Information technology (IT) use and children's psychological well-being.
The relationship between four types of information technology use and eight dimensions of psychological well-being were examined in a sample of 500 African American and Anglo-American girls and boys. Both parent and child ratings of well-being were considered. Findings indicated that greater IT use, but especially greater videogame use, was associated with lower psychological well-being, with one exception: greater Internet use for purposes other than communication was associated with greater psychological well-being. Greater Internet use for communication was associated with more social problems in real life. Gender and race differences in psychological well-being and IT use suggest that African American males may be at risk for the adverse effects of IT use because their videogame playing equals that of Anglo-American males, but their Internet use is the least of all groups.
Jackson
Linda A
LA
Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA. Jackso67@msu.edu
Fitzgerald
Hiram E
HE
Zhao
Yong
Y
Kolenic
Anthony
A
von Eye
Alexander
A
Harold
Rena
R
D044383:Black People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007256:Information Systems / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008297:Male; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011584:Psychology; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013672:Technology / Q000295:instrumentation*; D018910:Video Games / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001741:Black or African American