TY  -  JOUR
AU  -  Bianchini, Valeria
AU  -  Cecilia, Maria Rosita
AU  -  Roncone, Rita
AU  -  Cofini, Vincenza
T1  -  Prevalence and factors associated with problematic internet use: 
an Italian survey among L’Aquila students
PY  -  2017
Y1  -  2017-03-01
DO  -  10.1708/2679.27445
JO  -  Rivista di Psichiatria
JA  -  Riv Psichiatr
VL  -  52
IS  -  2
SP  -  90
EP  -  93
PB  -  Il Pensiero Scientifico Editore
SN  -  2038-2502
Y2  -  2026/05/10
UR  -  http://dx.doi.org/10.1708/2679.27445
N2  -  SUMMARY. Aim. In this study we examined the prevalence of internet addiction (IA) and its associated factors in a sample of Italian students. Materials and methods. This is an observational study that involved 1403 students aged 15-24 and conducted in L’Aquila, Italy. 1129 students accepted to participate in our study and completed the Internet Addiction Test: 41% were male and the mean age of total sample was 19±2.8 years. Results. The prevalence of “average user” was 51% (95% CI: 48-54). The prevalence of “problematic user” was 23% (95% CI: 21-26). Among the students with a problematic use, 8 were addicted, the 0.7% in the whole sample. There was a significant age difference (p=0.029), but no gender difference (p=0.311) between “average users” and “problematic users”. The association of internet use and educational level (School or University) was not significant (p=0.704). Discussion. Our results showed that about one student out of 100 had an IA. Gender and educational level were not significantly associated with IA. Instead, we found a strong association with age: there was not a decrease of internet use during a lifetime, with negative consequences on quality of life. Conclusion. Our study reported a percentage of 30% of problematic internet use among students. These findings suggest the importance of early detection among youth and of structured interventions that should be carried out to prevent abnormal global life functioning.
ER  -