Internet Over-Users' Psychological Profiles: A Behavior Sampling Analysis on Internet Addiction

TLDR

The study aims to identify the psychological characteristics of individuals with excessive internet use and to explore their relationship with well‑being. The authors surveyed 13,588 Korean internet users using a modified Young's Internet Addiction Scale to assess over‑use and associated psychological profiles. Among participants, 3.5 % were classified as internet addicts and 18.4 % as possible addicts; addicts exhibited greater dysfunctional social behavior, escapism, stress‑driven internet use, higher loneliness, depression, compulsivity, and heightened interpersonal vulnerability.

Abstract

What kinds of psychological features do people have when they are overly involved in usage of the internet? Internet users in Korea were investigated in terms of internet over-use and related psychological profiles by the level of internet use. We used a modified Young's Internet Addiction Scale, and 13,588 users (7,878 males, 5,710 females), out of 20 million from a major portal site in Korea, participated in this study. Among the sample, 3.5% had been diagnosed as internet addicts (IA), while 18.4% of them were classified as possible internet addicts (PA). The Internet Addiction Scale showed a strong relationship with dysfunctional social behaviors. More IA tried to escape from reality than PA and Non-addicts (NA). When they got stressed out by work or were just depressed, IA showed a high tendency to access the internet. The IA group also reported the highest degree of loneliness, depressed mood, and compulsivity compared to the other groups. The IA group seemed to be more vulnerable to interpersonal dangers than others, showing an unusually close feeling for strangers. Further study is needed to investigate the direct relationship between psychological well-being and internet dependency.