student participants reported yearly self-appraised PIU risk, and then completed a problematic and risky internet use screening scale. At Time 3, participants reported behavior change based on Time 2 screening.

Results

Our 283 participants were 57% female and 75% Caucasian. Participants’ self-appraisal of PIU risk had a sensitivity of 23%–39%. Of 29 participants at risk at Time 2, six (20.6%) reported attempted behavior change at Time 3, though 83.3% remained at risk.

Conclusions

College students have varied capacity to assess and implement effective behavior change regarding PIU. The role of providers in identification and intervention for PIU remains critical.

Section snippets

Study design and setting

This prospective longitudinal pilot study included two large state universities, one in the Midwest and one in the Northwest. Data were collected between May 11, 2013 and June 15, 2015. This study received approval from the two relevant Institutional Review Boards.

Subjects and recruitment

College students were recruited via random selection from registrar's lists. Participants were eligible if they were enrolled at one of these two universities and between the ages of 17 and 19 years when entering college. Students

Results

A total of 283 participants included 57% female and 75% Caucasian. At Time 1, PRIUSS scores had mean of 12.04 (SD = 9.72), median of 10 (IQR: 4–18), with score range of 0–49. Participant's self-appraisal of PIU risk for T1–T3 compared to PRIUSS screening results are described in Table 1. There was high specificity and low sensitivity at all three time points. No significant differences in demographics or PIU were noted among drop-outs.

At T2, a total of 29 participants (11.2%) were at risk based

Discussion

In this pilot study, we describe college student participants’ experiences with self-appraisal for PIU, as well as frequency of pursuing behavior change after PIU screening. Findings suggest that college students at low risk for PIU are likely accurate in their appraisal of their low level of risk, while higher risk students have poor accuracy in estimating their risk.

Our study also followed college students over time to evaluate how often students attempt behavior changes based on PIU

Acknowledgments

This study was funded by grant R01DA031580-03 which is supported by the Common Fund, managed by the OD/Office of Strategic Coordination (OSC). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health

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Conflict of interest: No authors have conflicts of interest to report. The study sponsor had no role in (1) study design; (2) the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; (3) the writing of the report; and (4) the decision to submit the manuscript for publication.

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