Skip to main content
Article
Problematic Internet Use and Associated High-Risk Behavior in an Adolescent Clinical Sample: Results from a Survey of Psychiatrically Hospitalized Youth.
Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw
  • Meredith Gansner
  • Erin Belfort, Maine Medical Center
  • Benjamin Cook
  • Caroline Leahy
  • Andrea Colon-Perez
  • Danielle Mirda
  • Nicholas Carson
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-1-2019
Institution/Department
Psychiatry; Pediatrics
MeSH Headings
Adolescent, Adolescent Behavior, Adolescent, Institutionalized, Child, Cross-Sectional Studies, Depressive Disorder, Diagnosis, Dual (Psychiatry), Female, Humans, Internet, Male, Risk-Taking, Suicide, Surveys and Questionnaires, Young Adult
Abstract

Problematic Internet use (PIU) is a growing clinical concern to clinicians working in adolescent mental health, with significant potential comorbidities like depression and substance use. No prior study has examined associations between PIU, high-risk behavior, and psychiatric diagnoses specifically in psychiatrically hospitalized adolescents. Here, we analyzed how PIU severity correlated with preadmission Internet habits, psychiatric symptoms, and high-risk behavior in this unique population. We hypothesized that as the severity of PIU increased, so would endorsement of mood symptoms, engagement in risky behaviors, and chances of having comorbid mood and aggression-related diagnoses. We performed a cross-sectional survey on an adolescent psychiatric inpatient unit in an urban community hospital in Massachusetts. Participants were 12-20 years old (

Citation Information
Meredith Gansner, Erin Belfort, Benjamin Cook, Caroline Leahy, et al.. "Problematic Internet Use and Associated High-Risk Behavior in an Adolescent Clinical Sample: Results from a Survey of Psychiatrically Hospitalized Youth." Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw Vol. 22 Iss. 5 (2019) p. 349 - 354 ISSN: 2152-2723
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/erin-lechnerbelfort/3/