Project work
Topic:
“Effect of Internet Addiction on Mental Health”
Submitted By: Submitted to:
Deepesh Shukla Dr. Anuradha Kotnala
B.Sc. Vsem
Senior Lecturer
Deptt. of Psychology
Department of Psychology
Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya
Gayatrikunj, Shantikunj
Hardwar (UK)
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I’m heartily indebted. To PARAM PUJYA GURUDEV and
VANDANIYA MATAJI for their subtle blessings on me. I express
my respect and gratitude to our respected Chancellor Dr. Pranav
Pandya ji and our dear Shaill JiJi.
I would especially pay my cordial gratitude to my Guide Dr.
Anuradha Kotnala who had been guiding me through out this project
work. I’m deeply indebted to Head and Staffs of Dept of Psychology
who continuously guided and encouraged me and gave their
incalculable suggestions for initiating this project.
I would like to thank my friends and subjects who have always
supported me and co-operated in the conduction of the project work. I
thank to all and express my deep sense of gratitude towards them. I
would like to acknowledge DSVV for providing me the time and
opportunity to Study “The Effect of Internet Addiction on Mental
Health of Adolescents.”
DATE:24/10/2011 Deepesh Shukla
B.Sc. 5th
SEM
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Need of Study
Literature Review
Problem
Hypothesis
Chapter- I Introduction
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Need of Study:
Original motivation
My interest in this particular field of the human-computer interaction
was stimulated when observing student colleagues using the Internet
(Google, Yahoo, WWW, email). I was wondering if heavy use of the
Internet could lead to addictive behaviour and loss of Mental Health.
During my lectures in the last semester I got interested in the method
of doing statistic evaluation with questionnaires and I wanted to
evaluate, if there are people who show signs of Internet addictive
behaviour and loss of Mental Health and how it differs from general
Internet behaviour.
As the usage of the Internet is growing rapidly each year, Internet
addiction has become a problem among some users. There is an
emerging public health concern over the increase in Internet usage,
particularly among adolescents. Research has demonstrated that
excessive Internet use has substantial negative effects on
psychological, emotional and social aspects of an individual’s well-
being and mental health. In regards to human development and
behavior, the Internet is important to adolescents and is a means for
socializing, education, information access, entertainment, shopping
and communication. Given that so many adolescents are reliant on the
Internet in several areas in their life, it is vital to be aware of the
impact that Internet use has on adolescent behavior, mental health and
well-being.
Internet addiction is a contemporary problem brought about by easy
access to computers and online information. Individuals addicted to
the Internet can develop many types of disorders. In extreme cases,
persons addicted to the Internet may be destructive to themselves,
their families, and their place of employment. Corporate executives
need to have a better understanding of Internet addiction because
employees with Internet addiction can be highly counter- productive
as well as cause other legal problems. This study examines research
trends in the area of Internet addiction and Mental health. It provides
management implications for policy development and planning.
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Specifically, this study identifies the leading researchers, institutions,
specialization, and information dissemination outlets for Internet
addiction research in the last quarter of the lOth
Century to the present.
This study should be of interest to educators at academic institutions,
students interested in institutions offering Internet addiction courses
and programs, and researchers specializing in online addiction
studies. Clinical psychologists, behavioral counselors, psychiatrists,
clergy, and addiction therapists will find the results of this study
useful. In particular, corporate attorneys dealing with addiction cases,
human resource specialists seeking rehabilitation facilities for
addicted employees, health related policy makers, computing
consultants, and risk assessors of insurance companies will find the
results of this study to be valuable.
Internet addiction disorder (IAD) is a modern day addiction. Persons
with IAD can exhibit symptoms, suffer drawbacks, and face
consequences that are similar to individuals addicted to alcohol,
gambling, narcotics, shopping, and other compulsive behaviors. One
way to describe persons infected with this disorder is that they find
the virtual environment to be more attractive than everyday reality.
Their daily lives are dominated with their need to be online. Sadly,
this addiction is affecting millions of People and their families in
every aspect of their life. The primary areas affected include school,
family, work and relationships (Young 998).
As early as in 1976, the year after the Internet came into being, the
American Psychological Association (APA) had anticipated that the
Internet would potentially lead to addictive behavior among users.
The psychology community was asked to develop policy guidelines
for counseling persons who may become addicted to the Internet
(APA 1976). Compared to other known forms of addictions such as
gambling and alcohol, public awareness about Internet addiction is
still in its stage of infancy. However, a number of specialists have
studied the Internet addiction problem and have offered a number of
definitions and reasons for the behavior.
First, Internet addiction can be defined as an impulse disorder. Some
of the characteristics of this problem are similar to those of
pathological gambling. For instance, Orzack conducted a study in
1999. She found that people who are susceptible to Internet addiction
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are people who are easily bored, lonely, shy, depressed and suffering
from other addictions (Orzack 1999). Orzack's findings are not new.
A year earlier, Young had identified seven other reasons to this list
and had actually called the problem Internet Addiction
Disorder(IAD). The remaining seven reasons are marital discontent,
work related stress, financial problems, insecurity, anxiety, struggle in
life, and limited social life (Young 1998). As an impulsive disorder,
there are two major types of treatments that are available to help
persons who may be Internet addicted. The treatments are cognitive
behavioral therapy (CBT) and motivational enhancement therapy
(MET). CBT is found to be more popular than MET (Onack 1999).
Second, it can be viewed as a psychiatric disorder. Based on this point
of view, a new field of research called "Internet Psychotherapy" has
emerged (Stein 1997). This view recognizes Internet addicts as
patients. The suggested method of treatment involves the formation of
newsgroups and discussion groups. In this form of treatment,
members of relevant psychiatric disorders act as a support group to
reduce Internet addiction by giving online suggestions and treatment
procedures (Huang; Alessi 1997).
Third, Internet addiction is a behavioral problem. This is because
there is a strong correlation between persons involved with Internet
addiction and chemical dependency. Studies have confirmed that
people who are having chemical dependency problems tend to spend
more time per week online chatting than the "non chemical
dependent" users (Scherer 1997).
Review of Literature
1. In the Stanford study (2009) - Aboujaoude, clinical assistant professor
in psychiatry and behavioral sciences and director of Stanford’s
Impulse Control Disorders Clinic said is the first large-scale, random-
sample epidemiological one ever done—the researchers conducted a
nationwide household survey and interviewed 2,513 adults. Because
no generally accepted screening instrument exists for problematic
Internet use, the researchers developed their questions by
extrapolating from other compulsive and addictive conditions.
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The researchers found that 68.9 percent were regular Internet
users, which is consistent with previous studies, and that:
13.7 percent (more than one out of eight respondents) found it
hard to stay away from the Internet for several days at a time
12.4 percent stayed online longer than intended very often or
often
12.3 percent had seen a need to cut back on Internet use at some
point
8.7 percent attempted to conceal non-essential Internet use from
family, friends and employers
8.2 percent used the Internet as a way to escape problems or
relieve negative mood
5.9 percent felt their relationships suffered as a result of
excessive Internet use
Aboujaoude said he found most concerning the numbers of people
who hid their nonessential Internet use or used the Internet to escape a
negative mood, much in the same way that alcoholics might. “In a
sense, they’re using the Internet to ‘self-medicate,’” he said. “And
obviously something is wrong when people go out of their way to
hide their Internet activity.”
While the numbers indicate that a subset of people might have a
problem with Internet use, Aboujaoude stressed that it’s premature to
say whether people in the sample actually have a clinical disorder.
“We’re not saying this is a diagnosis—we still need to learn a lot
more,” he said. “But this study was a necessary first step toward
possibly identifying something clinically significant.”
Aboujaoude said the next step is to conduct comprehensive clinical
interviews on a large sample of people to better identify clinically
relevant markers for problematic Internet use, and to better
understand whether this phenomenon constitutes an independent
psychological disorder.
2. On October 2007, a Sun-Herald (Sydney) article referred to
Facebook as ‘Stalkbook’ and ‘Crackbook’ (Dasey 2007). Not only
did the article state the claim that Facebook ‘enables people to
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monitor and track what you are doing without you being aware of it’,
but also claimed that people ‘find it addictive and spend endless
hours trawling the site’.
3. More recently, Shapira, Lessig, Goldsmith, Szabo, Lazoritz, Gold,
and Stein (2003) proposed a revised classification and diagnostic
criteria for problematic Internet use. Furthermore, Black, Belsare and
Schlosser (1999) pointed out that Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD)
seemed to have high comorbidity with other psychiatric disorders.
Because of this, the criteria need to be unique so that it can evaluate
the validity of Internet abuse as a distinct disorder. Shapira et al.
discussed the concept of ‘positive addiction’ (Glasser, 1976).
However, the concept has been questioned, as the criteria for positive
addiction do not resemble many of the components of more
established addictions, such as tolerance and withdrawal (Griffiths,
1996b). Moreover, in terms of Internet dependency, negative
consequences have been reported along with the amount of time spent
online.
Internet dependency has most commonly been conceptualized as a
behavioural addiction, which operates on a modified principle of
classic addiction models, but the validity and clinical usefulness of
such claims have also been questioned.
4. Similarly, Rotunda, Kass, Sutton and Leon (2003) utilized an
instrument they simply called the Internet Use Survey. It contained
three formal components that explored: a) Demographic data and
Internet usage, b) the negative consequences and experience
associated with Internet use, and c) personal history and
psychological characteristics of participants. Components b) and c)
included several items from DSM-IV criteria for pathological
gambling, substance use dependence, and particular personality
disorder (e.g., schizoid). Their sample consisted of 393 students,
53.6% females (n = 210) and 46.4% males (n = 182). The age range
was between 18 and 81 years old, with a mean of 27.6 years. The
average use was 3.3 h a day with 1 h for personal usage. The most
common usage was e-mail, surfing the web for information and
news, and chat rooms. The negative consequences included 18% of
participants reporting preoccupation with the Internet, 25%
sometimes feeling excited or euphoric when online, 34% admitted to
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going online to escape other problems to some degree, and 22.6%
reported socializing online more than in person. Staying online
longer than planned and losing track of time were also found to be
common reports.
Factor analysis revealed four main factors. The first was labeled ‘ab-
sorption’’(i.e., over-involvement with the Internet, time management
failure), the second ‘negative consequences’ (i.e., distress or
problematic behaviour such as preferring to be online than spending
time with the family), the third “sleep”(i.e., sleep pattern disruption
like scheduling sleep around online time), and finally “deception”
(i.e., lying to others online about identity, or how long they spend
online”). Internet-related impairment was conceptualized based on
user absorption and negative consequences instead of frequency of
usage. The authors concluded by stating that to assume frequent
Internet use was excessive, pathological or addictive was potentially
misleading as it ignored contextual and dispositional factors
associated with this behaviour.
5. Dr. Young (2001) gathered around 400 case studies, as well as a
number of family members and relatives living with net addicts, and
presented her results at the American Psychological Association
Conference.
Common warning signs (in the following abbreviated as Young)
according to Young are:
1. Compulsively checking your email.
2. Always anticipating your next Internet session.
3. Others complaining that you're spending too much time
online.
4. Others complaining that you're spending too much money
online.
6. Greenfield (1999) estimated that six percent of the Web users are
addicted to the Internet. This study was patterned after theories on
compulsive behavior.
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7. Kraat (1999) surveyed 169 people from 73 Pittsburgh households
before and after one or two years of Internet usage. He reported that
teenagers who withdrew from social contacts were using the Internet
as an escape from reality.
8. In a much bigger study—the Virtual Addiction Survey (VAS)—
Greenfield (1999) conducted an online survey with 17,251
respondents. The sample was mainly Caucasian (82%), male (71%),
with a mean age of 33 years. The VAS included demographic items
(e.g., age, location, educational background, etc.), descriptive
information items (e.g., frequency and duration of use, specific
Internet usage, etc.), and clinical items (e.g., disinhibition, loss of
time, behaviour online). It also included ten modified items from
DSM-IV criteria for pathological gambling. Approximately 6% of
respondents met the criteria for addicted Internet usage patterns.
Tentative post hoc analysis proposed several variables that made the
Internet attractive:
intense intimacy (41% total sample, 75% dependents),
disinhibition (43% total sample, 80% dependents),
loss of boundaries (39% total sample, 83% dependents),
timelessness (most of the sample replied ‘sometimes,’ most of
the dependents replied ‘almost always’),
out of control (8% total sample, 46% dependents).
One of the additional areas that was examined was whether
‘Internet addiction’ shared the same characteristics as other forms of
addiction, including substance-based addictions. Early analysis
revealed numerous symptoms, which Greenfield viewed as being
consistent with the concept of tolerance and withdrawal in
dependents, including pre-occupation with going online (58%),
numerous unsuccessful attempts to cut back (68%), and feeling
restless when attempting to cut back (79%). Despite the large sample
size, only a very preliminary analysis was conducted. Therefore,
results should be interpreted with caution.
9. Pratarelli, Browne and Johnson (1999)- Another attempt at
formulating a set of diagnostic criteria for ‘Internet addiction’ was
made by them. Factor analysis was employed in this research to
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examine possible constructs underlying ‘computer/Internet addiction.’
There were 341 completed surveys with 163 male and 178 female
participants (mean age of 22.8 years) recruited from Oklahoma State
University. A questionnaire consisting of 93 items was constructed,
19 of which were categorical demographic and Internet use questions,
and 74 dichotomous items. Four factors were extracted from the 93
items, two principal and two minor factors.
Factor one focused on problematic computer-related behaviours in
heavy-users of the Internet. This factor was characterized by
reports of loneliness, social isolation, missing appointments and
other general negative consequences of their Internet use.
Factor Two focused on the utilization and usefulness of computer
technology in general and of the Internet in particular.
Factor Three focused on two different constructs that concerned the
use of the Internet for sexual gratification and shyness/introversion.
Factor Four focused on the lack of problems related to Internet use
coupled with mild aversion/disinterest in the technology.
The data collected in this study supported the idea that a mixture of
obsessive-like characteristics were present in some individuals in
terms of their Internet use and that they prefer online interactions
rather than face-to-face. Although this study utilized a more
statistically tested instrument in measuring ‘Internet addiction,’ some
of the factors extracted did not seem to indicate components of
addiction in general.
10. Dr. Mark Griffiths (1998), a psychologist at the University of
Plymouth in England, studied "Internet addiction" in more depth. He
says that of 100 people who responded to a question about the
overuse of on-line services, 22 reported a cocaine-like "rush" and 12
said computer chat lines helped them to relax. He believes that new
technology is an addiction, which has behavior patterns like gambling
or overeating.
11. Young (1998) conducted a study about usage patterns and
online addiction on 496 responses from Internet users. Eighty percent
of the self identified addicted persons had 38 hours of online per week
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for non- office purposes.
12. Anderson (1997) studied the effect of Internet addiction on
college students. In a study of 1,200 undergraduates, he found out that
one third of them had academic problems traceable to heavy Internet
usage.
13. Brenner (1997) devised an instrument called the Internet-
Related Addictive Behaviour Inventory (IRABI), consisting of 32
dichotomous (true/false) items. These items were designed to assess
experiences comparable to those related to Substance Abuse in the
DSM-IV. Of the 563 respondents, the majority were male (73%) and
they used the Internet for (a mean average) of 19 h per week. All 32
items seemed to measure some unique variance as they were all found
to be moderately correlated with the total score. Older users tended to
experience less problems compared to younger users despite spending
the same amount of time online. No gender differences were reported.
The data appeared to suggest that a number of users experienced more
problems in role-performance because of their Internet usage. Brenner
concluded that the skewed distribution was consistent with the
existence of a deviant subgroup who experience more severe
problems due to Internet use. He also claimed there was evidence of
tolerance, withdrawal, and craving. The major limitation to the study
was that it was not clear whether items in the IRABI really tapped
into behaviours that indicated real signs of addiction (Griffiths, 1998).
14. In a study, Lam and colleagues (1997) examined an adolescent
sample of 1618 high school students aged 13-18 years. The authors
investigated the association between Internet addiction and self-
injurious behaviors. The outcomes revealed that the odds ratio for
adolescents with self-injurious behaviors was 2.0 (95% CI: 1.1-3.7)
for those who were classified as moderately and severely addicted to
the Internet when compared with a normal group.
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Research Problem
“I keep six honest serving-men (They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When And How and Where and Who” (Kipling, 1902/1988, p. 3)
A research problem is the situation that causes the researcher to
feel apprehensive, confused and ill at ease. It is the demarcation of a
problem area within a certain context involving the WHO or WHAT,
the WHERE, the WHEN and the WHY of the problem situation.
There are many problem situations that may give rise to research.
Three sources usually contribute to problem identification. Own
experience or the experience of others may be a source of problem
supply. A second source could be scientific literature. You may read
about certain findings and notice that a certain field was not covered.
This could lead to a research problem. Theories could be a third
source. Shortcomings in theories could be researched.
Research can thus be aimed at clarifying or substantiating an existing
theory, at clarifying contradictory findings, at correcting a faulty
methodology, at correcting the inadequate or unsuitable use of
statistical techniques, at reconciling conflicting opinions, or at solving
existing practical problems.
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Figure 1 illustrates this interrelatedness by providing a conceptual
map of the problem-based research cycle indicating the centrality of
the research problem for the research endeavor. The next few sections
examine the relationships between the problem driving the research
and the other aspects of the endeavor.
Definitions of Problem
According to Kerlinger – A problem is an interrogative sentence or
statement that asks what relations exist between two or more
variables.
According to Townsend - A problem is a question proposed for
solution.
According to Mc Guin – A solvable problem is one that poses a
question which is related to our inadequate knowledge and through
experimentation we search solution or answer.
IDENTIFICATION OF THE PROBLEM
The prospective researcher should think on what caused the need to
do the research (problem identification). The question that he/she
should ask is: Are there questions about this problem to which
answers have not been found up to the present?
Research originates from a need that arises. A clear distinction
between the PROBLEM and the PURPOSE should be made. The
problem is the aspect the researcher worries about, thinks about, and
wants to find a solution for. The purpose is to solve the problem, i.e.
find answers to the question(s). If there is no clear problem
formulation, the purpose and methods are meaningless.
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We should keep the following in mind:
Outline the general context of the problem area.
Highlight key theories, concepts and ideas current in this area.
What appear to be some of the underlying assumptions of this
area?
Why are these issues identified important?
What needs to be solved?
Read round the area (subject) to get to know the background and
to identify unanswered questions or controversies, and/or to
identify the most significant issues for further exploration.
The research problem should be stated in such a way that it would
lead to analytical thinking on the part of the researcher with the aim of
possible concluding solutions to the stated problem. Research
problems can be stated in the form of either questions or statements.
The research problem should always be formulated
grammatically correct and as completely as possible. You
should bear in mind the wording (expressions) you use. Avoid
meaningless words. There should be no doubt in the mind of
the reader what your intentions are.
Demarcating the research field into manageable parts by
dividing the main problem into sub problems is of the utmost
importance.
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PROBLEM OF DISSERTATION
Purpose of this dissertation is to find out that in this century people
are really getting addicted to Internet and this addiction to Internet is
making them mentally ill or not.
Problem:
“Does Internet Addiction Effects Mental Health.”
Variables of the Study:
Independent Variable - Internet Addiction
Dependent Variable - Mental Health
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Formation of Hypothesis
A hypothesis is a tentative statement about the relationship
between two or more variables. A hypothesis is a specific, testable
prediction about what you expect to happen in your study. For
example, a study designed to look at the relationship between sleep
deprivation and test performance might have a hypothesis that states,
"This study is designed to assess the hypothesis that sleep deprived
people will perform worse on a test than individuals who are not sleep
deprived."
Unless you are creating a study that is exploratory in nature, your
hypothesis should always explain what you expect to happen during
the course of your experiment or research.
Remember, a hypothesis does not have to be right. While the
hypothesis predicts what the researchers expect to see, the goal of
research is to determine whether this guess is right or wrong. When
conducting an experiment, researchers might explore a number of
different factors to determine which ones might contribute to the
ultimate outcome.
In many cases, researchers may find that the results of an
experiment do not support the original hypothesis. When writing up
these results, the researchers might suggest other options that should
be explored in future studies.
Definitions of Hypothesis:
A testable statement of a potential relationship between two or more
variables is called hypothesis -Mcguin: Experimental psychology, 1990,p,27
A hypothesis is a conjectural statement of the relationship
between two or more variables. Hypothesis are always in declarative
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sentence from and they relate either generally or specifically variables
to variables. -kerlinger: foundation of behavioral Research, 1986,p, 17
A hypothesis is a tentative statement about the relationship between
two or more variables. -General definition
A hypothesis is an assumption that serves as a tentative explanation
-Chaplin 1975
A hypothesis is a specific, testable prediction about what you expect
to happen in your study. - -General definition
Types of Hypothesis:
Hypotheses can be classified in terms of their derivation (inductive
and deductive hypotheses) and in terms of their formulation (research
- directional and non-directional and statistical or null hypotheses).
RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS (Directional)
It is a relationship between variables and indicates the nature of the
relationship.
If A is valid, B follows...
If you hit a child with a chain, he/she will cry.
Schools in which pupil-teacher relations are open/friendly will have
less unrest than comparable schools where pupil-teacher relations are
closed/tense.
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Some examples of directional hypothesis are:
(1) It is hypothesized that the co-educated students are
more interactive and smarter than the non co-educated
students. (In this example ' interactive and smarter than'
shows the direction predicted)
(2) It is hypothesized that students who have firm career
goals achieve higher GPAs than those who do
not have firm career goals.
(3) Girls perform better than boys (in this example 'better
than' shows the direction predicted)
NULL HYPOTHESIS
"You are wrong, there is no relation; disprove me if you can"
(Kerlinger, 1973)
The null hypothesis is the belief that the independent variable in an
experiment will have no effect on the dependent variable.
There is no difference between pupil-teacher relations in unrest
schools and pupil-teacher relations in comparable schools which
experience no unrest.
NB
An important requirement for hypotheses is TESTABILITY.
A condition for testability is CLEAR and UNAMBIGUOUS
CONCEPTS.
A research hypothesis (unempirical research) has to do with
relationships between empirical phenomena. The concepts in a
research hypothesis must posses single references (indicators) or
denotations to identifiable phenomena in reality.
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A central theoretical thesis refers to hypotheses in more
theoretical studies.
Statement of the Hypothesis:
A Null hypothesis about the dissertation publication was formulated
for testing in this study. Hypothesis was used to determine if there
was any effect of Internet Addiction on Mental Health.
The hypothesis is as follows:
“There is no Significant effect of Internet
Addiction on Mental Health of Adolescents.”
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Variables
In any Research work Variable plays a vital role. A variable is
something that can be changed, such as a characteristic or value.
Variables are generally used in psychology experiments to determine
if changes to one thing result in changes to another.
Any measurable attributes of objects, things or being is called
variables.
-D’Amato: experimental psychology, 1970, p-10
The Dependent and Independent Variables
The independent variable is the variable that is controlled and
manipulated by the experimenter. For example, in an experiment on
the impact of sleep deprivation on test performance, sleep
deprivation would be the independent variable.
The dependent variable is the variable that is measured by the
experimenter. In our previous example, the scores on the test
performance measure would be the dependent variable.
Extraneous and Confounding Variables
The independent and dependent variables are not the only variables
present in many experiments. In some cases, extraneous variables
may also play a role. This type of variable is one that may have an
impact on the relationship between the independent and dependent
variables.
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There are two basic types of extraneous variables:
Participant Variables: These extraneous variables are related to
individual characteristics of each participant that may impact how
he or she responds. These factors can include background
differences, mood, anxiety, intelligence, awareness and other
characteristics that are unique to each person.
Situational Variables: These extraneous variables are related to
things in the environment that may impact how each participant
responds. For example, if a participant is taking a test in a chilly
room, the temperature would be considered an extraneous variable.
Some participants may not be affected by the cold, but others might
be distracted or annoyed by the temperature of the room.
In many cases, extraneous variables are controlled by the
experimenter. In the case of participant variables, the experiment
might select participants that are the same in background and
temperament to ensure that these factors do not interfere with the
results. If, however, a variable cannot be controlled for, it becomes
what is known as a confounding variable. This type of
variable can have an impact on the dependent variable, which can
make it difficult to determine if the results are due to the influence of
the independent variable, the confounding variable or an interaction
of the two.
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Description of Independent Variable
Internet: It is a global network connecting millions of computers. It is
a network of networks that consists of millions of private, public,
academic, business, and government networks, of local to global
scope, that are linked by a broad array of electronic, wireless and
optical networking technologies. The Internet carries a vast range
of information resources and services, such as the inter-
linked hypertext documents of the World Wide Web (WWW) and the
infrastructure to support electronic mail.
More than 100 countries are linked into exchanges of data, news and
opinions. Unlike online services, which are centrally controlled, the
Internet is decentralized by design. Each Internet computer, called
a host, is independent. Its operators can choose which Internet
services to use and which local services to make available to the
global Internet community. Remarkably, this anarchy by design
works exceedingly well. There are a variety of ways to access the
Internet. Most online services, such as America Online, offer access
to some Internet services. It is also possible to gain access through a
commercial Internet Service Provider (ISP).
History of Internet:
The Internet was the result of some visionary thinking by people in
the early 1960s who saw great potential value in allowing computers
to share information on research and development in scientific and
military fields. J.C.R. Licklider of MIT, first proposed a global
network of computers in 1962, and moved over to the Defense
Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in late 1962 to head
the work to develop it. Leonard Kleinrock of MIT and later UCLA
developed the theory of packet switching, which was to form the basis
of Internet connections. Lawrence Roberts of MIT connected a
Massachusetts computer with a California computer in 1965 over
dial-up telephone lines. It showed the feasibility of wide area
networking, but also showed that the telephone line's circuit switching
was inadequate. Kleinrock's packet switching theory was confirmed.
Roberts moved over to DARPA in 1966 and developed his plan for
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ARPANET. These visionaries and many more left unnamed here are
the real founders of the Internet. The early Internet was used by
computer experts, engineers, scientists, and librarians. There was
nothing friendly about it. There were no home or office personal
computers in those days, and anyone who used it, whether a computer
professional or an engineer or scientist or librarian, had to learn to use
a very complex system.
Addiction: I got your attention
World Health Organization (WHO) define it as:
Addiction, drug or alcohol. Repeated use of a psychoactive
substance or substances, to the extent that the user is periodically or
chronically intoxicated, shows a compulsion to take the preferred
substance, has great difficulty in voluntarily ceasing or modifying
substance use, and exhibits determination to obtain psychoactive
substances by almost any means. (WHO Lexicon, 1994)
The above definition specifically refers to the use of a psychoactive
substance (e.g. narcotics), that periodically or chronically intoxicates
the user. This form of addiction is in direct correlation with the
disease model of addiction (Jellinek, 1960; Parr, 1959; WHO, 2004),
but does not take into account the ‘behavioural’ aspect of addiction
(Alexander, 1985; Griffiths, 1996; Peele, 1975; West, 2006), which
doesn’t necessarily involve the ingestion of psychoactive substance or
intoxicate the user e.g. gambling (Griffiths, 1995). One definition that
does take into account the ‘behavioural’ side of addiction is Robert
West’s definition, a Professor of Health Psychology at the University
of London, who suggests that:
Addiction is a social construct, not an object that can be
uniquely defined. According to the proposed theory, addiction
can be usefully viewed as a chronic condition to the
‘motivational system’ in which reward-seeking behaviour has
become ‘out of control’. (West, 2006, pg.174)
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The above definition refers directly to abnormalities within a person’s
‘motivational system’ which is related to specific personality traits
that may exist before addiction takes place such as a tendency to
become anxious or depressed. It also involves a habitual process that
incorporates the user’s social and physical surroundings.
In (Freeman, 92) is an article about addictive behaviors: Addiction is
defined by Bratter and Forest (1985) as a behavior pattern of
compulsive drug use characterized by overwhelming involvement ...
with the use of a drug and the securing of the supply, as well as a
tendency to relapse after completion of withdrawal". The authors state
that the difference between use and addiction is quantitative rather
than qualitative. Addiction is not determined in terms by quantity
alone, but more over, is additionally determined in terms of the effect
on the individual in his or her social context. The main difference
between abuse or problem use and addiction is in the context of the
life situation: Abuse or problem use: the person "must use", there is
an increasing involvement in a compulsive manner; uncontrollable
consequences occur but abuse continues nevertheless.
Addiction: the person "must no stop using"; overwhelming
involvement with a substance or a behaviour is carried compulsively
into the person's daily life. Day to day patterns or routines of living
are disrupted with use, with securing a supply and with a strong
tendency to relapse after completion of withdrawal.
There is no general model for addiction. There are three different
models for addiction described. The disease model focuses on
addiction as illness, the adaptive model looks at is as a way of coping
and the way of-life model emphasizes life-styles or roles.
Common signs of addiction include (following abbreviated as CSA):
1. Preoccupation with a substance, relationship or behaviour
2. A loss of control over the use of a substance or a pattern of
behaviour
3. Concerns expressed by others about the loss of control and the
effects
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4. Continued, persistent use of a substance or involvement behaviour
in spite of negative consequences.
What is Internet Addiction?
Internet addiction disorder (IAD) or more broadly, Internet
overuse, problematic computer use or pathological computer use, is
excessive computer use that interferes with daily life. These terms
avoid the distracting and divisive term addiction and are not limited to
any single cause.
IAD was originally proposed as a disorder in a satirical hoax by Ivan
Goldberg, M.D., in 1995. He took pathological gambling as
diagnosed by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders (DSM-IV) as his model for the description of IAD. It is not,
however, included in the current DSM as of 2009. IAD receives
coverage in the press, and possible future classification as a
psychological disorder continues to be debated and researched.
Young (1999a,b) claims “Internet addiction” is a broad term that
covers a wide variety of behaviours and impulse control problems.
She claims this is categorized by five specific subtypes:
Cybersexual addiction: Compulsive use of adult websites for
cybersex and cyberporn.
Cyber-relationship addiction: Over-involvement in online
relationships.
Net compulsions: Obsessive online gambling, shopping or day-
trading.
Information overload: Compulsive web surfing or database
searches.
Computer addiction: Obsessive computer game playing (e.g.,
Doom, Myst, Solitaire etc.).
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However, Griffiths (2000a) has argued that many of these excessive
users are not “Internet addicts” but just use the Internet excessively as
a medium to fuel other addictions.
Since Internet Addiction is often compared to compulsive gambling
the criteria of compulsive gambling similar with other addictions are
listed to: Compulsive gambling (Freeman, 92, (p212-224)):
Similarities with other addictions include (in the following
abbreviated as CSG):
1. Preoccupation with the abusing behaviour,
2. Abusing larger amounts over longer periods of time
than intended,
3. The need to increase the behavior to achieve the
desired effect,
4. Repeated efforts to cut down or stop the behavior,
5. Social or occupational activity given up for the
behavior, and
6. Continuation of the behavior despite social,
occupational or legal problems.
According to Maressa Orzack, director of the Computer Addiction
Study Center at Harvard University's McLean Hospital, between 5%
and 10% of Web surfers suffer some form of Web dependency.
Another supporter, Jeremy Greenfield, Ph.D. of the Center for
Internet Behavior conducted a study with ABC News.com in 1999
and is author of Virtual Addiction. He believes that some services
available over the Internet have unique psychological properties
I n t e r n e t A d d i c t i o n | - 28 -
which induce dissociation, time distortion, and instant gratification,
with about 6% of individuals experiencing some significant impact on
their lives. However, he says it may not best be seen as an addiction
but rather as a compulsion. Greenfield claims that sex, gaming,
gambling, and shopping online can produce a mood-altering effect.
According to the Center for Internet Addiction Recovery (whose
director is Kimberly S. Young, a researcher who has lobbied for the
recognition of net abuse as a distinct clinical disorder), "Internet
addicts suffer from emotional problems such as depression and
anxiety-related disorders and often use the fantasy world of the
Internet to psychologically escape unpleasant feelings or stressful
situations." Over 60% of people seeking treatment for IAD claim
involvement with sexual activities online which they consider
inappropriate, such as excessive attention to pornography or
involvement in explicit sexual conversations online. More than half
are also addicted to alcohol, drugs, tobacco, or sex.
In 2008 Jerald J. Block, M.D., Hilarie Cash, PhD, Kim McDaniel
MA, argued that Internet addiction should be included as a disorder in
the DSM-V. Block observed that diagnosis was complicated because
86% of study subjects showing IA symptoms also exhibited other
diagnosable mental health disorders. A 2009 study suggested that
brain structural changes were present in those classified by the
researchers as Internet addicted, similar to those classified as
chemically addicted.
In his essay Internet Addiction: Does it Really Exist? Mark Griffiths
states that “the way of determining whether nonchemical (i.e.,
behavioral) addictions are addictive in a no metaphorical sense is to
compare them against clinical criteria for other established drug-
ingested addictions”, and although his data is dated, and may no
longer represent average internet use accurately, Griffiths comes to
the conclusion that the internet does meet that criteria for addiction in
a small number of users.
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Scientists have found that compulsive internet use can produce
morphological changes in the structure of the brain. A study which
analyzed Chinese college students who used the around 10 hours a
day, 6 days a week, found reductions in the sizes of the dorsolateral
prefrontal cortex, rostral anterior cingulate cortex, supplementary
motor area and parts of the cerebellum as high as 10-20%. On the
other hand, increases in the density of the right parahippocampal
gyrus and a spot called the left posterior limb of the internal capsule
were also found. It has been theorized that these changes reflect
learning-type cognitive optimizations for using computers more
efficiently, but also impaired short-term memory and decision-making
abilities—including ones in which may contribute to the desire to stay
online instead of be in the real world.
Description of Dependent Variable
Mental Health: There is no health without mental health
Mental health it is all about how we think, feel and behave.
Mental health describes either a level of cognitive or emotional well-
being or an absence of a mental disorder. From perspectives of the
discipline of positive psychology or holism mental health may include
an individual's ability to enjoy life and procure a balance between life
activities and efforts to achieve psychological resilience. Mental
health is an expression of emotions and signifies a successful
adaptation to a range of demands.
Mental Health refers to a broad array of activities directly or
indirectly related to the mental well-being component included in the
WHO’s (World Health Organization) definition of health: "A state of
complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the
absence of disease". It is related to the promotion of well-being, the
prevention of mental disorders, and the treatment and rehabilitation of
people affected by mental disorders.
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Mental health is not just the absence of mental disorder. It is defined
as a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her
own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work
productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her
or his community.
In most countries, particularly low- and middle-income countries,
mental health services are severely short of resources - both human
and financial. Of the health care resources available, most are
currently spent on the specialized treatment and care of the people
with mental illness, and to a lesser extent on an integrated mental
health system. Instead of providing care in large psychiatric hospitals,
countries should integrate mental health into primary health care,
provide mental health care in general hospitals and develop
community-based mental health services.
Approximately 25% of people in the UK have a mental health
problem during their lives. The USA is said to have the highest
incidence of people diagnosed with mental health problems in the
developed world. Your mental health can affect your daily life,
relationships and even your physical health. Mental health also
includes a person's ability to enjoy life - to attain a balance between
life activities and efforts to achieve psychological resilience.
According to Medilexicon's medical dictionary, mental health
is "emotional, behavioral, and social maturity or normality; the
absence of a mental or behavioral disorder; a state of psychological
well-being in which one has achieved a satisfactory integration of
one's instinctual drives acceptable to both oneself and one's social
milieu; an appropriate balance of love, work, and leisure
pursuits".
According to WHO (World Health Organization), mental health is "a
state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own
abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work
productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his
or her community". WHO stresses that mental health "is not just the
absence of mental disorder".
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WHO explains that especially in low- and middle-income countries,
mental health services are very underfunded - both human and
financial. Most resources are channeled into treating and caring for
mentally ill patients, rather than on any integrated mental health
system. Countries should integrate mental health into primary health
care (general practice), provide mental health care in general
hospitals, and improve community-based mental health services,
rather than just providing care in large psychiatric hospitals.
The importance of maintaining a good mental health is crucial to
living a long and healthy life. Mental health when good can enhance,
when poor prevent, someone from living a normal life. According to
Richards, Campania, & Muse-Burke (2010) “There is growing
evidence that is showing emotional abilities are associated with
prosocial behaviors such as stress management and physical health”
(2010). It was also concluded in their research that people who lack
emotional expression lead to misfit behaviors. These behaviors are a
direct reflection of their mental health. Self- destructive acts may take
place to suppress emotions. Some of these acts
include drug and alcohol abuse, physical fights or vandalism. Also
without emotional support, mental health is at risk. According to a
study done by Strine, Chapman, Balluz, and, Mokdad, “Inadequate
social and emotional support is a major barrier to health relevant to
the practice of psychiatry and medicine, because it is associated with
adverse health behaviors, dissatisfaction with life, and
disability” (2008, p. 154).
By receiving emotional support your health can increase and prevent
mental health disorders. Support systems are a valuable asset and
those whom do not have social and emotional support are more likely
to lead to disorders. This support can lead to “an increase
personal competence, perceived control, sense of stability, and
recognition of self- worth and can have a positive effect on quality of
life”(Strine, Chapman, Balluz & Mokdad, 2008).
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Definitions of Mental Health:
1. Mental health is defined as the successful performance of
mental functions resulting in productive activities, satisfactory
relationship, the ability to adopt the change and can cope with
adversities from childhood to hate life.
2. According to Strange: Abnormal Psychology, 1965 – “mental
health is no more than a description of learned behaviour that is
socially adoptive & allows the person to cope adequately with
life.”
3. “Mental health includes a number of dimensions: self esteem,
realization of one’s potential, the ability to maintain meaningful
relationship & psychological well being.” – Horwitz & scheid :
Handbook for the study of Mental Health, 1999
4. “Mental health is the adjustment of human beings to the world
& to each other with a maximum effectiveness and happiness. It
is the ability to maintain an even temper an alert intelligence,
socially considerate behaviour & a happy disposation”- Kart
Menninger : the Human Mind, 1945
Characteristics of Mental health:
1. Self Realization
2. Adjustment
3. Productive activities
4. Happiness
5. Self esteem
6. Clear life Goal
7. Clear Philosophy of Life
8. Emotional stability, Maturity
9. Integrated Personality
10. Satisfactory Relationship
11. Autonomy
12. Good physical health
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Characteristics of Mental Health:
Self Realization –
Mentally healthy person has confidence in his judgment and abilities
and view setback as problems to be solved rather than an occasion for
the display of anger and emotional outburst.
Adjustment –
Man is a social animal he is born & bought up in a society. In
the process of social adjustment normal reaction to feeling appears to
be essential for mental health.
Productive Activities –
The main goal of mental health is to provide opportunity to the
individuals to develop his potential to the maximum so that he can be
able to do productive activities.
Happiness –
Happiness means that the goal of mental health is to develop a
positive attitude towards life and work so that individual may lead an
efficient life by utilizing maximally his potential abilities.
Self Esteem –
Feeling of self esteem is important in mental health. A person
must be able to accept himself as a person of worth and to give
himself respect.
Sense of Responsibility- The person who is mentally healthy has a
sense of responsibility and is sensitive to the needs of others and
attempts to satisfy those needs for the welfare of others.
Clear life Goal – Mentally healthy individual has a clear concept of his life goals.
He directs his efforts, energy and creativeness towards the attainment
of these goals.
Clear Philosophy of Life- A well adjusted person has a sound
philosophy of life. He lives in the world with the sense of active
I n t e r n e t A d d i c t i o n | - 34 -
social participation & commitment. Life is worth living it has a
meaning..
Satisfactory Relationship – Harry stack Sullivan defined a human being as the totality of his
real and imagined relationships. Satisfactory social intercourse is a
prerequisite not only for a person’s mental health but also for his very
humanity. A mentally healthy person is the one who has good social
relations.
Good Physical Health –
As the proverb goes a sound mind can only exist in a sound
body. Psychology emphasizes that the physical health of the organism
is important in its adaptation to & survival in the world.
Integrated Personality – Integration means a balance of psychic forces
of the individual a unifying outlook on life and resistance of stress.
Autonomy –
A mentally healthy person can take his own decision and
regulate from within & independently.
The intrinsic value of mental health
Mental health contributes to all aspects of human life. It has both
material and immaterial, or intrinsic, values: for the individual,
society, and culture. Mental health has a reciprocal relationship with
the well-being and productivity of a society and its members. Its value
can be considered in several related ways:
Mental health is essential for the well-being and functioning of
individuals.
Good mental health is an important resource for individuals,
families, communities, and nations.
Mental health, as an indivisible part of general health,
contributes to the functions of society, and has an effect on
overall productivity.
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Mental health concerns everyone as it is generated in our
everyday lives in homes, schools, workplaces, and in leisure
activities.
Positive mental health contributes to the social, human, and
economic capital of every society.
Spirituality can make a significant contribution to mental health
promotion and mental health influences spiritual life (see
Underwood-Gordon 1999).
Mental health can be regarded as an individual resource,
contributing to the individual’s quality of life, and can be increased or
diminished by the actions of society. An aspect of good mental health
is the capacity for mutually satisfying and enduring relationships.
There is growing evidence that social cohesion is critical for the
economic prospering of communities and this relationship appears to
be reciprocal.
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SAMPLE AND SAMPLING
TYPES OF SAMPLING
i. PROBABILITY SAMPLING
Simple random sampling
Systematic sampling
Stratified sampling
Cluster sampling/one-stage
ii. NON-PROBABILITY SAMPLING
Quota sampling
Judgment sampling / purposive sampling
Snowball sampling
Tools
Chapter- 2
I n t e r n e t A d d i c t i o n | - 37 -
Sample:
“Traditionally, the sample is always better than the stock you
deliver to the store.”
Calvin Klein
While conducting a survey, it is very difficult to study the whole
universe of problem because it is both costly, time consuming and
complex as well as financially not viable. It is convenient to pick
up a sample out of the universe proposed to be covered by the study.
But the sample should be representing the universe as a whole.
Sampling is a method to make social and several techniques have
been developed or pickup some representative sample of the whole
universe. It is a portion of scope drawn form a larger population.
Sample is a subset of a population. A random sample is a subset
where every item in the population has the same probability of being
in the sample. Usually, the size of the sample is much less than the
size of the population. The primary goal of much research is to use
information collected from a sample to try to characterize a certain
population. As such, you should pay a lot of attention to how
representative the sample is of the population. If there are
problems, with representativeness, consider redefining your
population a bit more narrowly. For example, a sample of 85 smokers
between the ages of 13 and 18 in Rochester, Minnesota who respond
to an advertisement about participation in a smoking cessation
program might not be considered representative of the population of
all teenage smokers, because the participants selected themselves. The
sample might be more representative if we restrict our population to
those teenage smokers who want to quit.
Researchers usually cannot make direct observations of every
individual in the population they are studying. Instead, they collect
data from a subset of individuals – a sample – and use those
observations to make inferences about the entire population.
Ideally, the sample corresponds to the larger population on the
characteristic(s) of interest. In that case, the researcher's conclusions
from the sample are probably applicable to the entire population.
I n t e r n e t A d d i c t i o n | - 38 -
This type of correspondence between the sample and the larger
population is most important when a researcher wants to know what
proportion of the population has a certain characteristic – like a
particular opinion or a demographic feature. Public opinion polls that
try to describe the percentage of the population that plans to vote for a
particular candidate, for example, require a sample that is highly
representative of the population.
Definitions
“A sample is a similar representation of the larger whole”
-Goode & Hatt
“It is a small piece of the population obtained by a probability
process that mirrors, with known precision, the various patterns
and sub classes of the population”
- Balalock & blalock
Sample is a selected part which is representative of the whole
- Chaplin(1975)
Sample is a part of the population selected such that it is
considered to be representative of the population of the whole.
-Reber & Reber (2001)
Sampling
Sampling is the process of selecting units (e.g., people,
organizations) from a population of interest so that by studying the
sample we may fairly generalize our results back to the population
from which they were chosen. When a researcher undertakes a
research he has to decide basically two important things namely;
what will be the scope of his study and secondly what will be his
population or universe, ‘population’ refers to ‘all those people with
the characteristics which the researcher wants to study within the
context of a particular research problems’
I n t e r n e t A d d i c t i o n | - 39 -
For an example- a population could be all students of college, all
patients of hospitals, all prisoners of prison.
In statistics and survey methodology, sampling is concerned
with the selection of a subset of individuals from within a
population to estimate characteristics of the whole population.
Sampling is the process of selecting units (e.g., people,
organizations) from a population of interest so that by studying the
sample we may fairly generalize our results back to the population
from which they were chosen. Let's begin by covering some of the
key terms in sampling like "population" and "sampling frame."
Crucial Concept: Sampling is the process of selecting research
participants from the population.
Sampling may be defined as the selection of some part of an
aggregate or totality on the basis of which a judgment or
inference about the aggregate or totality is made.
It is the process of obtaining information about an entire
population by examining only a part of it.
The process of selecting sample from the population is called
sampling.
Sample selection: In the presented research work we have
selected sample from QUOTA sampling.
Advantages of Sampling
It involves a smaller amount of subjects, which reduces
investment in time and money.
Sampling can actually be more accurate than studying an entire
population, because it affords researchers a lot more control
over the subjects. Large studies can bury
interesting correlations amongst the ‘noise.’
I n t e r n e t A d d i c t i o n | - 40 -
Statistical manipulations are much easier with smaller data sets,
and it is easier to avoid human error when inputting and
analyzing the data.
Types of sampling
Sampling is of many types but on the basis of population it can
be classified in two types.
1. Probability Sampling
2. Non probability sampling
Probability Sampling
A probability sampling method is any method of sampling that
utilizes some form of random selection. In order to have a random
selection method, you must set up some process or procedure that
assures that the different units in your population have equal
probabilities of being chosen. Humans have long practiced various
forms of random selection, such as picking a name out of a hat, or
choosing the short straw. With probability sampling, every element of
the population has a known probability of being included in the
sample. A probability sampling method is any method of sampling
that utilizes some form of random selection. In order to have a
random selection method, you must set up some process or procedure
that assures that the different units in your population have equal
probabilities of being chosen. Humans have long practiced various
forms of random selection, such as picking a name out of a hat, or
choosing the short straw. These days, we tend to use computers as the
mechanism for generating random numbers as the basis for random
selection.
I n t e r n e t A d d i c t i o n | - 41 -
Types of probability sampling
I. Simple random sampling
II. Systematic sampling (interval random sampling)
III. Stratified sampling(may be proportionate or disproportionate)
IV. Cluster sampling/one-stage
Nonprobability Sampling
The difference between nonprobability and probability sampling is
that nonprobability sampling does not involve random selection and
probability sampling does. Does that mean that nonprobability
samples aren't representative of the population? Not necessarily. But
it does mean that nonprobability samples cannot depend upon the
rationale of probability theory. At least with a probabilistic sample,
we know the odds or probability that we have represented the
population well. We are able to estimate confidence intervals for the
statistic. With nonprobability samples, we may or may not represent
the population well, and it will often be hard for us to know how well
we've done so.
The non probability sampling which is also called judgment
sampling is based on the personal judgment. Elements included in
a judgment sample are result of the navigator’s expert judgment
as to their representativeness. Consequently the probability of
each element being included in the sample is not known.
With non-probability sampling, we cannot specify the
probability that each element will be included in the sample. Also
known as accidental sampling.
Types of Nonprobability sampling:
I. Quota sampling (Used in this Project work)
II. Judgment sampling / purposive sampling
III. Snowball sampling
I n t e r n e t A d d i c t i o n | - 42 -
Quota sampling
Crucial Concept: A quota sample is an attempt to make a sample
representative by having the same proportions of different groups of
people in the sample and in the population.
A mode of sampling which is used to select a person or group of
persons to participate in a research is called quota sampling. This is
done by personally interviewing all interested applicant and selecting
some appropriate candidate for a specific reason. This type of
sampling comes under non probability sampling which is used to
select people on a random basis. Quota sample is a much used
technique of selecting sample groups from different origin with
slightly different demographic features, because most of the
researches are done only in a particular geographical area.
It is very important to select people for a sample group only
from this area to be assured of the fact that all the data which is
obtained after completing the research must be according to the
demand of the researcher which should be clearly stated in the
hypothesis part of research article. The non probability sampling is a
method to select sample of people equally from each classification of
the society of a particular region.
in quota sampling the selection of the sample is made by the
interviewer, who has been given quotas to fill from specified sub-
groups of the population.
For example, an interviewer may be told to sample 50 females
between the age of 45 and 60.
Definition
A sampling method of gathering representative data from a
group. As opposed to random sampling, quota sampling requires that
representative individuals are chosen out of a specific subgroup.
I n t e r n e t A d d i c t i o n | - 43 -
For example, a researcher might ask for a sample of 100 females, or
100 individuals between the ages of 20-30.
Advantages of Quota Sample
It is an improvement over the judge sampling.
It is an easy sampling technique.
It is most frequently used in social surveys.
Disadvantages of Quota Sampling
It is not a representative of sample.
The method still leaves a lot of freedom to the interviewers to
pick people. This can lead to unintentional selection bias.
It has the influences of regional geographical and social factors
Size of sample
For present study total 40 samples, 20 addicted Internet
users and 20 non addicted users from DSVV campus
were selected. They were selected by Quota sampling
which belongs to non probability sampling.
I n t e r n e t A d d i c t i o n | - 44 -
Tools
In present dissertation researcher used “Mental Health
Scale” to measure the “Mental Health” of subjects which is
prepared by Dr. Kamlesh Sharma, Dr. Bheemrao Ambedkar Shodh
Sansthan (Indore). This questionnaire contains 60 items.
Scoring method
There are 60 statements in the scale. Every statement has
alternative responses “yes”, “indefinite” and “no” the subject has to
choose only one alternative response. The scheme of scoring it as
below on positive statements 2 marks for “yes”, 1 mark for
“indefinite” and 0 mark for “no” and for negative statements adopt
just reverse marking 2 marks for “no” 1 mark for “indefinite” and 0
mark for “yes”.
Positive and Negative Statements:
Statement
Positive- 1, 2, 6, 10, 11, 14, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 26, 28, 29,
30, 32, 35, 38, 39, 42, 43, 44, 46, 48, 50, 53, 55, 58, 59, 60 = 30
Negative- 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 25, 27, 31, 33,
34, 36, 37, 40, 41, 45, 47, 49, 51, 52, 54, 56, 57, = 30
I n t e r n e t A d d i c t i o n | - 45 -
Interpretation of Raw Scores:
Classification of
Mental Health Girls Boys
Very Good 78 and above 80 and above
Good 66-77 68-69
Moderate 54-65 56-67
Poor 42-53 44-55
Very poor 41 and less 43 and less
Reliability:
The reliability of Mental Health scale by Test-retest (interval of
2 months) and Split-half reliability coefficient was found .86 and .88
respectively.
Validity:
The validity coefficient was calculated by comparing the scale
with Mental health check list of Pramod kumar was found .79.
I n t e r n e t A d d i c t i o n | - 46 -
STATISTICAL ANALYSIS
RESULT TABLE
Chapter- 3
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Statistical analysis
In this chapter we record the result obtained from this statistical
analysis of response. The analysis of data requires a number of closely
related operations such as establishment of categories, the application
of these categories to raw data through coding, tabulation and then
drawing statistical inferences. The unwieldy data should necessarily
be condensed into a few manageable groups and tables for further
analysis. Thus, researcher should classify the raw data into some
purposeful and usable categories.
Result
In statistical analysis applied ‘sd’ and ‘t’ testing the stares for the
analysis were obtained on the basis of responses of two groups
Internet Addicted (N = 20) and Non Addicted(N=20) with the help of
Mental health scale.
To ready the result of this work we constructed Null hypothesis then
apply ‘t’ test for result.
Group
Mean
Number
Of
samples
S.D.
SED
df
t-value
Level of
significance
Internet
Addicts 59.84 20 6.63
2.38
38
8.80
0.01 Non
Addicts
80.79 20 8.17
So it is clear from result table that, mean of Addictive users and Non
Addictive users are 59.84 and 80.79 respectively, and SD of Addictive
I n t e r n e t A d d i c t i o n | - 48 -
users and Non addictive users are 6.63 and 8.17 respectively. In table
38 ‘df’ at the level of ‘0.01’ value is ‘2.72’ which is below from t-
value. So my result is highly significant at ‘0.01’ level. That proves
my Hypothesis wrong and makes sure that Internet addiction effects
mental health. My results proved that Internet addiction is harmful for
mental health of Adolescents.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Non Addicts Internet addicts
Axi
s Ti
tle
Axis Title
Graphical representation of the mean of Internet Addicts and
Non Addicts of selected sample
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Interpretation and Discussion
Conclusion of results
Chapter- 4
I n t e r n e t A d d i c t i o n | - 50 -
Interpretation and Discussion:
DISCUSSION
Purpose of the present study is to know the effect of Addictive
Internet use on Mental health, by which we can know how risky is
addictive use of Internet. There are several limitations involved in this
study which must be addressed. Initially, the sample size of 40 is
relatively small compared to the estimated 47 million current Internet
users (Snider, 1997). Therefore, generalizability of results must be
interpreted with caution and continued research should include larger
sample sizes to draw more accurate conclusions.
This study aimed to examine the effect of addictive use of the Internet
on the mental health in a population of young people in DSVV, India.
The results suggested that pathological use of the Internet is
detrimental to the mental health of these individuals. After adjusting
for potential confounding factors, there was an increased risk of
depression for those who used the Internet addictively. This result
suggests that young people who are initially free of mental health
problems but use the Internet addictively could develop depression as
a consequence. This study is unique in terms of its ability to
demonstrate the mental health sequelae of addictive use of the
Internet for young people who were initially healthy to begin with.
Results of this study demonstrate direct effect of the addictive use of
the Internet on the mental health of young people. The results
obtained from this study directly implicate the prevention of mental
illness among young people, particularly in developing countries such
as India. The results of the study indicated that young people who use
the Internet pathologically are most at risk for mental problems and
would develop depression if they continued the behavior. As we
understand that mental health problems among adolescents bear a
Significant personal costs as well as costs to the community, early
intervention and prevention that targets at-risk groups with identified
risk factors is effective in reducing the burden of depression among
young people. Hence, a screening program for pathological use of the
Internet could also be considered in all schools to identify individuals
at risk for early counseling and treatment.
As in all studies, there are strengths and weaknesses in this study.
This is a population-based study that includes a random sample of
I n t e r n e t A d d i c t i o n | - 51 -
students. No significant differences have been found between
respondents and no respondents, suggesting a representative sample.
The use of a standardized and validated assessment instrument for the
outcome measure minimized some measurement biases. Moreover,
because this is a cohort study, results provide further information on
the effect of pathological use of the Internet on adolescent mental
Health.
This exploratory study provides a workable framework for further
exploration of addictive Internet use. Individuals were able to meet a
set of diagnostic criteria that show signs of impulse-control difficulty
similar to symptoms of pathological gambling. In the majority of
cases, Dependents reported that their Internet use directly caused
moderate to severe problems in their real lives due to their inability to
moderate and control use. Their unsuccessful attempts to gain control
may be paralleled to alcoholics who are unable to regulate or stop
their excessive drinking despite relationship or occupational problems
caused by drinking; or compared to compulsive gamblers who are
unable to stop betting despite their excessive financial debts.
This paper suggests that there exists an increased risk in the
development of addictive use the more interactive the application
utilized by the on-line user. It is possible that a unique reinforcement
of virtual contact with on-line relationships may fulfill unmet real life
social needs. Individuals who feel misunderstood and lonely may use
virtual relationships to seek out feelings of comfort and community.
However, greater research is needed to investigate how such
interactive applications are capable of fulfilling such unmet needs and
how this leads to addictive patterns of behavior.
Finally, these results also suggested that Dependents were relative
beginners on the Internet. Therefore, it may be hypothesized that new
comers to the Internet may be at a higher risk for developing addictive
patterns of Internet use. However, it may be postulated that "hi-tech"
or more advanced users suffer from a greater amount of denial since
their Internet use has become an integral part of their daily lives.
Given that, individuals who constantly utilize the Internet may not
recognize "addictive" use as a problem and therefore saw no need to
participate in this survey. This may explain their low representation in
this sample. Therefore, additional research should examine
personality traits that may mediate addictive Internet use, particularly
I n t e r n e t A d d i c t i o n | - 52 -
among new users, and how denial is fostered by its encouraged
practice.
Future research should develop treatment protocols and conduct
outcome studies for effective management of these symptoms. It may
be beneficial to monitor such cases of addictive Internet use in clinical
settings by utilizing the adapted criteria presented in this study.
Finally, future research should focus on the prevalence, incidence,
and the role of this type of behavior in other established addictions
(e.g., other substance dependencies or pathological gambling) or
psychiatric disorders (e.g., depression, bipolar disorder, obsessive-
compulsive disorder, attention deficit disorder).
Conclusion:
Finally we can say that in this new Era of technology
addictively using Internet is harmful for mental health. As we know
there is no health without mental health so we must take necessary
steps to prevent people from this kind of addiction. Using Internet is
common in daily life and it makes life easier and knowledgeful, if
used systematically. So a systematic approach of using internet must
be adopted to avoid this addiction.
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Suggestions
References
Chapter- 5
I n t e r n e t A d d i c t i o n | - 54 -
Suggestions
This study should be viewed as a starting point from which future
research could take place. It is suggested that future studies employ
more varied personality variables such as self-esteem, Depression,
Anxiety, sensation seeking, introversion-extroversion, personality
type, affective states while using the internet, reasons for behaviors
(e.g., ‘why do you avoid sleep to remain online?) and combinations of
behaviors (e.g., ‘do you consume alcohol while using the Internet?’).
Researcher completed his dissertation work at DSVV
(Hardwar). This work can be done in any other institute or any
other organization.
Researcher studied effect of Internet addiction on mental health
but other aspects related to Internet addiction can be know. Such
as effect of Internet addiction on Memory and etc.
Other Internet addiction factors and formation of Internet
addiction should be Known By which Internet addiction could
be manage.
Study of Internet addiction may be useful for the selection of the
candidate for job or commercial purpose.
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