title: Internet addiction in Hong Kong adolescents: a three-year longitudinal study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The present study investigated the prevalence and psychosocial correlates of Internet addiction in Hong Kong adolescents using a longitudinal design.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three waves of data were collected over 3 years from students in 28 secondary schools in Hong Kong (Wave 1: 3,325 students, age = 12.59 ± 0.74 y; Wave 2: 3,638 students, age = 13.64 ± 0.75 y; Wave 3: 4,106 students, age = 14.65 ± 0.80 y).
  
  
  METHODS
  Young's 10-item Internet Addiction Test, Chinese Positive Youth Development Scale, and Chinese Family Assessment Instrument were used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At Wave 3, 22.5% of the participants met the criterion of Internet addiction, which was lower than those observed at Wave 1 (26.4%) and Wave 2 (26.7%). Using different measures at Wave 1 to predict Internet addiction at Wave 3, it was found that male students showed more problematic Internet use behavior than did female students; good family functioning predicted lower probability of having Internet addiction; positive youth development indicators negatively predicted Internet addictive behaviors over time.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggest that strengthening family functioning and promoting positive youth development could be a direction for preventing Internet addiction in Hong Kong adolescents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, PR China. lu.yu@inet.polyu.edu.hk
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Daniel Tan Lei
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Shek
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006723:Hong Kong / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012574:Schools; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires