Background and aims: The present study explores the relationship between social motivations and a... more Background and aims: The present study explores the relationship between social motivations and addiction to online gaming and if that possible connection can be explained by the personality traits responsible for social functioning. Methods: We employ Bernstein's concept of interpersonal dependency to distinguish healthy dependency , dysfunctional detachment, and destructive overdependence, and Charlton and Danforth's conceptualisation of online gaming addiction and high engagement. An online questionnaire was administered to a self-nominated sample of 4,074 online gamers. Two regression models were constructed to separately explain gaming addiction and high engagement using social motivations to play, while controlling for age, gender, and time spent online. Results: High scores on subscales measuring dysfunctional detachment and destructive overdependence were positively associated with online gaming addiction, while healthy dependency was negatively correlated with addiction scores. In contrast, the overall role of social motivation was negligible. Discussion: People with healthy relationship profiles are less likely to develop problematic patterns of online gaming. High in-game engagement, although sharing some factors with addiction, was only poorly explained by the study variables, suggesting the mutual exclusiveness of addiction and engagement.
Despite growing public health concerns data on excessive Internet use (EIU) allowing for comparis... more Despite growing public health concerns data on excessive Internet use (EIU) allowing for comparison between countries and over time are scarce. Our study is the first attempt to evaluate the changes and the impact of mobile access on EIU in Europe. It is based on data from 2 surveys of adolescents implemented in 2010 and 2013 in 7 European countries that used identical methodology; a total of 7663 adolescents were recruited by random stratified sampling. The levels of EIU were compared and a regression model was used to assess the impact of smart devices, the number of activities performed online, and the specific online applications. A small but significant increase of EIU levels was observed in Belgium, Denmark, Romania, the UK, and overall. Although smartphone use is a positive predictor of EIU, it is moderated by the increasing number of activities performed online. The increase in levels of EIU is also associated with the daily use of online games and social networking sites.
Prevalence data on Internet addiction in Europe are rather scarce due to the lack of agreement on... more Prevalence data on Internet addiction in Europe are rather scarce due to the lack of agreement on the
definition and measurement of the concept. We define Excessive Internet Use (EIU) as such use of online
applications that puts the user at risk of adverse consequences. In this paper, we present a cross-country
quasi-validation of the five-item Excessive Internet Use scale that is suitable for use in general population
surveys. We worked with EU Kids Online II data for children aged 11–16 in 25 European countries and
used a set of regression models to assess the probabilities of various negative consequences for each
EIU score. A consistent pattern was identified across Europe when controlling for country differences,
suggesting good psychometric properties of the scale. Moreover, our results indicate that EIU in children
may be a symptom of broader behavioral difficulties rather than a condition, per se.
Massively multiplayer online (MMO) games represent a long-standing, intensive and wide spread typ... more Massively multiplayer online (MMO) games represent a long-standing, intensive and wide spread type of online applications whose popularity continues to grow. Although just a mere entertainment and leisure activity for most gamers, its potentially negative and addictive outcomes were intensively studied and recently also acknowledged by the American Psychiatric Association (2013). MMOs are essentially a social activity, but empirical studies are equivocal in identifying whether and to what extent the social factors help develop the addictive gaming habits associated with these applications. The present study seeks to directly identify the role of social factors in online addictive gaming. Survey data from 667 MMO gamers were analysed. Together with an online game addiction scale, the investigated psychological factors included social motivation for gaming, online peer attachment and social self-efficacy. The results revealed that although social motivation was a predictor of addictive gaming, high social motivation was typical for intensive gamers regardless of their level of addiction. However, gamers at-risk of addiction scored lower in their social self-efficacy and interpersonal trust measured by peer attachment. This supports the poor-get-poorer hypothesis, that generally less socially skilled gamers face further problems online. However, social factors were only modestly associated to online addictive gaming which indicates higher relevance of other factors identified by literature, e.g. immersion and in-game rewards systems.
Objectives
This study investigated the differences between non-excessive, moderately excessive... more Objectives
This study investigated the differences between non-excessive, moderately excessive, and highly excessive internet use among adolescents. These differences were explored in terms of personal characteristics, psychological difficulties, environmental factors, and manner of internet use.
Methods
A representative sample was investigated, consisting of 18,709 adolescents aged 11–16 and their parents, from 25 European countries. Excessive internet use was measured using a five item scale covering following factors: salience, conflict, tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, and relapse and reinstatement. The main data analysis utilised multinomial and binary logistic regression models.
Results
The vast majority of respondents reported no signs of excessive internet use. Moderately excessive users (4.4 %) reported higher emotional and behavioural difficulties, but also more sophisticated digital skills and a broader range of online activities. The highly excessive users (1.4 %) differed from the non-excessive and moderately excessive users in their preference for online games and in having more difficulties with self-control.
Conclusions
Adolescents who struggle with attention and self-control and who are inclined toward online gaming may be especially vulnerable to the otherwise uncommon phenomenon of excessive internet use.
This study investigated the relationship between adolescents’ excessive Internet use (EIU) and pa... more This study investigated the relationship between adolescents’ excessive Internet use (EIU) and parental mediation. A random stratified sample of 11- to 16-year olds (N = 18 709) and their parents from 25 European countries (EU Kids Online II project) was analysed to explore to what extent different types of parental mediation and other factors predict EIU. Active parental involvement in the child's Internet use (when the child had experienced online harm) and restrictive mediation were associated with lower EIU. Harmful online experiences, time spent online, scope of online activities and adolescents’ age predicted higher EIU.
World Wide Internet: Changing Societies, Economies and Cultures, Jul 2009
This study investigated addictive behavior on the Internet in the Czech Republic, Chile and Swede... more This study investigated addictive behavior on the Internet in the Czech Republic, Chile and Sweden. Data were collected via interviews with 592 respondents from Chile, 1381 respondents from the Czech Republic and 2057 respondents from Sweden. This study presents data on the prevalence of addictive behavior on the Internet in the Czech Republic, which was measured using a 10 item scale evaluating the dimensions of excessive Internet use (cognitive and behavioral salience, tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, conflicts, mood modification and problems with limiting time online). A comparison was (also) done of the prevalence of two dimensions of addictive behavior on the Internet (conflict and mood modification) among users in Chile, the Czech Republic and Sweden. The international comparison revealed that Internet users in the Czech Republic and Chile scored similar and higher than Swedes in dimensions of conflict and mood modification. Swedes also had a lower incidence of 'dangerous' online activities, such as visiting chat rooms or playing online games and greater tendency to carry out 'practical activities', such as using bank services. We speculate that the proneness to addictive behavior seems to be closely adherent to applications and patterns of Internet use in different countries. Regarding age, in all three countries, the youngest Internet users aged 16 to 19 years scored highest in both addictive behavior dimensions, while those aged 46 and older had the lowest score. Regarding the prevalence of addictive behavior on the Internet in the Czech Republic, results show that a total of 3.4% of Internet users could be described as having developed addictive behavior on the Internet and another 3.7% of Internet users are 'endangered' by addictive potential of the Internet.
Internetabhängigkeit ist bisher kein klar definierter Begriff, es ist keine eindeutig spezifizie... more Internetabhängigkeit ist bisher kein klar definierter Begriff, es ist keine eindeutig spezifizierte Störung mit konkreten Symptomen. Unter Fachleuten selbst herrscht Uneinigkeit darüber, ob es „Internetabhängigkeit“ überhaupt gibt beziehungsweise ob in diesem Kontext der Begriff „Abhängigkeit“ berechtigt benutzt werden kann. Derzeit stimmen einige Forscher überein, dass die übermäßige Internetnutzung einen negativen Einfluss auf das Leben eines Individuums haben kann (Morahan-Martin & Schumacher, 2003; (2000). Beard und Wolf (2001) meinen beispielsweise, dass „problematische Internetnutzung“ dann besteht, wenn es psychologische, soziale, schulische oder arbeitsbezogene Probleme im Leben einer Person versursacht. Aus diesem Blickwinkel betrachtet stellt das Phänomen der (potenziellen) „Internetabhängigkeit“ ein Problem dar, das unsere Beachtung verdient, auch wenn es von Forschern im unterschiedlichen Kontext verschieden bezeichnet wird.
The term “excessive Internet use” is often associated with determining pathological extensive Int... more The term “excessive Internet use” is often associated with determining pathological extensive Internet usage, which could be also called “online addiction”. Such excessive presence online is usually defined by the following components used for determining other addictive behaviours: salience, mood change, conflicts, tolerance, relapse, reinstatement and withdrawal symptoms. The described behaviour may lead to a social, mental and also physical impairment of children and youth. In this chapter, we introduce and show the prevalence of five dimensions of excessive Internet use among European children. We also analyse its relation to other psychosocial variables, such as self-efficacy, peer problems, and other kinds of risky behaviour offline and online, i.e. cyberbullying and meeting strangers online.
RPG are based on deep connection between the player and the character (the role) what he plays. T... more RPG are based on deep connection between the player and the character (the role) what he plays. The players tend to hold similar psychological types (usually introverted intelectual men about 20 years old). On basis of the grounded theory and analytical psychology there were carried out and analyzed 6 interviews in the research. Two main findings emerged: firstly, the player identifies himself with his character on the symbolic basis. The character is percieved as a part of player`s personality and simultaneously as something overlapping him. The relation between them is partially driven by unconsciousness - toward indirectness, dynamics of the game and open future. Secondly, two types of imagination were identified. In the game itself shared, concrete and narrative fantasies dominated while in out-game lone imagination the fantasies were object-related and had stellate organization. Both findings imply the simillarities between the character (role) and imaginative-based complex.
Using data collected from the EU Kids Online II project, a random stratified sample of 18.709 ad... more Using data collected from the EU Kids Online II project, a random stratified sample of 18.709 adolescents aged 11-16 years, from 25 European countries, was used to analyse the relationship between excessive Internet use (EIU) and a set of psychological, behavioural, and demographic variables. At a European level, psychological variables were the best predictors, accounting for more of the variation in EIU than both behavioural and demographic variables combined. On a national level, the most stable predictor was emotional difficulties, while all the other variables shifted across countries.
Background and aims: The present study explores the relationship between social motivations and a... more Background and aims: The present study explores the relationship between social motivations and addiction to online gaming and if that possible connection can be explained by the personality traits responsible for social functioning. Methods: We employ Bernstein's concept of interpersonal dependency to distinguish healthy dependency , dysfunctional detachment, and destructive overdependence, and Charlton and Danforth's conceptualisation of online gaming addiction and high engagement. An online questionnaire was administered to a self-nominated sample of 4,074 online gamers. Two regression models were constructed to separately explain gaming addiction and high engagement using social motivations to play, while controlling for age, gender, and time spent online. Results: High scores on subscales measuring dysfunctional detachment and destructive overdependence were positively associated with online gaming addiction, while healthy dependency was negatively correlated with addiction scores. In contrast, the overall role of social motivation was negligible. Discussion: People with healthy relationship profiles are less likely to develop problematic patterns of online gaming. High in-game engagement, although sharing some factors with addiction, was only poorly explained by the study variables, suggesting the mutual exclusiveness of addiction and engagement.
Despite growing public health concerns data on excessive Internet use (EIU) allowing for comparis... more Despite growing public health concerns data on excessive Internet use (EIU) allowing for comparison between countries and over time are scarce. Our study is the first attempt to evaluate the changes and the impact of mobile access on EIU in Europe. It is based on data from 2 surveys of adolescents implemented in 2010 and 2013 in 7 European countries that used identical methodology; a total of 7663 adolescents were recruited by random stratified sampling. The levels of EIU were compared and a regression model was used to assess the impact of smart devices, the number of activities performed online, and the specific online applications. A small but significant increase of EIU levels was observed in Belgium, Denmark, Romania, the UK, and overall. Although smartphone use is a positive predictor of EIU, it is moderated by the increasing number of activities performed online. The increase in levels of EIU is also associated with the daily use of online games and social networking sites.
Prevalence data on Internet addiction in Europe are rather scarce due to the lack of agreement on... more Prevalence data on Internet addiction in Europe are rather scarce due to the lack of agreement on the
definition and measurement of the concept. We define Excessive Internet Use (EIU) as such use of online
applications that puts the user at risk of adverse consequences. In this paper, we present a cross-country
quasi-validation of the five-item Excessive Internet Use scale that is suitable for use in general population
surveys. We worked with EU Kids Online II data for children aged 11–16 in 25 European countries and
used a set of regression models to assess the probabilities of various negative consequences for each
EIU score. A consistent pattern was identified across Europe when controlling for country differences,
suggesting good psychometric properties of the scale. Moreover, our results indicate that EIU in children
may be a symptom of broader behavioral difficulties rather than a condition, per se.
Massively multiplayer online (MMO) games represent a long-standing, intensive and wide spread typ... more Massively multiplayer online (MMO) games represent a long-standing, intensive and wide spread type of online applications whose popularity continues to grow. Although just a mere entertainment and leisure activity for most gamers, its potentially negative and addictive outcomes were intensively studied and recently also acknowledged by the American Psychiatric Association (2013). MMOs are essentially a social activity, but empirical studies are equivocal in identifying whether and to what extent the social factors help develop the addictive gaming habits associated with these applications. The present study seeks to directly identify the role of social factors in online addictive gaming. Survey data from 667 MMO gamers were analysed. Together with an online game addiction scale, the investigated psychological factors included social motivation for gaming, online peer attachment and social self-efficacy. The results revealed that although social motivation was a predictor of addictive gaming, high social motivation was typical for intensive gamers regardless of their level of addiction. However, gamers at-risk of addiction scored lower in their social self-efficacy and interpersonal trust measured by peer attachment. This supports the poor-get-poorer hypothesis, that generally less socially skilled gamers face further problems online. However, social factors were only modestly associated to online addictive gaming which indicates higher relevance of other factors identified by literature, e.g. immersion and in-game rewards systems.
Objectives
This study investigated the differences between non-excessive, moderately excessive... more Objectives
This study investigated the differences between non-excessive, moderately excessive, and highly excessive internet use among adolescents. These differences were explored in terms of personal characteristics, psychological difficulties, environmental factors, and manner of internet use.
Methods
A representative sample was investigated, consisting of 18,709 adolescents aged 11–16 and their parents, from 25 European countries. Excessive internet use was measured using a five item scale covering following factors: salience, conflict, tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, and relapse and reinstatement. The main data analysis utilised multinomial and binary logistic regression models.
Results
The vast majority of respondents reported no signs of excessive internet use. Moderately excessive users (4.4 %) reported higher emotional and behavioural difficulties, but also more sophisticated digital skills and a broader range of online activities. The highly excessive users (1.4 %) differed from the non-excessive and moderately excessive users in their preference for online games and in having more difficulties with self-control.
Conclusions
Adolescents who struggle with attention and self-control and who are inclined toward online gaming may be especially vulnerable to the otherwise uncommon phenomenon of excessive internet use.
This study investigated the relationship between adolescents’ excessive Internet use (EIU) and pa... more This study investigated the relationship between adolescents’ excessive Internet use (EIU) and parental mediation. A random stratified sample of 11- to 16-year olds (N = 18 709) and their parents from 25 European countries (EU Kids Online II project) was analysed to explore to what extent different types of parental mediation and other factors predict EIU. Active parental involvement in the child's Internet use (when the child had experienced online harm) and restrictive mediation were associated with lower EIU. Harmful online experiences, time spent online, scope of online activities and adolescents’ age predicted higher EIU.
World Wide Internet: Changing Societies, Economies and Cultures, Jul 2009
This study investigated addictive behavior on the Internet in the Czech Republic, Chile and Swede... more This study investigated addictive behavior on the Internet in the Czech Republic, Chile and Sweden. Data were collected via interviews with 592 respondents from Chile, 1381 respondents from the Czech Republic and 2057 respondents from Sweden. This study presents data on the prevalence of addictive behavior on the Internet in the Czech Republic, which was measured using a 10 item scale evaluating the dimensions of excessive Internet use (cognitive and behavioral salience, tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, conflicts, mood modification and problems with limiting time online). A comparison was (also) done of the prevalence of two dimensions of addictive behavior on the Internet (conflict and mood modification) among users in Chile, the Czech Republic and Sweden. The international comparison revealed that Internet users in the Czech Republic and Chile scored similar and higher than Swedes in dimensions of conflict and mood modification. Swedes also had a lower incidence of 'dangerous' online activities, such as visiting chat rooms or playing online games and greater tendency to carry out 'practical activities', such as using bank services. We speculate that the proneness to addictive behavior seems to be closely adherent to applications and patterns of Internet use in different countries. Regarding age, in all three countries, the youngest Internet users aged 16 to 19 years scored highest in both addictive behavior dimensions, while those aged 46 and older had the lowest score. Regarding the prevalence of addictive behavior on the Internet in the Czech Republic, results show that a total of 3.4% of Internet users could be described as having developed addictive behavior on the Internet and another 3.7% of Internet users are 'endangered' by addictive potential of the Internet.
Internetabhängigkeit ist bisher kein klar definierter Begriff, es ist keine eindeutig spezifizie... more Internetabhängigkeit ist bisher kein klar definierter Begriff, es ist keine eindeutig spezifizierte Störung mit konkreten Symptomen. Unter Fachleuten selbst herrscht Uneinigkeit darüber, ob es „Internetabhängigkeit“ überhaupt gibt beziehungsweise ob in diesem Kontext der Begriff „Abhängigkeit“ berechtigt benutzt werden kann. Derzeit stimmen einige Forscher überein, dass die übermäßige Internetnutzung einen negativen Einfluss auf das Leben eines Individuums haben kann (Morahan-Martin & Schumacher, 2003; (2000). Beard und Wolf (2001) meinen beispielsweise, dass „problematische Internetnutzung“ dann besteht, wenn es psychologische, soziale, schulische oder arbeitsbezogene Probleme im Leben einer Person versursacht. Aus diesem Blickwinkel betrachtet stellt das Phänomen der (potenziellen) „Internetabhängigkeit“ ein Problem dar, das unsere Beachtung verdient, auch wenn es von Forschern im unterschiedlichen Kontext verschieden bezeichnet wird.
The term “excessive Internet use” is often associated with determining pathological extensive Int... more The term “excessive Internet use” is often associated with determining pathological extensive Internet usage, which could be also called “online addiction”. Such excessive presence online is usually defined by the following components used for determining other addictive behaviours: salience, mood change, conflicts, tolerance, relapse, reinstatement and withdrawal symptoms. The described behaviour may lead to a social, mental and also physical impairment of children and youth. In this chapter, we introduce and show the prevalence of five dimensions of excessive Internet use among European children. We also analyse its relation to other psychosocial variables, such as self-efficacy, peer problems, and other kinds of risky behaviour offline and online, i.e. cyberbullying and meeting strangers online.
RPG are based on deep connection between the player and the character (the role) what he plays. T... more RPG are based on deep connection between the player and the character (the role) what he plays. The players tend to hold similar psychological types (usually introverted intelectual men about 20 years old). On basis of the grounded theory and analytical psychology there were carried out and analyzed 6 interviews in the research. Two main findings emerged: firstly, the player identifies himself with his character on the symbolic basis. The character is percieved as a part of player`s personality and simultaneously as something overlapping him. The relation between them is partially driven by unconsciousness - toward indirectness, dynamics of the game and open future. Secondly, two types of imagination were identified. In the game itself shared, concrete and narrative fantasies dominated while in out-game lone imagination the fantasies were object-related and had stellate organization. Both findings imply the simillarities between the character (role) and imaginative-based complex.
Using data collected from the EU Kids Online II project, a random stratified sample of 18.709 ad... more Using data collected from the EU Kids Online II project, a random stratified sample of 18.709 adolescents aged 11-16 years, from 25 European countries, was used to analyse the relationship between excessive Internet use (EIU) and a set of psychological, behavioural, and demographic variables. At a European level, psychological variables were the best predictors, accounting for more of the variation in EIU than both behavioural and demographic variables combined. On a national level, the most stable predictor was emotional difficulties, while all the other variables shifted across countries.
Uploads
Papers by Lukas Blinka
definition and measurement of the concept. We define Excessive Internet Use (EIU) as such use of online
applications that puts the user at risk of adverse consequences. In this paper, we present a cross-country
quasi-validation of the five-item Excessive Internet Use scale that is suitable for use in general population
surveys. We worked with EU Kids Online II data for children aged 11–16 in 25 European countries and
used a set of regression models to assess the probabilities of various negative consequences for each
EIU score. A consistent pattern was identified across Europe when controlling for country differences,
suggesting good psychometric properties of the scale. Moreover, our results indicate that EIU in children
may be a symptom of broader behavioral difficulties rather than a condition, per se.
This study investigated the differences between non-excessive, moderately excessive, and highly excessive internet use among adolescents. These differences were explored in terms of personal characteristics, psychological difficulties, environmental factors, and manner of internet use.
Methods
A representative sample was investigated, consisting of 18,709 adolescents aged 11–16 and their parents, from 25 European countries. Excessive internet use was measured using a five item scale covering following factors: salience, conflict, tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, and relapse and reinstatement. The main data analysis utilised multinomial and binary logistic regression models.
Results
The vast majority of respondents reported no signs of excessive internet use. Moderately excessive users (4.4 %) reported higher emotional and behavioural difficulties, but also more sophisticated digital skills and a broader range of online activities. The highly excessive users (1.4 %) differed from the non-excessive and moderately excessive users in their preference for online games and in having more difficulties with self-control.
Conclusions
Adolescents who struggle with attention and self-control and who are inclined toward online gaming may be especially vulnerable to the otherwise uncommon phenomenon of excessive internet use.
Chapters by Lukas Blinka
Articles by Lukas Blinka
Conference Papers by Lukas Blinka
definition and measurement of the concept. We define Excessive Internet Use (EIU) as such use of online
applications that puts the user at risk of adverse consequences. In this paper, we present a cross-country
quasi-validation of the five-item Excessive Internet Use scale that is suitable for use in general population
surveys. We worked with EU Kids Online II data for children aged 11–16 in 25 European countries and
used a set of regression models to assess the probabilities of various negative consequences for each
EIU score. A consistent pattern was identified across Europe when controlling for country differences,
suggesting good psychometric properties of the scale. Moreover, our results indicate that EIU in children
may be a symptom of broader behavioral difficulties rather than a condition, per se.
This study investigated the differences between non-excessive, moderately excessive, and highly excessive internet use among adolescents. These differences were explored in terms of personal characteristics, psychological difficulties, environmental factors, and manner of internet use.
Methods
A representative sample was investigated, consisting of 18,709 adolescents aged 11–16 and their parents, from 25 European countries. Excessive internet use was measured using a five item scale covering following factors: salience, conflict, tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, and relapse and reinstatement. The main data analysis utilised multinomial and binary logistic regression models.
Results
The vast majority of respondents reported no signs of excessive internet use. Moderately excessive users (4.4 %) reported higher emotional and behavioural difficulties, but also more sophisticated digital skills and a broader range of online activities. The highly excessive users (1.4 %) differed from the non-excessive and moderately excessive users in their preference for online games and in having more difficulties with self-control.
Conclusions
Adolescents who struggle with attention and self-control and who are inclined toward online gaming may be especially vulnerable to the otherwise uncommon phenomenon of excessive internet use.