title: Precursor or sequela: pathological disorders in people with Internet addiction disorder.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study aimed to evaluate the roles of pathological disorders in Internet addiction disorder and identify the pathological problems in IAD, as well as explore the mental status of Internet addicts prior to addiction, including the pathological traits that may trigger Internet addiction disorder.
  
  
  RESULTS
  59 students were measured by Symptom CheckList-90 before and after they became addicted to the Internet. A comparison of collected data from Symptom Checklist-90 before Internet addiction and the data collected after Internet addiction illustrated the roles of pathological disorders among people with Internet addiction disorder. The obsessive-compulsive dimension was found abnormal before they became addicted to the Internet. After their addiction, significantly higher scores were observed for dimensions on depression, anxiety, hostility, interpersonal sensitivity, and psychoticism, suggesting that these were outcomes of Internet addiction disorder. Dimensions on somatisation, paranoid ideation, and phobic anxiety did not change during the study period, signifying that these dimensions are not related to Internet addiction disorder.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We can not find a solid pathological predictor for Internet addiction disorder. Internet addiction disorder may bring some pathological problems to the addicts in some ways.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, People's Republic of China. dongguangheng@gmail.com
authors.forename: Guangheng
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Qilin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Xuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D044466:Asian People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012307:Risk Factors; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology