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Abstract
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Study aims and objectives:
To assess the rate of excessive internet use in a clinical sample of patients attending an outpatient Child psychiatry clinic. To determine the relationship between internet addiction and the demographic variables and the objective is to identify prevailing online habits and its relationship to their psychiatric diagnosis.
Methodology:
Cross sectional survey of adolescents aged between 13 and 18 attending the outpatient Child and Adolescent Psychiatry clinic over a 3 month period using a self-rated questionnaire.
Participants were selected from the outpatient clinic database according to the inclusion criteria.
Inclusion criteria: Age between 13-18, IQ: >70, informed consent from parents/guardians and adolescent assent. Exclusion criteria: Age between 5-12
The questionnaire used to collect data was the internet addiction test, a 20 item questionnaire developed by Dr Kimberly Young. The design of this questionnaire was based on the concepts of behaviours exhibited by pathological gambling as defined by DSM IV diagnostic criteria. It measures mild, moderate and severe levels of internet addiction.
Along with the internet addiction test questionnaire, participants also answered a brief questionnaire about their internet habits. These included number of hours spent daily, what activities they engaged in while connected and demographic factors which included age and sex. Clinical diagnosis will be retrieved from clinical records for analysis.
Results:
Data is currently being collated for analysis. SPSS will be used to analyze the data. Preliminary results from approximately 40 completed questionnaires indicate that about 35% of sampled adolescents reported mild and 35% reported moderate levels of problematic internet use.
Final results of this study will be available in time for the conference.
Conclusion:
Children and Adolescents in modern times are not exempt from the changing trends brought by globalisation. The excessive use of internet is one of these developments, with real implications for the psychological wellbeing of Adolescents. It poses new challenges for parenting and the society.
Our research will generate an interesting discussion among child psychiatrists and other relevant stakeholders as it impacts on how we care for adolescents and their families.
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