Theory and measurement of generalized problematic Internet use: A two-step approach

doi:10.1016/j.chb.2010.03.012

Computers in Human Behavior

Volume 26, Issue 5, September 2010, Pages 1089-1097

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2010.03.012 Get rights and content

Abstract

This study tested an updated cognitive-behavioral model of generalized problematic Internet use and reports results of a confirmatory analysis of the Generalized Problematic Internet Use Scale 2 (GPIUS2). Overall, the results indicated that a preference for online social interaction and use of the Internet for mood regulation, predict deficient self-regulation of Internet use (i.e., compulsive Internet use and a cognitive preoccupation with the Internet). In turn, deficient self-regulation was a significant predictor of the extent to which one’s Internet use led to negative outcomes. Results indicated the model fit the data well and variables in the model accounted for 27% of the variance in mood regulation scores, 65% of variance in participants’ deficient self-regulation scores, and 61% of variance in the negative outcome scores.

Section snippets

Rationiale

For almost 15 years, researchers have examined problematic aspects of Internet use. One consistent pattern to emerge from this literature is that problematic Internet use (PIU) is often associated with interpersonal uses of the Internet (for recent reviews see Caplan and High, in press, Morahan-Martin, 2007, Morahan-Martin, 2008). To explain why online social behavior is related to problematic outcomes, Caplan, 2002, Caplan, 2003 employed Davis’ (2001) cognitive-behavioral model of generalized

Participants

Participants were recruited in two ways. First, 424 undergraduate students from a variety of different majors enrolled in a large introductory communication course participated in the study for extra credit. Next, to obtain a more representative sample (i.e., older and non-student), students in a different large undergraduate class recruited 361 non-student participants who were at least 30 years old. In all, 785 people (543 men and 242 women) ranging in age from 18 to 70 (M = 33.14 years old,

Discussion

The overall purpose of the study reported here was update the cognitive-behavioral model of GPIU by integrating ideas and results from more recent research. The study employed Anderson and Gerbing’s (1988) two-step approach to theory development and validation. As such, the study had two specific goals. First the study validated a measurement instrument, the GPIUS2, designed to operationalize key constructs necessary for testing the conceptual model. With the measurement model in place, the

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Theory and measurement of generalized problematic Internet use: A two-step approach

Abstract

Section snippets

Rationiale

Participants

Discussion

Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes

Computers in Human Behavior

Computers in Human Behavior

Computers in Human Behavior

Structural equation modeling in practice. A review and recommended two-step approach

Psychological Bulletin

Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory

The interdependence of theory, methodology, and empirical data: Causal modeling as an approach to construct validation

Structural equations with latent variables

Recommendations for APA test standards regarding construct, trait, or discriminant validity

American Psychologist

Convergent and discriminant validation by the multitrait-multimethod matrix

Psychological Bulletin

Problematic Internet use and psychosocial well-being: Development of a theory-based cognitive-behavioral measure

Computers in Human Behavior

Preference for online social interaction: A theory of problematic Internet use and psychosocial well-being

Communication Research

A social skill account of problematic internet use

Journal of Communication

Relations among loneliness, social anxiety, and problematic Internet use

CyberPsychology & Behavior

Beyond excessive use: The interaction between cognitive and behavioral symptoms of problematic Internet use

Communication Research Reports

Construct validity in psychological tests

Psychological Bulletin

Validation of a new measure of problematic Internet use: Implications for pre-employment screening

CyberPsychology & Behavior

Does Internet and computer “addiction” exist? Some case study evidence

CyberPsychology and Behavior

Structural equation modeling in the communication sciences, 1995–2000

Human Communication Research

The importance of indirect effects in media effects research: Testing for mediation in structural equation modeling

Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media