title: The physical, behavioral, and psychosocial consequences of Internet use in college students.
abstract: The purposes of this study were to identify the physical, behavioral, and psychosocial consequences of Internet use in undergraduate college students; and to evaluate whether time, social norms, and adopter category predict the consequences of Internet use. Rogers' model for studying consequences of innovation was adapted for this study. A descriptive, correlational design was used. Convenience sampling yielded 293 undergraduate students who answered the online survey. Consequences of Internet use were assessed with the researcher-developed instrument, the Internet Consequences Scale (ICONS). Mean scores on the behavioral and psychosocial subscales of the ICONS indicated positive consequences of Internet use, while the physical consequences subscale revealed negative consequences. Multiple regression analyses revealed a small, but significant, amount of variance in consequences of Internet use that could be explained by time, social norms, and adopter category, thus supporting the adapted model for the study of consequences of Internet use in college students.
authors.affiliation: Department of Healthcare Systems and Informatics, Georgia State University, Milledgeville, GA 31061, USA. debbie.clark@gcsu.edu
authors.forename: Deborah J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: Karen H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Frith
authors.forename: Alice S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Demi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001292:Attitude to Computers; D016739:Behavior, Addictive; D012090:Cumulative Trauma Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D004059:Diffusion of Innovation; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008132:Loneliness; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D010379:Peer Group; D012044:Regression Analysis; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012919:Social Behavior; D012945:Social Values; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013673:Technology Assessment, Biomedical; D013996:Time and Motion Studies; D014495:Universities