The characteristics of decision making, potential to take risks, and personality of college students with Internet addiction.
This study aimed to identify risk factors involved in Internet addiction. A total of 216 college students (132 males and 84 females) were given the following: (a) the diagnostic interview for Internet addiction, (b) the Iowa gambling test for decision-making deficits, (c) the Balloon Analog Risk Test (BART) to assess risk-taking tendencies, and (d) the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ) for personality characteristics. The results revealed the following: (a) 49% of males and 17% of females were addicted, (b) the addicted students tended to select more advantageous cards in the last 40 cards of the Iowa test, indicating better decision making, (c) no difference was found for the BART, indicating that addicted subjects were not more likely to engage in risk-taking behaviors and (d) TPQ scores showed lower reward dependence (RD) and higher novelty seeking (NS) for the addicts. Their higher performance on the Iowa gambling test differentiates the Internet addiction group from the substance use and pathologic gambling groups that have been shown to be deficient in decision making on the Iowa test. Thus, students that fit these characteristics should be closely monitored to prevent Internet addiction.
Ko
Chih-Hung
CH
Department of Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 100 Tzyou 1st Rd. Kaohsiung City, Taiwan.
Hsiao
Sigmund
S
Liu
Gin-Chung
GC
Yen
Ju-Yu
JY
Yang
Ming-Jen
MJ
Yen
Cheng-Fang
CF
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001244:Association; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D003657:Decision Making / Q000502:physiology*; D005106:Exploratory Behavior; D005260:Female; D005717:Games, Experimental; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010551:Personality / Q000502:physiology*; D010556:Personality Tests; D012309:Risk-Taking; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult